Structural safety and risk conference 2026

Helen Collie is a chartered structural engineer, a Fellow of the IStructE, and a Partner at global dispute resolution consultancy, HKA. With design experience ranging from arts, education, healthcare and commercial structures, since taking part in earthquake assessment work in New Zealand, Helen started to combine design practice with specialising in forensic engineering. Her experience includes property loss consulting, cause and origin reporting, and forensic investigations for disputes, including litigation support and more recently acting as an expert witness. Helen now leads the Civil and Structural Engineering group at HKA. Their investigations cover topics from structural safety and workmanship/construction defects, to issues of design liability and standard of care.

Charlie Pugsley KFSM is the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Building Safety Regulator. Prior to his appointment in autumn 2025, Charlie was a Deputy Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, with a portfolio including fire safety regulation, health, safety and well-being operational policy, strategy and risk. Charlie served as the on-site forensic fire service investigation lead reporting to the police in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire. He brings this first-hand experience of the Grenfell tragedy to his role at BSR, focusing on delivering safer homes and peace of mind for residents. Charlie’s portfolio at the London Fire Brigade included implementing major cultural and organisational change. He has brought this transformative approach into the BSR, working collaboratively with partners across government and industry to drive change and unblock obstacles to growth and improvement in the construction sector.

Alex has over 25 years’ experience working in structural engineering and has designed buildings in various countries around the world. Since joining Cundall in 2016, he has delivered numerous net zero or low carbon schemes and is an advocate of decarbonising structural design solutions through material reuse and the repurposing of existing buildings. He leads a team undertaking Structural Risk Assessments across portfolios of existing HRB’s which vary significantly in building age and form of construction. He also led the engineering design on the Circular Twin project that was awarded the AJ100 Sustainability Initiative of the Year Award in 2022 and is currently undertaking similar research on Regenerative Design in the NHS.

Andrew specialises in advising those in construction and infrastructure (mainly architects, engineers, other consultants and contractors) on contracts and project queries.He has worked on some amazing projects including NR’s first alliancing contract, Elizabeth Line, HS2, Thames Tideway, Hinkley, Sizewell, Fusion energy and Swansea Tidal Power. Andrew helps lead key strategic issues, including the Building Safety Act (a contributor to the RIBA Principal Designer Course) and Digital and AI. He works closely with industry groups like the CIC, ACE, RIBA and Construction Leadership Council.

Henry Duncomb is a Senior Structural Engineer at Expedition Engineering, with experience in the assessment and design of bridges and complex structures. He has worked on complex projects including modular station footbridges and urban developments, alongside low-carbon design initiatives. Henry is particularly interested in how innovative materials and collaborative design approaches can improve structural safety outcomes.

Emily Harbottle is the founder of Cascade Risk Management and the driving force behind Cascade, a purpose-built digital safety case platform transforming how organisations manage HRB risks. A former British Army helicopter pilot, instructor and regulator, Emily further developed her expertise in system safety and risk management during her time with the UK Military Aviation Authority.
Her work has since extended into healthcare, maritime, nuclear and housing, giving her a cross-sector understanding of how complex systems fail and how they can be made safer through proactive, structured risk management.
Emily chairs the IStructE Risk Skills Advisory panel and is a member of the IMechE’s Safety and Reliability Working Group.

Rob has 10 years of experience as a structural engineer, working on a range of large-scale residential and commercial projects, including both new-build and existing structures. He leads structural design teams throughout all project stages. Rob is also heavily involved in the training and development of junior engineers, delivering in-house training and supporting the wider industry through mentoring, reviewing final-year university design projects, and contributing to broader outreach initiatives.

Gill is the author of Catastrophe and Systemic Change: Learning from the Grenfell Tower Fire and Other Disasters, combining her experience consulting organisations in high hazard industries with a deeply personal connection to the 2017 fire. From 2011 to 2014 Gill lived on the 21^st floor of Grenfell, seven of her immediate neighbours were among the seventy-two deaths.  In 2022 Gill joined Arup where she leads a global programme to elevate Arup's safety culture. She is a member of the statutory residents advisory panel set up under the new regulatory regime.

Kate Lennard is the team leader of the Research Strategy Team in the Education Estates Directorate at the Department for Education. She has a wide-ranging civil service career including policy, programme management and operational delivery within the Department for Education, Ofsted and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Eva is a chartered structural engineer with nearly 20 years of experience, recognised for her creativity and innovative thinking. Her specialist generalist approach has enabled her to contribute significantly to pioneering regenerative projects, including the Eden Project in Scotland, national policy development for ageing infrastructure with the Royal Academy of Engineering, and systemic forensic engineering. She leads numerous R&D initiatives at Expedition and is a frequent contributor to industry events and publications. In addition, Eva serves as a Trustee for the UK Green Building Council and as a member of the Executive Board of the Useful Simple Trust.

Rob is Head of Building Safety at the Department for Education, advising ministers and senior leaders on emerging risks across the school and college estate. He leads research into historic and emerging construction technologies. He drafted new structural standards in the 2026 DfE Technical Manual. Prior to joining the Civil Service, Rob spent 13 years in the private sector delivering a range of projects including surveys in Bangladesh following the Rana Plaza factory collapse.

Oana is a Chartered Engineer and Principal Consultant at Expedition Engineering, specialising in engineering-led strategic improvements on major UK infrastructure projects. Part of her work focuses on reducing errors in construction through a systemic and behavioural change approach, based on tools developed by the Get It Right Initiative (GIRI). She also sits on the GIRI Executive Board, where she leads the scaling of these approaches across the industry.

Alison has over 12 years’ experience working as a structural engineer in Birmingham, delivering many award winning buildings across the UK. She is responsible for leading her team through concept design, co-ordination and delivery. Over the last 18 months, Alison has managed Cundall’s Structural Risk Assessments work for Building Safety Cases across five UK offices. A STEM Ambassador and mentor, Alison is known for her collaborative approach and genuine passion for the built environment.

Samuel is a Senior Fire Engineer and leads the London Fire Brigade’s Fire Engineering Group. With over a decade of experience in the Brigade, including seven years specialising in fire engineering, he has overseen the review of numerous projects utilising modern methods of construction. His work particularly focuses on structural timber and modular construction, where he provides technical guidance to enhance fire safety, support innovation, and strengthen risk‑informed decision‑making across complex building projects.

Dr. Qingfeng Xu is a researcher and engineer specializing in structural-fire engineering. He completed his PhD at Eindhoven University of Technology, focusing on coupled CFD-FEM simulations for structure–fire interaction. He has worked on tunnel fire safety projects across the Netherlands and Belgium and is currently a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associate at the University of Manchester, collaborating with Ashton Fire Ltd. to advance performance-based fire-safe design through risk-informed engineering solutions.