Multiple generations are currently working side by side: Gen Z in their mid-20s and 30s, Millennials in their 30s and 40s, Gen X in their late 40s and 50s, and Baby Boomers in their 60s and 70s. Generational stereotypes abound: Baby Boomers supposedly have it all, while digital-native Gen Z are dismissed as ‘snowflakes’. How helpful are these labels? Probably not very. There’s a backlash against them within HR and business circles, but there are differences between generations in how they like to work, what work means to them and how they prefer to communicate.

In this podcast, Emma delves beneath the chatter and brings together project professionals from every generation to ask them for their experience of working together. Joining her are Baby Boomer Gordon MacKay FAPM, Gen X Karina Singh, Millennial Jimmy Nguyen and Gen Z Miles Allibone-Dover.

Emma talks all things leadership with Dave Corbin ChPP, Chief Project Delivery Officer at Gleeds. Dave started his working life as a gas engineer before switching into project and programme management and working his way up to the top. He shares his career advice on getting ahead, and explains why clarity matters in project leadership. Dave was a finalist for APM's Chartered Project Professional of the Year Award in 2024 – so what has he learnt about project and programme leadership? And how can you go about building your own experience to gain an executive role?

Emma is joined by John McNeill ChPP, Head of Programme Delivery at United Utilities, who's helping to lead the £3bn Haweswater Aqueduct Resilience Programme (HARP) in North-West England. What's it like to get a once-in-a-generation critical infrastructure programme off the ground? What's it like to work on a major project in an area, water supply, that is garnering so much public and media attention? Listen on to find out. 

Emma meets Zoë Arden, author of Story-Centred Leadership: Crafting cultures of change. The pair discuss storytelling – why it's a great skill to master as a project professional and how to do it well. Zoë is a fellow at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and was previously Director of Communications at BT, as well as European MD of global communications firm Weber Shandwick, among other executive roles.

For more information on Zoë’s book visit: https://zoearden.com/my-book

The APM book Effective Communication in Projects: Tools, Techniques and Tips, is available at the APM book shop: https://www.apm.org.uk/book-shop/effective-communication-in-projects/  

Emma meets Joanna Rowland, Chief Executive of the RSPCA. Listeners might remember her previous interview with the podcast in 2020 during the pandemic, when she was Director of HMRC’S COVID-19 response unit, responsible for helping mastermind the UK government’s furlough scheme, and where she was also head of the project management profession. 

A lot has changed for Jo since then. She rose through the ranks of the civil service, leaving project management behind her to become Director General of the Home Office, before joining the RSPCA in December 2025 as CEO. 

Find out what it’s like to be a first-time CEO; why project management is a perfect training for the role; why project managers need to set their sights higher; and her advice to getting to the C-suite.

Emma meets James Evans, Programme Manager at NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee, who has a deep interest in psychological safety and contributed to the forthcoming APM e-learning module on the topic.

James explains what psychological safety actually is (and what it isn’t) and the reasons why it's such a hot topic in project management. Psychological safety is no longer a nice-to-have, he explains – it's become a critical factor in managing projects successfully. 

The e-learning module is available from APM Learning for APM members. For more information, visit https://www.apm.org.uk/resources/apm-learning/

**The APM book Doing the Right Project: Using a Systems Thinking Approach to Select Successful Projects is available to purchase here: ⁠https://www.apm.org.uk/book-shop/doing-the-right-project-using-a-systems-thinking-approach-to-select-successful-projects/⁠**

In this episode, Emma is joined by the book’s co-authors – Andrew Wright ChPP FAPM, leader of the APM Systems Thinking Interest Network, Cesar Rendora ChPP and Estar Bennett. 

They explore the world of systems thinking. Ever been daunted about the term or what it might mean exactly? Then we will enlighten you, helping to explain how you can put systems thinking into practice and what advantages it gives you in your projects.

**Find the APM Data Literacy Skills Framework at apm.org.uk/resources/what-is-project-management/what-is-project-data-analytics **

Emma meets Rob Lord, Director of Major Programmes at BT International, and Gareth Parkes, architect of the APM Data Literacy Skills Framework, who is Head of Data and Analytics at Sir Robert MacAlpine and one of the founding members of the Project Data Analytics Task Force. 

The three discuss data literacy, how to improve your own, what data-driven decision-making looks like in real life, and how it can be used to make the delivery of projects more successful.

Join us as we demystify data and give you a bit more confidence in navigating this brave new world.

Ahead of International Women’s Day later this week, Emma meets two successful women in project management who work in completely different sectors – Josie Harries and Anna Ustynyuk. They explain how core project management skills combined with sector-specific knowledge can give you a career that is highly transferable from one industry to another. Both Josie and Anna are members of the APM Women in Project Management Interest Network, which you can learn more about here. 

Emma goes behind the scenes at the Royal Ballet and Opera in London to explore how a £40m technical renewal programme is being delivered without interrupting live performances. From upgrading stage elevators and lighting rigs to replacing critical communications systems, every project must be carefully designed, prototyped and installed around a relentless performance schedule.

Hear from the project professionals leading the work as they share insights on stakeholder engagement in high-pressure environments, hybrid delivery approaches and building trust in teams where reliability is everything.

Look out for the spring issue of Project journal where we bring you more detail on projects at the RBO. Also, don’t miss our previous podcast episode where Emma interviews RBO COO Heather Walker.