Speakers
Fragkoulis Kanavaris, Concrete Materials & Decarbonisation Lead, Arup UK
Dr Fragkoulis Kanavaris is Arup's global lead for concrete materials and decarbonisation, based in London. With a strong background in structural engineering, he specialises in concrete materials, sustainability, durability, and condition assessment. He has contributed to over 400 projects worldwide, including buildings, bridges, tunnels, and renewable energy structures, and led key roles such as Materials and Durability Design Lead for High Speed 2. He chairs multiple technical committees and has published over 50 articles. Fragkoulis has received numerous awards, including the 2022 Engineer of the Year award from the Royal Academy of Engineering and the 2024 Sir Henry Royce Medal. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, and a Chartered Engineer, Scientist, and Environmentalist.
José C Matos, Assistant Professor with Habilitation, University of Minho
José C. Matos, Assistant Professor at University of Minho, graduated and obtained PhD in civil engineering, in the field of probabilistic-based assessment of existing structures. His research fields are asset management, life-cycle costs, risk evaluation and sustainability. He is author or co-author of more than 250 publications in international conferences and journals. Participate in international committees, as well as in national and international projects. Chairman of fib Commission 8, Vice-President of IABSE and EuroStruct Past-President.
Robert Wheatley, Technical director for Atkins
Robert Wheatley has 35 years of experience in the planning, design, assessment and strengthening of bridge and civil engineering structures including complex arch bridges and steel box girder bridges. He has particular expertise in the requirements ‘design and build’ contracts, working for contractor clients to optimise buildabilty and Design for Manufacture and Assembly. He has worked on fib Task Group 6.5 Precast Bridges since 2014.
Corin Walford, Chair
Corin is a Chartered Civil Engineer, specialising in the management and construction of reinforced concrete structures within the buildings and infrastructure sectors. He has worked for the contractor Laing O’Rourke for over 15 years, on projects including the Leadenhall Building, Hinkley Point C, and Old Oak Common HS2 Station. He is the current Deputy Chair of fibUK. His professional interests include construction simulation, DfMA and modular engineering, nuclear construction, sustainable concrete design, construction methods and temporary works.