Housekeeping and welcome
Sara Lipscombe, FIDIC Advisor, Master of Ceremonies

Introduction to the event
Susanna Zammataro, FIDIC CEO
Alfredo Ingletti, FIDIC President
William Cox, Chair, Global Leadership Forum Advisory Board
 

In this session we will explore how geopolitics is shaping the engineering and construction sector.  Firms that once operated in a relatively predictable global environment now face heightened political, economic and security complexity. By the end of the session we hope to understand how firms that adapt fastest – by strengthening risk analysis, localising operations and integrating security and sustainability – are positioned to thrive.

We will debate:

1) Supply chain disruption and cost volatility
How are Geopolitical tensions disrupt supply chains for steel, cement, electronics and energy systems.  Will we need to redesign projects around alternative materials or suppliers.  Will we experience event longer project timelines and increased contingency planning? Will there be even greater demand for resilient infrastructure design?

2) Shifting energy and net-zero strategies
Energy geopolitics, particularly around gas pipelines, rare earths and renewables are forcing countries to revise security strategies.  Will this mean a surge in demand for renewable energy engineering, grid modernisation and energy efficiency programmes?  Will there be more government-funded domestic energy projects (hydrogen, small modular reactors, battery manufacturing). Will permitting become more complex due to national security concerns around foreign contractors?

3) The rise of infrastructure nationalism
Countries are increasingly prioritising local firms, local labour and domestic technology.  Will it become harder for global/international firms to win government contracts? Will we need to joint venture more, with local partnerships and in-country teams? How will this impact critical national infrastructure (water, transport, energy grids),the scrutiny of data flows, intellectual property and cybersecurity?  And, what will be the labour implications?

How does all of the above impact project finance, standards and business models?

Session Chair: William Cox, former CEO Aurecon, Australia 

Having considered the impacts on our sector and what we need to look like in the future, we switch to the ‘now’ and look at how our sector is performing.

To conclude the morning’s sessions, we will consider what benchmarking research currently exists.  Then, taking on board feedback from GLF members about the need to conduct an holistic, comprehensive benchmarking exercise for the sector, we will debate what that research needs to look like to satisfy demand. 

Session Chair: Susanna Zammataro
 

To open the afternoon, we turn our attention to what the next generation of engineering firms will look like. Last year's GLF session identified emerging trends reshaping engineering firms. Now those predictions are becoming our reality. Drawing from new ACEC Research Institute data and insights on AI adoption and workforce transformation, this session explores how leading firms are evolving from traditional consultancies to technology-enabled solution providers.

We'll examine three interconnected shifts:

Technology Transformation
AI-augmented design, digital twins, BIM/VDC integration, and data-as-a-service models that sell insights, not just deliverables.

Business Model Innovation
Moving beyond hourly billing to recurring revenue, IP productization, performance-based contracts, and diversified income streams as margins tighten and client expectations escalate.

Strategic Partnership Positioning
Delivering business solutions through IPD, predictive project management, real-time dashboards, and long-term engagement versus transactional project work.

During session, you'll have opportunity to share regional perspectives on these changes and discuss the practical path to value-based pricing.

Session chair: Michael Carragher, CEO, VHB
 

This session explores practical solutions for adapting professional services and infrastructure organizations to global challenges, ensuring they are future-ready and resilient. It also examines how digital transformation and Agentic AI, through a systems-of-systems approach, can improve connectivity, efficiency, and decision-making across the entire infrastructure lifecycle.

PART A

In the first half of this session, we will consider how professional services firms are approaching digital transformation from a strategic perspective.  Can our sector use the same approaches as industrial firms or do we need a unique approach for professional services firms and their distinct business models.  

We will consider:

1) What are the pathways that professional services firms follow when they transform and does this transformation really mean a change in business models?  Is it evolution or revolution?
2) What capabilities are needed to transform and what are the mechanisms and micro actions needed for successful transformation?

Session chair: Teddy Daka, CEO, Zutari

PART B

In the second part of this session, we stay on the topic of digital transformation, but we shift to systems and AI to explore how Agentic AI could address fragmentation and inefficiency across the entire infrastructure lifecycle, from early decision-making and business case development to construction, project management, and operation. Building on the "systems thinking" approach outlined the EY/FIDIC report published in 2024, we will examine how this technology might enable improved connectivity between platforms, processes, and stakeholders. The narrative will focus on practical applications, demonstrating how Agentic AI could support better decision-making, enhance project delivery, and ensure seamless transitions into operation, ultimately driving more integrated and effective infrastructure outcomes.
 

Carbon is an increasingly critical priority in infrastructure development. While carbon management is often required, expected, or even legislated, it is rarely structured in a way that is practical, actionable, and aligned across stakeholders. To address this gap, the FIDIC Carbon Management Framework was developed, not as a simple guideline, but as a practical tool designed to support and empower professionals across the infrastructure sector.
 

Infrastructure owners, particularly public owned critical national infrastructure asset owners are transforming before our eyes.  They are shifting their operating models from a focus on capital and operations departments to whole asset lifecycle management.

In this session, we will consider:

1) How we connect the dots from the previous sessions and bring carbon reduction and embrace new technology into the full lifecycle asset management of critical national infrastructure including national highways, rail, water and energy assets. 

2) How digital asset management—driven by AI and advanced analytics—can accelerate carbon reduction across infrastructure assets. Discussion will cover integrating digital tools for emissions tracking, leveraging predictive analytics for sustainable operations, overcoming data and organizational challenges, and building resilience against external risks.

Session Chair: Alwin van Meeteren, Major Projects Director, Arcadis
 

Workforce challenges are one of the sector’s biggest threats – and therefore opportunities.  In this session we consider what the workforce of the future needs to look like and how that will shift the norms and practices understood and embedded in the leadership practices of earlier generations. Indeed, will the C-suites of the future differ from those we know today.  How do we equip those coming through the ranks and ensure we don’t lose vital skills learned through different business models and leadership styles.

In particular we will explore:

1) How to get the best performance out of hybrid and flexible frameworks?
2) How do we upskill our workforce in AI, data science, automation and sustainability?
3) What is the pace at which we should recruit non-traditional roles such as data analysts, software engineers and digital managers?
4) How do we ensure we embed leadership, communication and business skills?
5) It’s said that Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast. How do we ensure culture becomes a competitive force? 

Session Chair: Angel Sanchez Bartolome, Chief Technical Officer, Ferrovial, Spain