ICE NI ECNet Conference 2026: constructing today, transforming tomorrow

Ciara Lappin

Ciara Lappin joined Doran Consulting in 1999 and was appointed to the post of Technical Director in 2016. Ciara has over 25 years of experience in the design and project management of multidisciplinary construction projects. Ciara’s expertise spans infrastructure, transportation, rail and harbour development, public realm schemes, greenways, leisure and sports facilities, as well as water and wastewater treatment.

As an NEC4 Accredited Project Manager and an Advanced Accredited Contracts Manager, Ciara brings a robust understanding of contract administration and delivery excellence to every project. Ciara has successfully led large-scale industrial, transportation, harbour, education, and commercial developments across UK and Ireland.

Notable accomplishments include delivering high-profile infrastructure projects such as York Street Station and the recently opened Carlingford Lough Greenway cross border project in 2025.

Ciara is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), Vice Chair on the ICE Northern Ireland Regional Committee and a committee member on the ICE Connects committee.

In recognition of her leadership and contributions to engineering, Ciara received the Excellence in Senior Leadership – Engineering accolade at the 2024 Women in Construction Awards.

Ruth Kelly

Dr Ruth Kelly is a chartered principal geotechnical engineer, who graduated from Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) with a PhD in Geotechnical Engineering in 2018 and a MEng in Civil Engineering in 2012. She worked as a Research Fellow at QUB from 2015-2017 on an EPSRC funded project ‘iSMART – Infrastructure Slopes: Sustainable Management and Resilience Assessment’ and joined Amey’s geotechnical team in 2018. Ruth currently carries out the role of an Earthworks Examining Engineer and on-call engineer on NIR’s earthwork assets, and has experience in detailed design of earthworks, deep and shallow foundations, rock net systems and retaining structures. Ruth is currently the Hon. Assistant Secretary on the ICE NI Committee. 

Luke Kernohan

Luke Kernohan is a geotechnical engineer at Amey Consulting with over 18 years of experience in the ground engineering industry. A 2007 BEng Civil Engineering graduate from Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), Luke spent nine years in ground investigation contracting, where he planned, executed, and reported on a wide range of site investigations using multiple exploratory methods and testing techniques. Since joining Amey in 2016, he has delivered geotechnical designs across numerous highways and rail projects, focusing on earthworks, retaining structures, piled foundations, and flood defence schemes, and he currently carries out the role of an Earthwork's Examiner on NIR's earthwork assets. 
 

Matthew Thompson

Matthew Thompson is a geotechnical engineer, who graduated from Queen's University Belfast (QUB) with a BEng in Aerospace Engineering in 2012 and a MSc in Environmental Engineering in 2017. He joined Amey's geotechnical team in 2015 and currently carries out the role of an Earthwork's Examiner on NIR's earthwork assets. Matthew has 10+ years’ experience in design of geotechnical assets, including foundations, earthworks, retaining measures, rock net systems, and flood defence schemes. 

Robert McGall

Robert McGall brings over 40 years of experience in civil engineering, geotechnical works, piling, and ground remediation to his role as Managing Director of Deep Soil Mixing Ltd (DSML). 

Prior to founding DSML in 2012, Robert established Eco Foundations, a company devoted to advancing soil mixing as a mainstream construction and remediation technique. During his tenure there, he led innovative projects, developed a proprietary double rotary soil mixing head, and spearheaded the government funded R&D programme Soil Mix Remediation Technology (SmiRT) in collaboration with Cambridge University. 

Earlier in his career, Robert served as a director at Dawson Wam Ltd, where he honed his technical and managerial skills in the geotechnical sector. 

Under Robert’s leadership, DSML has grown into one of the UK’s leading specialists in soil stabilisation and deep soil mixing, focusing on challenging or contaminated sites and ground improvement projects. He is a hands on leader who stays closely engaged with clients, design teams, and site operations. 

Robert’s areas of expertise include:

• Design and execution of deep soil mixing / in situ soil stabilisation schemes
• Development of soil mixing technologies and equipment
• Ground remediation of contaminated lands
• Bridging the gap between geotechnical theory and practical field solutions

Allistair Wilkinson

Dr Allistair Wilkinson is a sustainable materials expert at CDE Group, specialising in cement decarbonisation and the development of low-carbon construction materials and solutions. With a strong background spanning both academic research and operational roles within the cement industry, his work focuses on advancing practical solutions that reduce the environmental impact of construction materials while supporting industrial-scale adoption.

Allistair holds a First Class BSc (Hons) in Building Engineering and Materials from Ulster University and a PhD from Ulster University, where his research examined the use of calcined clay-based geopolymers in road pavement applications. Prior to joining CDE, he held a range of operational and technical leadership roles within the cement sector, including process engineer, quality manager, and technical and innovation manager. These positions provided him with extensive experience in cement manufacturing, process optimisation, product performance, and innovation within the cement industry.

In his current role at CDE, Allistair leads the technical development and application of advanced processing solutions aimed at improving circularity within the construction materials sector. His work focuses particularly on unlocking the potential of overlooked waste streams and by-product materials generated across mineral and materials processing industries.

A key project led by Allistair is the development of CalcinX, a calcined clay product produced from abundant, locally available low-grade clays. Delivered through a combination of industrial research and academic collaboration with partners across the UK, the initiative represents the largest calcined clay production trial undertaken using existing cement plant infrastructure in the UK and Ireland to date, demonstrating the viability of scalable supplementary cementitious materials derived from locally sourced resources.

In addition, his work has contributed to projects that integrate novel alternative fuels and raw materials into cement production, helping to reduce the sector’s carbon footprint while maintaining product performance and manufacturing efficiency.

Allistair will explore the decarbonisation levers currently being deployed across the cement industry while highlighting the growing importance of circular solutions and resource recovery in shaping the future of cement and concrete production.

Martyn Harvie

Martyn is a Chartered civil engineer with over 20 years’ experience in the water industry specialising in asset management, hydraulic modelling, drainage area planning and feasibility studies.  He is currently practice manager for AtkinsRéalis Water business in Scotland and Northern Ireland comprised of over 100 engineers and modellers in Belfast, Glasgow, Edinburgh and India.

Martyn was the principal modeller for many hydraulic modelling studies over the last 20 years including Belfast Sewers Project for NI Water and Dublin City Centre Sewerage Scheme for Uisce Eireann.

The AtkinsRéalis Future Proofing Cities game asks teams to act a city planners, deciding when, how much and what type of development occurs and how this is adapted for changing demands and constraints.

Declan Colman

Declan Coleman is a principal digital engineer at Design ID, specialising in the practical application of digital tools across the built environment. He works with multidisciplinary project teams to ensure digital applications are used effectively on live projects to improve coordination and decision making throughout the project lifecycle.

With a background in geospatial technologies, data science, and cloud‑based data architecture, Declan leads the delivery of digital services including drone surveys, cloud-based GIS and BIM integration and the development of data-driven platforms. Alongside project delivery, he plays a key role in driving digital innovation within Design ID through research and development initiatives, exploring how emerging technologies can be responsibly adopted to enhance engineering practice.

Declan is actively involved in the integration of AI within Design ID’s internal systems, with a particular focus on its practical value, limitations, and ethical use. He is interested in how engineers can embrace new technologies in a way that is transparent, proportionate, and aligned with professional responsibility. Through his work, he supports Design ID in developing informed approaches to using digital and AI enabled tools in everyday practice.