iSH Presents

From decommissioning and waste management to facility life extension and international growth, NSG has built its reputation on solving complex nuclear challenges with practical thinking. Managing Director, Gareth Wilson, and Senior Project Manager, Rob Hawley, join Miranda to discuss why the best solution isn't always the most complicated, how NSG has grown while retaining its people-first culture, and how opportunities in West Cumbria and beyond are shaping the company's next chapter.

In this episode of iSH Presents, Miranda visits Whitehaven-based consultancy Co-Lab to meet founder Clyne Albertelli and senior consultant Nishantraj Pandey.

The conversation explores Colab's journey from startup to growing business, the challenges of finding commercial success, and the importance of turning strategy into action.

The trio discuss attracting talent to West Cumbria, supporting SMEs through the SCRIP supply chain improvement programme, opportunities across nuclear, defence, clean energy and agriculture, and the role of AI in modern consultancy.

The episode also looks at Co-Lab's new Control Room platform and its ambitions for future growth.

Host Miranda Kirschel visits Eadon Consulting's Cockermouth office to meet director Jim Hill. The discussion explores collaboration, innovation, skills growth and why Cumbria's engineering and robotics ecosystem is attracting ambitious businesses looking to solve some of industry's toughest challenges.

Jim discusses Eadon's expansion into West Cumbria, the development of its pioneering REACH robotic deployment system, and how engineering expertise and partnership working are helping deliver solutions for the nuclear sector and beyond.

In this episode of iSH Presents, Hannah speaks with William King, Managing Director of William King Construction and co-founder of the Aspire Academy.

Developed in partnership with Time to Change West Cumbria and West Cumbria Learning Centre, Aspire Academy helps young people who struggle in traditional educational settings to develop practical construction skills, gain qualifications and build confidence for the future.

William discusses the impact the programme is already having, the importance of employer involvement in education, and how Aspire Academy is creating new pathways into apprenticeships, employment and long-term careers across West Cumbria.

Miranda is joined by Trudy Harrison and Callum Woodend to explore the story of Shepley Group - from its origins supporting the Windscale programme to becoming the longest-standing continuous contractor at Sellafield.

They discuss the group’s integrated engineering capability, its focus on apprenticeships and local skills, and the role it is playing in the future of clean energy, defence and the West Cumbrian supply chain.

It's not all about Cumbria, though - Big Ben gets an honorary mention too!

Hannah sits down with Leigh Seaman, client executive partner at global IT services provider, Atos, to explore the role of digital technology in Cumbria’s future.

They discuss why collaboration between global organisations, SMEs and local talent is essential to building a resilient economy and explore why, by combining long-term expertise with innovation and new skills, Cumbria is well positioned to play a leading role in the UK’s digital and clean energy future.

The episode also highlights the importance of skills and talent development, and how Digital Cumbria is helping connect organisations and showcase local capability to wider markets.

In this episode, host Miranda is joined by Dr Kirsty Hewitson, director of the Robotics and AI Collaboration (RAICo). They discuss RAICo's founding principles, its constituent partners and the collaboration's mission to remove humans from hazardous environments by developing innovations underpinned by the latest in robotics and AI technology. If humanoids, robotic 'dogs' and next level tech are your thing, this is the pod for you!

In this episode, Miranda is joined by Mark Telford, Chief Executive of Forth, one of Cumbria’s leading engineering companies.

Broadcast from the home of Forth’s 1.2-million-litre Deep Recovery Facility, the conversation explores the business’s humble beginnings, its rapid growth, and its reputation as the speedboat of the engineering world.

The pair delve into innovation in the nuclear sector, Forth’s expansion into Malta, and the company’s strongly held views on social value – alongside the thinking that has driven its success.

Miranda is joined by Anand Puthran, CEO of McMenon Engineering, who offers an intimate insight into life at the West Cumbria business as it approaches its 80th anniversary.

Exporting to more than 60 countries, McMenon operates in a fiercely competitive global market. Anand talks candidly about what it takes to go head to head with billion-dollar engineering giants, while also reflecting on the growing competitive pressure emerging from manufacturers in India and China, and how the business is responding.