Breaking Ground

Hosted by Ground Engineering Magazine & The Ground Forum

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May 2025

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About the show

Breaking Ground is the voice of the geotechnical industry, and is supported by Ground Engineering Magazine and The Ground Forum. Hosted by Steve Hadley, Chair of the Federation of Piling Specialists, the podcast covers a wide range of topics including sustainability, design, commerce and STEM. If you're in the industry - or if you're thinking of joining - there will be something here for you! To find out more about Ground Engineering Magazine, visit www.geplus.co.uk . To find out more about The Ground Forum, visit https://ground-forum.org.uk

Listen to episodes

47 recent

May 13, 2025Episode 471 hr 14 min

47: Natalie Bews from Skelair

In this episode of the Breaking Ground podcast, Steve Hadley and Ciaran Jennings are with Natalie Bews (Managing Director at Skelair International Ltd), discussing her journey in the geotechnical engineering sector. Natalie shares her early passion for geology, her career progression from an assistant geotechnical engineer to a business development role, and the importance of proactive marketing strategies in securing projects. Hadley hosts the episode together with Federation of Piling Specialists (UK) and European Federation of Foundation Contractors secretary Ciaran Jennings.

March 28, 2025Episode 4647 min

46: The Ground Forum Undergraduate Mentoring Program

In this episode, Steve Hadley and Ciaran Jennings are discussing the journey into a Geotechnics career with some recent graduates from the Ground Forum undergraduate mentoring program discussing their journeys into the field of ground engineering. They share their educational backgrounds, experiences in the industry, and insights into the challenges and opportunities they face.Hadley hosts the episode together with Federation of Piling Specialists (UK) and European Federation of Foundation Contractors secretary Ciaran Jennings.

November 25, 2024Episode 451 hr 13 min

45: Pile Optimisation and Rig Instrumentation

In this episode, Steve Hadley and Ciaran Jennings are discussing CFA piling, the potential of machine learning in the industry and the impact of regulations on pile design. They explore insights from a survey on AI's role in the piling industry and the future of automation in construction jobs. Our guests on this podcast are John Hopkins (Project Manager, Expanded Piling Ltd) and John Chick (Former FPS Chair and Technical Leader for Geotechnics, Sizewell C)Hadley hosts the episode together with Federation of Piling Specialists (UK) and European Federation of Foundation Contractors secretary Ciaran Jennings.

August 1, 2024Episode 4453 min

44: The Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3)

In this episode, Steve Hadley and Ciaran Jennings are discussing one of our Ground Forum members, the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining, also known as IOM3. Specifically, they focus on the Ground Engineering Subgroup (GES) of IOM3. Our guests on this podcast are David Waring Senior Geotechnical Engineer at BP, Emily Wood who is Engineering Manager at BAM and Paul Skerry, the Director of Membership at IOM3. Hadley hosts the episode together with Federation of Piling Specialists (UK) and European Federation of Foundation Contractors secretary Ciaran Jennings.

June 6, 2024Episode 431 hr 4 min

43: Lime Stabilisation

In this episode, Steve Hadley and Ciaran Jennings chat with Dr Paul Beetham of Nottingham Trent University, a Chartered Civil Engineer specialising in geotechnical design and ground improvement.Hadley hosts the episode together with Federation of Piling Specialists (UK) and European Federation of Foundation Contractors secretary Ciaran Jennings.

April 26, 2024Episode 4247 min

42: Luisa Hendry - the Scottish Geologist

In this episode, Steve Hadley and Ciaran Jennings chat with Luisa Hendry, who you might know from the world of social media as the Scottish Geologist.Hadley hosts the episode together with Federation of Piling Specialists (UK) and European Federation of Foundation Contractors secretary Ciaran Jennings.

January 30, 2024Episode 4156 min

41: Careers and Social Mobility

In this episode, Steve Hadley and his guests discuss social mobility and pathways into the ground engineering industry.Hadley hosts the episode together with Federation of Piling Specialists (UK) and European Federation of Foundation Contractors secretary Ciaran Jennings.They are joined by Ramboll design engineer Palak Shukla, Atkins Réalis senior geotechnical engineer Tony Bowerman, and Mott MacDonald senior geotechnical engineer Natalie Wride.

December 18, 2023Episode 4043 min

40: Skevi Perdikou from Geofem

In this episode Steve Hadley meets Skevi Perdikou from Geofem. The company is a leader in the application of remote sensing and visualisation technology for monitoring infrastructure and geotechnical assets. This is becoming an increasingly important tool to use along with traditional and complex geotechnical models when assessing events such as dam, slope and cliff failures. Listen to hear more about the science behind these methods and projects where it has been applied.

October 27, 2023Episode 3957 min

39: Hock Liew and Javier Marti on the Observational Method

Hock Liew and Javier Marti join Steve Hadley to explore the history and current implementation of the observational method in basement construction. They explain how better instrumentation and monitoring can help inform decision making that can save time and money, as well as managing risks to workers, the public and surrounding assets.

September 19, 2023Episode 381 hr 13 min

38: Dinesh Patel - Part Two

Dinesh Patel is a world renowned expert in geotechnical engineering. He has produced innovative solutions for landmark building projects and written papers that continue to be referenced decades after their release. Tune in and enjoy the second of two episodes exploring his career journey.