Jemma Stewart, Executive Vice President of Contract Management at Webuild in Australia, brings extensive experience across legal, commercial and project roles with tier-one contractors. Joshua Saunders, Principal Lawyer, Construction and Operations at ACEN Renewables, has previously worked in-house at Lendlease and as a partner at an international law firm. Nicole Derry, Head of Legal at Hansen Yuncken, brings more than 15 years of experience in construction, infrastructure and dispute resolution.

In this conference panel, moderated by Catherine Williams from the ADL Team, the panellists explore the challenges of managing risk and delivering Australia's major construction and infrastructure projects. They discuss the limitations of traditional contracting models, the difficulties of allocating risk between principals, contractors and subcontractors, and the importance of trust and collaboration when projects encounter challenges. The conversation also examines dispute resolution boards, joint venture relationships, project resets and alternative contracting models, highlighting opportunities to improve project planning, communication and long-term project outcomes.

Resources and links:

Jemma Stewart on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jemma-stewart-796a6051/

Joshua Saunders on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-saunders-lawyer/

Nicole Derry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-derry-16b6bb1a/

Catherine Williams on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catwilliams81/

Connect:

The Society of Construction Law Australia website: https://www.scl.org.au/

The Society of Construction Law Australia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/society-of-construction-law-australia/

Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast series are those of the individual contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Society of Construction Law Australia (SoCLA). The content is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, professional, or other advice. Listeners should consider their own circumstances and seek appropriate advice from qualified professionals before acting on any information contained in this podcast.

This show is produced in collaboration with SoundCartel. Visit soundcartel.com.au for more information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is part of a special series exploring AI in the construction industry.

David Porter is the CEO and co-founder of Octant AI, a company applying predictive AI to improve decision-making and financial certainty in project-based organisations. A civil engineer by background, David has spent more than three decades leading major infrastructure and capital programmes, founding and scaling consulting businesses, and advising government and private-sector organisations on complex project delivery. His work sits at the intersection of project management, probability and artificial intelligence, with a particular focus on helping organisations better understand and manage uncertainty.

In this episode, David shares his journey from project management and infrastructure into AI and explores why the construction and project industries have been slow to adopt a technology that could fundamentally change how decisions are made. He explains the difference between predictive, generative and agentic AI, why organisations should think about relying on AI rather than trusting it, and how probability-based models can provide a more dynamic view of cost and time outcomes. David also explores systems thinking, paradigm shifts and the potential for AI to act like a "Google Maps" for projects—continuously analysing data, identifying early warning signs and helping teams take action before problems become costly.

Resources and links:

David Porter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-porter-27a64613/

Octant AI: https://octantai.com/

Connect:

The Society of Construction Law Australia website: https://www.scl.org.au/

The Society of Construction Law Australia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/society-of-construction-law-australia/

Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast series are those of the individual contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Society of Construction Law Australia (SoCLA). The content is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, professional, or other advice. Listeners should consider their own circumstances and seek appropriate advice from qualified professionals before acting on any information contained in this podcast.

This show is produced in collaboration with SoundCartel. Visit soundcartel.com.au for more information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Owen Hayford is a strategic legal and commercial adviser specialising in infrastructure, with more than 25 years of experience across leading Australian and international law firms and a Big4 consulting firm. As Principal of Infralegal, Owen provides strategic advice across the infrastructure sector and draws on his experience in complex public and private projects, as well as his expertise as an Accredited Mediator, Dispute Avoidance Board Practitioner and Collaborative Contracting specialist.

In this episode, Owen explores how the settings established at the beginning of a project can influence relationships, risk, decision-making and ultimately the outcome. He discusses the role of lawyers in helping project teams make better decisions before disputes arise, how dispute avoidance boards can keep issues from escalating, and why traditional approaches to risk allocation do not always produce the best results.

Resources and links:

Owen Hayford on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/owenhayford/

Infralegal: https://www.infralegal.com.au/

Connect:

The Society of Construction Law Australia website: https://www.scl.org.au/

The Society of Construction Law Australia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/society-of-construction-law-australia/

Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast series are those of the individual contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Society of Construction Law Australia (SoCLA). The content is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, professional, or other advice. Listeners should consider their own circumstances and seek appropriate advice from qualified professionals before acting on any information contained in this podcast.

This show is produced in collaboration with SoundCartel. Visit soundcartel.com.au for more information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.