British Geotechnical Association
The BGA is the UK's main association for geotechnical engineers, organising key events annually.
- Date
- 21 January 2025
- Time
This event has now ended
Overview
This year’s event will be presented by the 2024 John Mitchell Award winner, Yvonne Ainsworth, business unit director at Taylor Woodrow, who will share the secrets of successful geotechnical engineering.
The lecture will unveil hidden secrets by exploring a framework of six powerful Ps. The talk investigates how these often-overlooked elements can dramatically influence project outcomes, from conception to completion. The 6 Ps have been established over the course of two decades but are not those that people typically assume.
The John Mitchell Award is presented annually by the ICE, based on a nomination from the BGA, for significant contributions in the field of geotechnical engineering. The award was instituted in 2008 in memory of the prominent geotechnical engineer John Mitchell of Arup, who was killed while observing piling works at a central London site in 1990.
Programme
18:30 - 18:35
Welcome by Dr Andrew Ridley, chair, British Geotechnical Association
18:35 - 19:20
Keynote address by Yvonne Ainsworth, business unit director, Taylor Woodrow
19:20 - 19:50
Q&A session
19:45 - 19:50
Closing remarks by Dr Andrew Ridley
Speakers
Dr Andrew Ridley
Geotechnical Observations Ltd
managing director & owner
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Dr Andrew Ridley
Dr Andrew Ridley is Chair of the British Geotechnical Association and managing director of Geotechnical Observations Limited which he founded in 2000.
With over 40 years’ experience within the geotechnical sector of the civil engineering industry, he is known for his work on the measurement of soil suction (in situ and laboratory) for which he received a PhD from Imperial College London.
Andrew is currently the UK's representative on ISO TC182 WG2, which is writing international standards for geotechnical monitoring, a member of the British National Committee for standards in geotechnics B_526_3, Chair of ISSMGE TC220 Field Monitoring in Geomechanics and was Chair of the local organising committee for the 11th International Symposium on Field Monitoring in Geomechanics held at Imperial College London in September 2022.
In addition, Andrew was a member of the Steering Committee for CIRIA 550 Infrastructure Embankments – Condition Appraisal and Remedial Treatment, on the Editorial Panel of Geotechnical Engineering (Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers) from 1998 to 2001 and was a member of the sub-committee to the Advisory Panel of Géotechnique for the 2011 Symposium in Print on Partial Saturation in Compacted Soils.
Yvonne Ainsworth
Hawkins
principal associate
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Yvonne Ainsworth
Yvonne Ainsworth is a Chartered Civil Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers with over 25 years’ experience in UK and international construction.
Her career spans consultancy, specialist geotechnical and civil engineering contracting, as well as senior leadership roles, including Managing Director for GDG and Business Unit Director for Taylor Woodrow.
She is recognised for her expertise in piling and diaphragm walling, design and construction, and resolving complex technical challenges. In 2024,
Yvonne received the ICE John Mitchell Award and delivered the associated lecture on “The Importance of the 6Ps in Geotechnical Engineering”. A ROGEP Adviser and ICE Reviewer, she actively mentors future engineers.
She has also completed her Strategic Leadership MBA with her thesis on the influence of female role models in the construction industry. Yvonne now works for Hawkins as Principal Associate, providing forensic engineering services in complex ground engineering environments.
Sustainable Development Goals:
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