A welcome to Geotechnica 2025 and an overview of the topics to be discussed at the event.

Julian is Managing Director of the Equipe Group who are the UKs leading training and vocational assessment provider. He is Immediate Past Chair of the AGS, Chair of the AGS Procurement of Ground Investigation Steering Group, Chair and Lead Author of the Yellow Book Revision Working Group, Chair of the JIWG Buried Services Group and Member of the BDA Training and Education Sub Committee. Julian has been involved in the geotechnical industry and is an active author and contributor to industry operational and safety guidance. He is also a UK Expert on TC182 WG4 which has revised and written ISO and CEN standards on geotechnical sampling and training and competency requirements for personnel working on geotechnical projects. He has been involved in the development of Level 2 and Level 3 qualification in land drilling and is currently leading an industry working group developing a new qualification for laboratory and field technicians.

The development of a 5 level basement below a functional and live 5 star Claridge’s Hotel was an intricate, innovative and unique basement engineering project. It was made even more extraordinary as the basement was excavated with hotel guests still occupying the hotel during the 3 years it took to complete this project – an achievement that we consider is a first anywhere in Europe. This astonishing achievement was only achieved using a unique mining technology to form the basement foundations and the top- down 5 levels of basement, controlling the movement in the existing 100 yr raft foundation that still supported the Hotel using a robust monitoring system provided by Geo-Observations and system of hydraulic flat-jacks at the new foundation columns to adjust for settlement and heave. This was indeed a truly Adaptable building project and foundation reuse project with 100% structural and foundation reuse.
This audacious project, unproven and considered unbuildable initially was only possible with Arup & McGee forming a strong design and build team that worked in the spirit of true partnering to achieve this impossible project. As a result, it fulfilled the clients long term objective to upgrade the hotel to be the best in the business without closing the hotel. It was completed 4 months early and within Budget.
This talk focuses on how we achieved this from concept to detailed design recognising how the buildability was the key to unlocking the design. It also provides details on the performance of the existing 100 yr hotel structure during the works as every column was measured for load and movement; it also describes the subsequent impact on the lavish finishes in the Hotel. The project features in the BBC documentary BBC Two - The Mayfair Hotel Megabuild and has won major awards. It was completed in 2020, yet still stands as an icon on how we as engineers can provide meaningful social changes in the built environment as long as we are not afraid to do things differently.

With over 40 years’ experience of infrastructure & complex tall buildings and basement projects in London and overseas, Dinesh is considered an industry expert and thought leader in the field of geotechnical engineering and earthworks. He is often called upon to undertake technical peer reviews on projects, to ensure technical rigour and find opportunities to add value, and to act as an expert. Dinesh was instrumental as lead designer in the foundation design and construction of Embankment Place the air- rights building over Charing Cross station, and two other air-rights structures over Victoria Station and Fenchurch Street station. He was also Project Director for the five levels of basements excavated below a live functional Claridges Hotel, which has received many prestigious awards.

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The A122 Lower Thames Crossing is a new approximately 14.3 miles long road that will connect Kent and Essex through two 2.6 miles tunnels beneath the River Thames, the longest in the UK and third largest bored tunnels globally. This talk will present some of the geotechnical challenges faced by the project during preliminary design development and draft Development Consent Order preparation, and reflect on the range of investigations undertaken to address them.

Cedric is a Technical Director at COWI UK and Ground Engineering Head of Discipline in London. A Chartered Engineer and RoGEP Adviser with over 25 years’ experience of geotechnics and ground risk management, Cedric is currently the Ground Engineering Function Lead on the Lower Thames Crossing project

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Julian is Managing Director of the Equipe Group who are the UKs leading training and vocational assessment provider. He is Immediate Past Chair of the AGS, Chair of the AGS Procurement of Ground Investigation Steering Group, Chair and Lead Author of the Yellow Book Revision Working Group, Chair of the JIWG Buried Services Group and Member of the BDA Training and Education Sub Committee. Julian has been involved in the geotechnical industry and is an active author and contributor to industry operational and safety guidance. He is also a UK Expert on TC182 WG4 which has revised and written ISO and CEN standards on geotechnical sampling and training and competency requirements for personnel working on geotechnical projects. He has been involved in the development of Level 2 and Level 3 qualification in land drilling and is currently leading an industry working group developing a new qualification for laboratory and field technicians.

TBC.

Ben Gilson is an Associate at Arup with over 15 years of experience in geotechnical engineering, specialising in geotechnical design and data management. Ben has led geotechnical teams on major infrastructure projects, including the Sydney Metro West Airport Station, DLR Thamesmead Extension, HS2 Euston, Crossrail 2, DLR Extension, Bakerloo Line Extension and the Euston Conventional Station redevelopment, alongside buildings and energy projects. As the Arup Ground Engineering Global Digital Leader, Ben is responsible for the data and digital technology development across the Ground Engineering Skills Network.

AI can look like magic but it’s actually maths. Judith will look at how AI works under the hood with just enough maths to provide a sense of what’s happening. She will provide examples of using AI in our geoenvironmental work to do things better or faster. This will include freeing AGS data trapped in PDFs, how that works and why it’s useful. The talk will highlight the opportunities and dangers from AI and provide guidance on best practices.

Judith is an engineering geologist with over 30 years experience working on contaminated land. She is passionate about applying data science to geoenvironmental challenges. Recent projects include automating contaminated land prioritisation, a remediation greenhouse gas emissions calculator, and an Innovate UK project using AI to extract AGS data from PDFs of borehole logs and laboratory certificates.

Discover how AI and automation can help you tackle recruitment challenges and support smarter, faster business development. This session explores practical ways to overcome talent shortages, speed up hiring, and build future-ready teams by developing outbound systems that make your company stand out. You'll gain insights into key technologies and learn how pairing automation with skilled human sourcers can boost candidate attraction—giving you the tools to scale confidently in 2025 and beyond.

Sam is a specialist in Geoscience recruitment with over 30 years’ experience helping companies find the right talent for technical and leadership roles. As Co-Founder of Fielders, she blends industry insight with a people-first approach—supported by a background in mentoring, leadership, and a passion for youth development.

Borehole drilling has long been used to evaluate ground conditions across various projects. Common methods include cable percussion, sonic drilling, rotary drilling, and window sampling, employed by many companies for diverse clients. This KTP project compares sonic drilling with traditional techniques, focusing on safety, noise, efficiency, and sample quality. Utilising advanced laboratory facilities at Leeds Beckett University, our aim is to contribute to the advancement of the UK drilling industry.

Initially working Energy generation Rob subsequently worked in the Site Investigation sector while graduating with a 1st in Civil Engineering from Leeds Metropolitan during that time he has undertaken all aspects of site investigation including drilling, laboratory work, Reporting and Design. After becoming a freelance engineer, he built up his business skills in site investigation, geotechnical contractor and consultancy roles, cumulating in his current role as MD of GeoEnviro Solutions Ltd with over twenty years of working in the industry.

With a background in civil engineering and a PhD in landslides, Pooneh leads innovative research in a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project between Leeds Beckett University and Borehole Solutions Group, funded by Innovate UK and Borehole Solutions.