35 Years in Digital Construction with John Benstead

How I Lead a Global Digital Team with Sophie Montenot

Sophie Montenot, Global Digital Delivery Lead at Surbana Jurong, on BIM coordination, JV harmonisation, and digital engineering on Changi T5. Website: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com [https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com] Episodes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episodes [https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episodes] Episode notes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episode/how-i-lead-a-global-digital-team-at-surbana-jurong-with-sophie-montenot [https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episode/how-i-lead-a-global-digital-team-at-surbana-jurong-with-sophie-montenot] Host: Andrea Ciaffi https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-ciaffi/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-ciaffi/] Guest: Sophie Montenot https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-montenot-0879639/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-montenot-0879639/] The hardest problems on a mega-project are rarely the ones the strategy slides anticipated. They show up in the gap between a digital plan and what a hundred engineers actually do at 9am on a Tuesday. Sophie Montenot, Global Digital Delivery Lead at Surbana Jurong (SJ Group), has spent twenty years closing that gap. From the Singapore Sports Hub to Changi Airport Terminal 5, her career maps to the moments when digital construction stopped being theory and started being delivered. This conversation traces what she learned about deploying BIM at scale, harmonising joint ventures, and translating engineering problems into digital solutions that engineers actually use. Sophie also reflects on what changes when you move from project delivery into a global digital role across an acquired group of firms, and on her work mentoring women into aviation and construction. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

35 Years in Digital Construction with John Benstead

Website: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com [about:blank] Episodes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episodes [https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episodes] Episode notes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episode/35-years-in-digital-construction-with-john-benstead [https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episode/35-years-in-digital-construction-with-john-benstead] Host: Andrea Ciaffi https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-ciaffi/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-ciaffi/] Guest: John Benstead https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbenstead/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbenstead/] John Benstead is the Digital Engineering Manager at School Infrastructure New South Wales, the government agency responsible for planning, delivering, and maintaining over 2,200 public schools serving more than 800,000 students. With a career spanning toolmaking in the UK, large-scale GIS implementation across nine European countries, BIM leadership on major Australian projects, and now five years on the client side of public infrastructure, John brings a perspective that is rare: someone who has seen digital engineering from every angle. If you work in digital construction, public infrastructure, or are thinking about moving from the private to the public sector, this one is worth your time. 00:00:00 – Intro 00:01:50 – Best career advice: understand the problem first 00:04:45 – Career journey: toolmaking to digital engineering 00:08:35 – What working across 9 countries taught about standards 00:10:55 – The real lesson from the CAD to BIM transition 00:15:55 – School Infrastructure NSW: scale, mission, and complexity 00:24:10 – Public vs private sector: what actually changes 00:32:30 – Innovation agenda: standardisation, automation, integration 00:36:55 – How MMC and DFMA are reshaping school delivery 00:40:40 – AI, digital twins, and the future of digital delivery 00:49:05 – Career advice for professionals entering digital construction ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

PDF is Not Dead with Shanoc Halliday

Website: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com [https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com] Episodes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episodes [https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episodes] Episode notes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episode/pdf-is-not-dead-the-data-foundation-your-construction-AI-strategy-needs-with-shanoc-halliday [https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episode/pdf-is-not-dead-the-data-foundation-your-construction-AI-strategy-needs-with-shanoc-halliday] Host: Andrea Ciaffi  https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-ciaffi/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-ciaffi/] Guest: Shanoc Halliday  https://www.linkedin.com/in/captainbimcad/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/captainbimcad/] Most construction firms have tools they are not fully using. Not because people are resistant to change, but because the software is deployed without a process built around it. The result is the same pattern everywhere: a few teams doing excellent work, and everyone else operating well below the tool's potential. Shanoc Halliday is a Senior Enterprise Customer Success Manager at Bluebeam, working with large-scale engineering and construction organisations across the globe. His role sits at the intersection of technology and business outcomes, helping firms understand not just how to use their software, but how to align it to what they are actually trying to achieve. In this conversation, Shanoc shares what he sees across hundreds of client engagements: where adoption breaks down, what separates high-performing teams from the rest, and why foundations matter more than features. If your team's digital tool adoption has plateaued, or you are wondering how to build the kind of clean data foundation that makes future AI integration possible, this is a conversation worth your time. 00:00:00 – Best career advice received 00:02:30 – What does a Customer Success Manager actually do? 00:07:25 – From BIM practitioner to CSM: the career transition 00:12:45 – Most common workflow challenges across clients 00:15:40 – How to help clients prioritise digital improvements 00:18:40 – Why Bluebeam remains relevant in a BIM-first world 00:23:40 – Using Bluebeam across the full project lifecycle 00:27:25 – Standardisation, culture, and driving digital adoption 00:32:40 – AI, clean data, and what's next for Bluebeam ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

How Deep Space is Empowering Mid Sized Builders with Luke Johnson

Website: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com [https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com] Episodes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episodes [https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episodes] Episode notes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episode/how-deep-space-is-empowering-mid-sized-builders-with-startup-co-founder-luke-johnson [https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episode/how-deep-space-is-empowering-mid-sized-builders-with-startup-co-founder-luke-johnson] Host: Andrea Ciaffi  https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-ciaffi/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-ciaffi/] Guest: Luke Johnson https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukesjohnson/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukesjohnson/] ✉️ Subscribe to our Free Newsletter for updates: https://digitalconstructionpodcast.substack.com/ [https://digitalconstructionpodcast.substack.com/] Most construction businesses have more software than they can manage. And yet meaningful digital change remains rare. The gap between deploying a tool and getting people to actually use it is wider than most teams expect, and the reasons are rarely about the technology itself. Luke Johnson is co-founder of Deep Space, an all-in-one AI construction management platform built for mid-sized commercial builders. In this conversation, Luke draws on his path from BIM coordinator to software founder to explain why digital adoption in construction so consistently falls short, and what it takes to change that. 00:00:00 – Best career advice: don't fall in love with your creation 00:01:15 – From BIM professional to tech founder 00:03:30 – The founding problem: data silos and communication gaps 00:04:35 – What Deep Space is and why the mid-market is underserved 00:08:40 – Selling tech in construction: trust over features 00:11:10 – State of digital adoption across Tier 1 and mid-market 00:12:40 – Why leadership mandate drives adoption 00:14:15 – Implementation vs deployment: meet users where they are 00:19:55 – Helping clients uncover the real problem 00:20:45 – AI's real impact and what tech is overhyped ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

From Iran to Australia - Reinventing a Career with Ati Hezarian

Website: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com [https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com] Episodes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episodes [https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episodes] Episode notes: https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episode/from-iran-to-australia-reinventing-a-career-with-ati-hezarian [https://www.digitalconstructionpodcast.com/episode/from-iran-to-australia-reinventing-a-career-with-ati-hezarian] Host: Andrea Ciaffi [https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-ciaffi-548413113] Guest: Ati Hezarian [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ati-hezarian/] Ati Hezarian joined us to share why we must never stop learning and stay curious, as tools and titles will always change. She reflected on her ten-year journey from Iran to Australia, describing the "marathon" of rebuilding a professional network and why she founded the IBASA Network to help others map their pathways. Ati sees digital construction as a puzzle where the real magic happens by integrating people and tools across the whole project lifecycle. As an "automation accelerator," she believes AI and digital twins are no longer optional but are the essential defaults for our future. We dived into her work with Women in BIM, where she advocates for visibility and mentorship to bring more women into leadership. Her advice to everyone is simple: don't wait for the "perfect time" to start; just jump in and stay relevant. It’s a holistic, inspiring look at our industry's transformation that you simply have to hear! ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.