VISION Works

Earlier this year, the highly influential economic historian Adam Tooze spoke at VISION Consulting’s Annual Leadership Forum in London offering his take on how 2023 may pan out. In a fascinating talk, he highlighted four significant areas of radical uncertainty that threaten the global economy – and the role that business leaders are likely to have in steering us through these potential crises. This event was recorded in May 2022 but remains highly relevant today. This talk is also available as a YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYV1tw-WC-owww.vision.com

It used to take the giants of the pharmaceutical world at least five years to deliver a vaccine. Yet when the world was struck by COVID-19, Pfizer managed to deliver a vaccine in just eight months. Many other pharma companies achieved similarly extraordinary feats, and they were able to do it by applying a management style called mobilisation.Join us for the first episode of a series exploring the power and potential of mobilisation. Business journalist Fraser Allen is joined by Billy Glennon, Chief Executive of VISION, who explains what mobilisation is – and how it can transform the abilities of your organisation. He also discusses the influence of the pioneering engineer and entrepreneur Fernando Flores, and his own role in the extraordinary mobilisation of the original fintech disruptor, Intelligent Finance.

As the global supply chain crisis and labour shortages continue to disrupt capital projects, many industry leaders are exploring the efficiencies offered by Lean and Agile thinking. In the first episode of a new season of VisionWorks podcasts, we explore the history of this thinking and how it interconnects with other concepts such as Integrated Project Delivery, the Last Planner System and Commitment-based Management. Interviewed by business journalist Fraser Allen, Peter Luff (Director, VISION Consulting) and Connor Butler (Managing Principal, Relevate) provide expert insights from their extensive experience at the coalface of capital projects.

In episode five of VISION Works, our expert panel continues to challenge the assumptions that undermine megaprojects.Listen in to discover what Dr Charles Spinosa intriguingly calls ‘the secret sauce of improvisation’, which he believes is essential to transforming megaprojects for the better.We also explore the rare skill of listening to the people around you in such a way that you hear what everyone else is missing. And in a philosophical denouement, we discuss the need for bold adventurers to explore the vast geographies of what we don’t yet know.As well as Charles, who is Group Director of VISION, we’re joined by Connor Butler, Managing Principal of Relevate, and Chauncey Bell, a well-known champion of social and technological innovation.Interviewed by business journalist Fraser Allen, this 30-minute listen will be valuable to anyone involved or interested in large capital projects.

There are many myths about how to manage capital projects and, in this episode, we tackle nine of them – myths such as ‘if a project goes over budget, it’s usually because the estimators got it wrong’ and ‘the keys to success are strong management, careful planning and robust controls’. Our myth busters are Billy Glennon (CEO of VISION Consulting), Connor Butler (Managing Principal of Relevate) and Chauncey Bell (a well-known explorer of innovation). Interviewed by business journalist Fraser Allen, this 30-minute listen will make a valuable investment in time for anyone involved in challenging projects of significant scale.

What's it like working at the heart of a megaproject? In this episode, we explore the sometimes bruising experiences of five people who have been there – and what they’ve learnt from the mistakes and triumphs that they have witnessed or been a part of. We hear from Billy Glennon (CEO of VISION Consulting), Connor Butler (Managing Principal of Relevate), Colin Nicol (Managing Director of Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks) Chauncey Bell (an explorer of innovation) and Howard Ashcraft (an expert in design and construction law). Interviewed by business journalist Fraser Allen, this 40-minute listen will make a valuable investment in time for anyone involved in challenging projects.

After exploring why 99% of megaprojects (capital projects costing $1 billion or more) fail to deliver all their promised benefits on time and on budget, we move on to reveal the big fix. The solutions come from three people who have worked at the heart of numerous megaprojects and know exactly what can go wrong and why. Chauncey Bell, Billy Glennon and Connor Butler are interviewed by Fraser Allen.

What is a megaproject? And why do they so often fail to deliver their promised benefits on time and on budget. From the Pyramids to the Parthenon, and from Willie Brown's Transbay Terminal to Intel 'fabs' and Heathrow Terminal 5, our experts from VISION and Relevate unravel the mysteries. Featuring Billy Glennon, Connor Butler and Charles Spinosa, interviewed by Fraser Allen.