In today's episode we’re talking about steel — but not in the usual way.

My guest, Ben Holmes, is Head of Sustainability at Elliott Wood, the structural and civil engineers behind, amongst many other things, 30 Duke Street, the UK’s largest steel reuse project in which some 78% of steel from the original structure is being repurposed.

Ben believes that the current public sector rescue of British Steel presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity — not just to save an industry, but to reimagine our fabrication and use of steel entirely - and at the same time give a huge boost to the communities that the industry supports.

Steel is foundational to our modern world — from the bridges we cross to the trains we ride, the buildings we work in to the wind turbines driving the energy transition.

But steel is also one of the most carbon-intensive materials we produce. If the UK is serious about hitting its net zero goals, the way we make, use, and think about steel must change.

Ben has developed five provocative “what if” scenarios that challenge us to look beyond short-term fixes and instead think about system-wide changes that could genuinely transform the steel industry and the communities that it supports.

In today’s podcast we are going to examine these and find out whether they go beyond simply being fanciful — and instead, by drawing on proven global examples from around the world to create the necessary vision and political will - they could actually prompt change.

Let’s here more

Resources

Ben' five "What ifs":

1. What if... we thought generationally, not electorally?
2. What if... we created centres of excellence beyond production?
3. What if... we made green steel the standard, not the exception?
4. What if... we connected steel to communities in new ways?
5. What if… former steelworks became mixed-use districts combining light manufacturing, creative industries, and cultural spaces?

• Elliot Wood website
• Great Portland Estates - 30 Duke Street
• Government policy on British Steel

In today's podcast we dive into the rapidly evolving world of infrastructure investment — a space that has moved from the periphery of specialist portfolios to the centre of global capital markets.

Once the preserve of a relatively narrow group of pension funds and specialist investors, infrastructure has now become a truly universal asset class, attracting sovereign wealth funds, institutional investors, private equity houses and retail capital.

And it’s an asset class that promises stable, long-term returns while underpinning the physical and digital systems that our economies depend upon.

Joining me to today to help understand why we are seeing these huge and profound changes – and why they matter - is Charlotte Madden, Partner and Co-Head of the Infrastructure Sector at global law firm Clifford Chance.

Charlotte specialises in advising private equity and infrastructure funds on complex domestic and cross-border M&A, often involving highly regulated transactions. She has helped deliver the deals that make critical infrastructure happen, from the earliest structuring stages through to completion.

And in the UK, the stakes could not be higher. The government has set out an ambitious £725 billion infrastructure pipeline, with more than half of that expected to come from the private sector. From energy security and clean transport to housing and digital connectivity, these projects are central to national growth plans — yet the tension between private investment and public service delivery remains a live and often polarising debate.

It's a complex subject so let’s dig in …

Resources

• Clifford Chance infrastructure
• 10 year infrastructure strategy
• UK infrastructure Pipeline
• NISTA website
• UK National Wealth Fund

In today's episode we’re diving into cement – a material that underpins every road, every railway, every school, hospital, bridge, and home we build.

Because without it, the UK’s infrastructure ambitions would, quite literally, crumble!

My guest today is Dr Diana Casey, executive director for cement, energy and climate at the Mineral Products Association (MPA). As she knows only too well, cement may not grab headlines in the way that high-speed rail or offshore wind does, but it is the backbone of our built environment.

And right now, the UK faces a major challenge.

As the Labour government pushes ahead with its ambitious target to deliver 1.5 million homes over the next five years, alongside a significant infrastructure pipeline, the question is simple — do we have the cement we need? And if not, where will it come from?

The Mineral Products Association, representing the UK’s cement producers, warns that domestic manufacturing has become increasingly uncompetitive in the face of high costs, leading to imports tripling over the past two decades. Relying on overseas supply exposes us to volatile global markets, supply chain disruption, and the risk of project delays.

It also means losing out on skilled, well-paid jobs in the regions where cement is made.

So, what needs to change to secure the UK’s cement future? And to secure it with the all important lower carbon footprint demanded by our net zero targets.

From a watertight Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism to fairer public procurement, and from support for carbon capture technology to a clearer industrial strategy, the debate is as much about national security and economic resilience as it is about decarbonisation.

So let’s find out out more.

Resources

• Mineral Products Association website
• MPA cement facts
• Decarbonising UK Concrete and Cement
• Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
• MPA This is concrete campaign