Project Podcast

Emma is joined by Salima Bhimani, former chief strategist at Google's parent company Alphabet and author of Invent Now: The next leap in moonshots . Salima explores the moonshot mindset and what it means for project professionals. Drawing on her experience across projects including Waymo and DeepMind, and ideas from her book, Bhimani explains how leaders can embrace uncertainty, invite constructive friction and ‘bad’ ideas, and harness collective intelligence. They also discuss psychological safety, difficult conversations and why project professionals are uniquely placed to connect people, challenge assumptions and develop ambitious solutions to complex problems.

Emma goes on-site at South Yorkshire’s CoSTAR Live Lab to meet Glen Kelly, who shares how project management is powering innovation across the creative industries. From a rehearsal hub for Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Coldplay to a virtual music venue in Fortnite , Glen explains the technology shaping live performance – and the leadership, collaboration and commercial thinking needed to turn ambitious ideas into reality. He also shares practical advice on managing uncertainty, working across different cultures and understanding where project professionals add the most value (including when to “stay in your lane”).

Emma meets NASA’s Chief Programme Management Officer, Kevin Gilligan. Kevin explains how NASA delivers some of the world’s most ambitious programmes – from the historic Artemis voyage and a sustained presence on the moon to new propulsion technologies and commercial space partnerships. He shares how project management helps balance speed, rigour and risk, and why openness, resilience and learning from failure are vital when tackling missions that seem impossible.

To explore why influencing is such a vital skill for project professionals, Emma is joined by Emily Jackson, Jessy Morais and Precious Nwagboso to discuss how to build trust, secure buy-in and communicate effectively with stakeholders at every level. From reading the room and adapting your approach, to listening actively and building influence before you need it, the conversation offers practical advice for anyone looking to get better at bringing people with them. The guests also reflect on confidence, credibility and the role of relationship-building in successful project delivery. Interested in attending APM’s Women in Project Management Conference 2026? Find out more here: apm.org.uk/apm-wipm-conference/

How do you start a project well when the real world is messy, teams form gradually and not everything is ready on day one? In this episode, Emma speaks to Lindsey Brown from the V&A, Kerry Daly from Balfour Beatty and Anita Suji from AECOM about project launches, kick-off meetings and building momentum. They discuss readiness checks, stakeholder alignment, psychological safety, team culture, optimism bias, roles, responsibilities and the human relationships that keep projects moving. Their advice: invest time up front, get the right people together and make expectations clear. Want more? Read the Project magazine feature ‘How to start a project (brilliantly)’: https://www.apm.org.uk/blog/how-to-start-a-project-brilliantly/

Change fatigue is the weariness teams feel when faced with yet another change initiative. It creates scepticism and leaves everyone with a ‘here we go again’ feeling. To discuss how to overcome change fatigue, Emma is joined by Sharon Davies, Director of Infrastructure at Turner & Townsend, who led the implementation of the MOD project that won APM’s 2025 Transformation Project of the Year Award; Dawn Temme, an executive coach, change practitioner and Capability Development Lead at Health Determinants Research Collaboration for Greater Essex; and Kate Ward, Head of Change Management at King’s College London.

Emma chats all things tennis with Stephen Frame, Head of Project Delivery at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, better known as Wimbledon, about project management there, as well as about its ambitious future expansion plans. This episode was recorded in the second week of the 2026 championships, where it wasn’t only the heatwave hotting things up, but also the fact that Briton Arthur Fery was through to the semi-finals.

How can humans and artificial intelligence (AI) applications work together as a hybrid intelligence in a positive way for organisations, projects and individuals? There’s a lot of chatter on the subject and there are many so-called experts, so it pays to be discerning about who you choose to listen to. Joining Emma to help cut through the noise are James Garner, Head of AI at Gleeds, and Stephanie Stasey, CEO of Miss AI. Want more? Download APM's report AI’s Dual Impact on Project Managers’ Well-Being : https://www.apm.org.uk/resources/research/published-research/ai-s-dual-impact-on-project-managers-well-being/

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.

Emma meets Heather Walker, Chief Operating Officer at Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO) in London, where she's responsible for planning and coordinating a range of services to support across technical and production estate, visitor experience, technology and administration. A major focus is the renewal of the estate, ensuring that sustainability is at the heart of fabric and plant upgrades, and that audiences, artists and staff benefit from changes to the environment and the technology running its services. Previous to becoming COO, Heather was project director at RBO. Look out for our upcoming behind-the-scenes episode at RBO. Contact us: apmpodcast@thinkpublishing.co.uk

In this episode, we find out the secrets of being a great project manager. It’s January, the time of year where many of us have New Year's resolutions, or maybe just a vague idea of how we want to change things up. So, listen on for some excellent advice from APM’s Chartered Project Professional of the Year, Tamsin Alli-Balogun, who’s also Associate Director of Transport at AtkinsRéalis; Paul Chapman OBE of the University of Oxford Saïd Business School, where he is Academy Director of the UK Government’s Major Projects Leadership Academy; Andy Alder, Managing Director for Major Infrastructure Delivery at Anglian Water; and Anne Marie Purcell of Purcell Advisory. If you want even more top tips, listen to our first instalment of this podcast, published in January 2025. Contact us: apmpodcast@thinkpublishing.co.uk