Introduction

 

Welcome to today’s roundtable on accelerating the adoption of digital and AI technologies within the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process.

This session brings together leading voices from across industry, government, and academia for a series of short presentations and facilitated discussions designed to hopefully enable cross-sector collaboration. Together, we’ll explore how digital and AI innovation can help streamline EIA processes, enhance consistency and speed, and ultimately deliver more sustainable outcomes for ecosystems in the UK and beyond.

The roundtable aims to surface practical insights, shared challenges, and future opportunities as we look to shape the next wave of innovation in EIA practice.

In this delegate pack, you’ll find key information about today’s agenda, speakers, and fellow participating organisations.

We look forward to a thought-provoking and productive discussion.

Speakers

Seth Finegan, UK CEO, Informed Solutions

With offices across the UK, Malaysia, and Australia, Informed Solutions delivers digital, data, and AI solutions that help make the world healthier, safer, cleaner, and smarter.

Seth is the UK CEO and leads the development of digital, data, AI, and digital transformation platforms and solutions, which have resulted in Informed being presented with two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise and Innovation in 2018 and 2022 and two World Innovation (WITSA) awards in 2023 for AI and data innovation in healthcare and Environmental management.

A strategic advisor to Government in England and Scotland, Seth has led successful national programmes on AI-related patient safety transformation for the NHS, modernisation and digital operation model development for the UK Health Security Agency, and AI-based clinical trial innovation for The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Alistair Walker, IEMA Digital EIA Working Group and Associate, Quod

Alistair is an Associate in Quod’s Environmental Planning team. He is a highly experienced environmental professional with over 14 years’ experience providing strategic environmental planning advice across all sectors and planning regimes. He also has significant background in Digital EIA, having been involved in some of the earliest research projects and developed digital EIA tools. He understands that collaboration is key to fundamental change and is a long-term member of IEMA’s Digital Working Group and currently leads the AI sub-group to develop new guidance to assist practitioners and the public sector.

Lara Knapman, IEMA Digital EIA Working Group, Technical Director and National EIA Leader, Waterman Group

Lara is a Registered EIA Practitioner with nearly 20 years of environmental consultancy professional experience. Lara is skilled at coordinating environmental inputs throughout project lifecycles, from strategic options appraisal through to option development, refinement, construction and operation, including discharging Planning Conditions and establishing and auditing Construction Environmental Management Plans. Lara has proven experience in the project management of large and complex projects and is practiced at working within multidisciplinary teams to develop workable, but sustainable solutions.

Lara has also worked on the environmental assessment and management of a number of major UK infrastructure schemes, including Northern Powerhouse Rail; Transpennine Route Upgrade; HS2 Phase One and Stansted Airport Second Runway as well as programmes of work for Highways Authorities, Network Rail, water utilities companies and the Environment Agency.

David Lawton, Chief Innovation Officer and Transformation Director, Informed Solutions

David Lawton is a data, technology and innovation strategist with two decades of experience delivering complex, large-scale, digital transformation for national and international public and private sector organisations.  He leads the creation of award-winning AI-enabled digital products and services.

Tom Hickmott, Product Partnership Manager, Informed Solutions

Table Hosts

 

David Lawton

Chief Innovation Officer, Informed Solutions

Andrew Harrison

Director, LandInform

Daniel Rex

Lead Technical Consultant, Informed Solutions

Attending Organisations

ABPmer
APEM
APEM
BDP (Building Design Partnership)
Bidwells
Environment Agency
ERM
Iceni Projects
Lichfields
LUC
Pegasus Group
Planning Inspectorate
Quod
Ramboll
SLR
Turley
Waterman Group
WSP
Xodus

Event Agenda

 

Time Activity
13:30 Guests Arrive and are shown to room
14:00 Chair Welcome & Introduction (Seth Finegan, UK CEO) – 5 mins
14:05 Presentations
Current state of play in digital EIA (Alistair Walker, IEMA Digital Working Group)
 Exploring AI in EIA (Lara Knapman, IEMA Digital Working Group
14:25 Roundtable Discussion: Current state of EIA
14:50 Presentation

Opportunities for Improvement

David Lawton, Chief Innovation Officer, Informed Solutions

15:05 Roundtable Discussion on Opportunities for Improvement
15:30 Break (Coffee & Biscuits)
15:50 Presentation

Opportunities to Collaborate

Tom Hickmott, Product Partnership Manager, Informed Solutions

16:00 Roundtable Exercise – Opportunities to Collaborate
16:25 Chair’s Summary
16:30 Networking Drinks
17:00 Event Close
After Post-event Social – Harrild & Sons (5 minute walk)