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Type
Networking

ICE NI Early Careers Network Conference 2025

Event organised by ICE

Date
30 May 2025
Time
09:00 - 16:30 BST
Location
Riddel Hall
185 Stranmillis Road
Belfast, BT9 5EE
United Kingdom
Add to Calendar 30-05-2025 09:00 30-05-2025 16:30 false Europe/London ICE NI Early Careers Network Conference 2025 https://www.ice.org.uk/events/upcoming-events/ice-ni-ecnet-conference-2025 Riddel Hall, Belfast

£8.33 (Excl.VAT)

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Overview

The ICE NI ECNet Conference is an annual all-day event for early career professionals and students. This year’s programme features an impressive list of speakers exploring the theme ‘Legacy and Innovation’.

Join us to hear:

  • Gareth Briggs and David McKillen (AECOM) dive into the full spectrum of hydropower potential — from the iconic Turlough Hill pumped storage station to emerging concepts like saltwater pumped hydro along our coasts. The presentation will explore how low-head schemes and micro-hydro can support rural communities, and examine the role of hydropower in balancing an increasingly renewable powered grid. They will look at the technologies, case studies, and future innovations shaping the next generation of hydropower.
  • Delegates will be encouraged to consider their opportunities to inspire others, by hearing from Rosie Hanlon (Arup), ICE NI STEM Ambassador of the Year’.
  • Richard Nicholl from the National Trust will share insights into their ongoing conservation projects and future plans, exploring the growing impact of climate change on their most significant sites and assets. He will also highlight the unique challenges of conservation work compared to traditional civil and structural design, with the inclusion of a current case study and discussions on local sites.
  • Jayne Walker and Emma Crane (GRAHAM) will explore PAS 2080, the leading standard for managing carbon in infrastructure and its role in shaping a more sustainable construction industry. It will review GRAHAM’s implementation of PAS 2080, its principles, its emphasis on a whole-life carbon approach, and the collaboration required across the value chain to drive meaningful reductions.

    Key topics include:
    • Understanding PAS 2080 – its purpose, scope, and benefits.
    • Practical Implementation.
    • Future of Low-Carbon Construction.
  • Brendan Harkin (Translink) will explore the key recommendations from the All-Island Strategic Rail Review (AISRR) and share an exciting vision for the future. Ciaran Coulter (Translink) will then take us through the latest developments in the feasibility studies being carried out by Translink, which are directly influenced by AISRR’s findings. This session will provide an overview of how these insights are contributing to the development of a more connected and sustainable rail system.
  • After lunch, our final formal activity will be an interactive workshop that will feature an engaging presentation from Stephen Smalley (Design ID), who will cover topics ranging from Adaptive Reuse, Circular Economy, Lean and Regenerative Design principles and Inclusive Design. Following the presentation, teams will be given a range of real world examples and will be prompted to think creatively to retrofit these existing scenarios to maximise the benefits of sustainability, biodiversity and carbon reduction.

As always, there will be plenty of opportunity to network with peers and make new connections.

This event is kindly sponsored by AECOM.

Prices

Ticket Cost
ICE member (GMICE, MICE, AMICE, FICE) Standard ticket: £100 excl VAT
Apprentice/part-time student in employment Standard ticket: £75 excl VAT*
Full-time student: £8.33 excl VAT* (£10 in total)
Non-member Standard ticket: £125 excl VAT

* Students/apprentices - please ensure you select the correct ticket when registering. Only full-time students holding free ICE student membership qualify for the discounted rate of £10 (inc VAT).

Conference Sponsor

Aecom

Aecom

AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, partnering with clients to solve the world’s most complex challenges.

Venue

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Riddel Hall,
185 Stranmillis Rd, 
Belfast,
BT9 5EE

Programme

09:00 - 09:25

Registration and refreshments

09:25 - 09:30

Welcome by Harriet Warnock, Northern Ireland Early Careers Network Chair

09:30 - 10:15

Hydropower in Ireland - Gareth Briggs and David McKillen, AECOM

10:15 - 10:20

STEM Ambassador of the Year - Rosie Hanlon

10:20 - 11:05

Conservation Engineering at the National Trust: A collection of casework - Richard Nicholl, National Trust

11:05 - 11:30

Break

11:30 - 12:15

Building a Low Carbon Future: A PAS 2080 Roadmap - Jayne Walker and Emma Crane, GRAHAM

12:15 - 13:00

All-Island Strategic Rail Review – Brendan Harkin and Ciaran Coulter, Translink

13:00 - 14:00

Lunch

14:00 - 14:10

Conference Sponsor - AECOM

14:10 - 16:00

Net Zero – why bother? (Interactive Workshop) – Stephen Smalley, Helen McGarry and Sophie Hughes, Design ID

16:00 - 16:10

Closing remarks

Speakers

Gareth Briggs

Gareth Briggs

AECOM

technical director

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Gareth Briggs

Gareth is a Technical Director within AECOM and has spent the majority of his career to date working on dam related projects in Ireland, the UK and Africa.  He has been involved in dams for a range of functions including water supply, hydropower, flood storage and mining.  He is currently involved in the a number  of pumped storage hydropower projects in the UK and Ireland.

David McKillen

David McKillen

AECOM

technical head

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David McKillen

David McKillen is the technical head in AECOM responsible for Dams and Reservoir work throughout the UK&I. This involves coordinating Civil Engineering Teams specialist in all aspects of Reservoir works. He has specialisms in reservoir safety and construction, geotechnical engineering, foundation design, design of hydraulic structures, hydrology and in all aspects of water engineering

Rosie Hanlon

Rosie Hanlon

Arup

civil engineer

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Rosie Hanlon

Rosie is a Civil Engineer working at Arup in Belfast, based in their Water Team. Since graduating in 2022, Rosie has been involved in a range of projects within the water industry and is heavily involved in delivery STEM programmes to young people in Northern Ireland and further afield.

Richard Nicholl

Richard Nicholl

National Trust

head of civil engineering

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Richard Nicholl

Richard Nicholl is head of civil engineering at the National Trust. Richard is a Fellow of both ICE and IStructE.

He joined the National Trust in 2019 following over eighteen years with AECOM and legacy consultants, which included technical director positions on London Underground’s £600 million Bank Station project.

Jayne Walker

Jayne Walker

GRAHAM

environmental sustainability manager

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Jayne Walker

Jayne Walker is an environmental sustainability manager at construction company GRAHAM, who operate a PAS 2080 verified Carbon Management System across their construction arm. 

Passionate about advancing sustainable construction Jayne is a champion for low carbon solutions, circular economy principles and environmental best practice in the industry.

Emma Crane

Emma Crane

GRAHAM

environmental sustainability assistant

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Emma Crane

Emma Crane is an environmental sustainability assistant at GRAHAM, where she has supported the development of carbon management processes to promote PAS 2080 alignment. She ensures compliance at both project and corporate levels, and tracks performance across the company’s construction portfolio, leading to GRAHAM recently achieving PAS 2080 re-verification.

Ciaran Coulter

Ciaran Coulter

Translink

project manager

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Ciaran Coulter

Ciaran has been a project manager with Translink for 4 years focusing on strategic network development projects at various stages of delivery.

Ciaran is the PM responsible for delivering the 2025 Network Development Study.

Ciaran has a background working for contractor, consultant and client organisations on civils schemes throughout Ireland.

Stephen Smalley

Stephen Smalley

Design ID

sustainability director

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Stephen Smalley

Steve Smalley is a sustainability director at Design ID, steering committee member at UK Civil Engineers Declare and a signatory of Structural Engineers Declare, he is dedicated to embedding environmental responsibility throughout the project lifecycle. He spearheads modular construction initiatives, promoting low-carbon solutions that improve efficiency, reduce waste and support the circular economy.

Helen McGarry

Helen McGarry

Design ID

structural engineer

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Helen McGarry

Helen McGarry is a pragmatic, technical, and creative structural engineer, with experience spanning from small-scale refurbishments to large-scale infrastructure projects. Helen supports clients in reducing the environmental impact across projects with specific expertise in concrete decarbonisation. She is the co-author of the ‘Concrete’ chapter in Materials: An Environmental Primer (RIBA, 2024).

Sophie Hughes

Sophie Hughes

Design ID

environmental sustainability engineer

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Sophie Hughes

Sophie is an environmental sustainability engineer, and BREEAM Infrastructure Assessor, ensuring that all projects meet the highest environmental and sustainability standards. With a background in environmental management, policy development, and carbon reduction strategies.