SQ.FT Stories

Jack Rumbol is the Managing Director of Havio, a health and safety consultancy working exclusively across the construction industry.
On this podcast he has earned the nickname Mr Health and Safety, and it is not hard to see why. Jack has built his career on a straightforward view of the industry, one that has little patience for box ticking and even less for the idea that a wall full of accreditations makes anyone safer.
In this episode, Jack talks honestly about what he has seen inside construction, an industry he describes bluntly as dysfunctional and, at times, dog eat dog. He explains why five or six accreditations mean almost nothing on the ground, why he only takes on clients who align with how Havio actually operates, and why health and safety only works when the whole business owns it, not just the person whose job title says so.
We explore:
How Jack got into health and safety and what pulled him toward the industry
Why accreditations get treated as proof of safety when they rarely reflect what is happening on site
The dysfunction Jack sees across construction and how it shapes the way Havio chooses who to work with
Why Havio focuses solely on fit out and main contractors and turns away work that doesn't fit
Why most of Havio's business comes through word of mouth and what that says about trust in this industry
What actually serves the industry when it comes to health and safety, and where Jack sees it heading next
Jack is not interested in compliance for the sake of it. He wants to work with the right people, on the right projects, and he is direct about calling out what isn't working across construction. If you think health and safety is someone else's job, this episode will change your mind.

Alistair Blenkin is the founder of ProcurePro, an AI powered procurement platform built specifically for the construction industry.
Before building the business, Alistair was a lawyer, which gives him a sharper eye than most for where construction contracts, commitments and costs quietly go wrong before anyone notices.
ProcurePro has just raised $15 million to continue building out its AI powered procurement control for construction, putting the business at a valuation of around $100 million. It is not a small bet on where the industry is heading.
In this episode Alistair talks honestly about what the construction industry is getting wrong with procurement, where the margin is actually going, and why most firms don’t even know what they’re losing until it’s too late.
We explore:
- Why construction procurement is still largely manual and what that is costing businesses in real margin
- How AI can surface cost drift, approval delays and supply chain risk before they become problems on site
- Why the construction industry is years behind other sectors in adopting technology and what happens to the firms that stay that way
- How ProcurePro connects with the systems contractors already use without adding more admin or disruption
- What it actually takes to raise serious money in construction tech and how Alistair got there from a legal background
- Why margin loss rarely comes from one big decision and how to spot the pattern before it compounds Alistair is not your typical construction guest.
He came from law, built a $100 million business, and has a very clear view of where the industry is bleeding money and why most people running construction businesses have no idea it’s happening.

Rob Venice is the founder of Motive, a creative collective bringing together artists, project managers and marketeers to design workspaces that actually make people feel something when they walk in.
Before founding Motive in 2022, Rob spent a decade at the sharp end of office design and build. He came up through Denton, became Creative Director at Thirdway, and co-founded product design firm Kaelo alongside his day job. He has led teams through some of the most ambitious workspace pitches in London and knows better than most what it takes to win work on the strength of a creative vision.
In this episode, Rob is honest about what that world actually looks like from the inside. We explore:
- Why designers are the engine behind every great pitch but rarely see the recognition or reward that follows
- How value engineering consistently strips out the creative work first and why that never gets challenged
- The problem with rewarding designers when there is no clean metric for what they actually contribute
- Why Rob hit the ceiling at every company he worked for before deciding to build something of his own.
Rob is one of those guests who has clearly thought hard about the gap between what the industry produces and what it could produce. This is a conversation about creativity, recognition and what happens when the person with the vision finally stops working for someone else.
If you work in design and build, this one will hit close to home.

James Hunt runs a non profit plumbing and heating company and has spent years building charitable initiatives that give back to the community around him. But the road to get there was anything but straightforward.
Growing up in a different country, dealing with bullying, and falling into a drug addiction that lasted years, James has lived through the kind of experiences that break most people. It took multiple ayahuasca retreats to finally find a way through, and watching his wife nearly lose her life in hospital gave him the clarity to turn everything he had been through into something meaningful.
In this episode, James tells that story without dressing it up.
We explore:
- The reality of long term drug addiction and what it actually takes to come out the other side
- Why ayahuasca worked when nothing else did
- How nearly losing his wife became the moment everything shifted - What it looks like to build a non profit in the trades and why it's harder than running a normal business
- The challenge of scaling something when you can't reinvest profit the way a commercial business would James is the kind of guest who has genuinely lived it.
This isn't a motivational story dressed up for a podcast. It's an honest conversation about addiction, purpose, loss and what you do with the years you almost didn't have. If this one doesn't make you think, nothing will.

Adam Green is a project management consultant working in commercial fit-out, with a focus on public sector and educational projects across London. Before founding Ninety Four Group, Adam spent years inside one of the industry’s larger consultancies, a family business with over 700 employees, giving him a ground-level understanding of how project management works at scale, and more importantly, where it doesn’t.
In this episode, Adam brings a perspective you don’t often hear. An honest account of what separates the contractors who make a project run smoothly from those who create more problems than they solve, and what that means for the PMs working alongside them.
We explore:
• Why good contractors don’t just deliver, they make the whole project team look better
• What client-side PMs actually need from contractors that most never provide
• How information flow between PM and contractor makes or breaks a project
• The loyalty question and whose side the PM is really on when things get difficult
• What procurement gets wrong and why the lowest price almost never means the best outcome
Adam is direct, experienced and has sat on both sides of the table. This isn’t a theoretical conversation about best practice. It’s a frank discussion about how the PM and contractor relationship actually works on the ground, and what good really looks like when you find it.
If you work in fit-out, whether you’re a contractor, a PM, or a client, this one will resonate.

Simon Buck is a business coach who works with the construction industry and a strong advocate for the practical adoption of AI within growing businesses.
Having worked with contractors at every stage of their journey, Simon has seen a recurring pattern in construction: growth that happens by accident rather than by design. Many business owners start as tradespeople, take on more work when they’re busy, hire reactively when they’re overwhelmed, and repeat the cycle without ever building the systems needed to scale sustainably.
In this episode, Simon shares why that model eventually breaks and how AI could be the biggest opportunity (and threat) the industry has seen since the dotcom boom.
We explore:
• Why most construction businesses hire at 120% capacity instead of planning at 80% and how that limits growth
• The difference between being busy and being scalable
• How established £3–5m businesses can grow to £10–20m with structure and strategy
• Why AI isn’t just ChatGPT and how it can be embedded into existing systems
• How AI can improve consistency, follow-up, data handling, and decision-making
• Why early adopters of AI will create a significant gap between themselves and late adopters Simon makes a compelling case that AI isn’t optional.
It’s not a gimmick, and it’s not just a marketing tool. When properly integrated into your processes, it can think in the context of your business, analyse information, clean data, and strengthen workflows in ways most construction firms haven’t yet considered.
If you run a construction business and want to stay ahead of the curve, this episode is essential listening.

Ben Cliffe is a Project Manager and business owner who understands the construction industry from both a delivery and commercial perspective.
Having worked closely with clients, contractors, and subcontractors, Ben has developed a clear view on where projects succeed and where relationships quietly break down. His experience navigating procurement models, retention clauses, and supply chain dynamics has shaped a practical, balanced approach to project management.
In this episode, Ben shares his perspective on retention, risk allocation, and why stronger alignment between project managers and contractors is essential if we want a healthier industry.
We explore:
• Whether retention is still fit for purpose and why, if it’s due, it should simply be paid• How fluctuating material and labour costs have reshaped commercial risk on projects• The impact different procurement models have on contractor and subcontractor relationships• How PMs and clients can unintentionally create tension through unrealistic programmes and risk transfer• Why strong working relationships sometimes allow flexibility and when that flexibility becomes dangerous
This is an honest, commercially grounded conversation about retention, risk, and responsibility in modern construction.
A practical listen for project managers, contractors, and anyone navigating procurement, commercial pressure, and partnership in today’s industry.
 

Lauren Rimmer is the Founder and CEO of Construct Change, a business focused on strengthening delivery, supporting supply chains, and improving culture across the construction industry.
Lauren started Construct Change after seeing first-hand how often projects don’t fail because of technical ability, but because of poor communication, weak culture, lack of inclusion, and insufficient support for the people delivering the work.
Her mission is simple but ambitious: help construction businesses operate more responsibly, sustainably, and humanely. In this episode, we have an open and honest conversation about the parts of construction that are rarely spoken about publicly. From non-payment and commercial pressure, to suicide, mental health, and the challenges faced by women and underrepresented groups in the industry.
Lauren explains why culture, communication, and inclusion aren’t “nice-to-haves”, but the foundations on which successful projects are built. She also shares how Construct Change works with contractors to embed better ways of working into everyday decisions, improving delivery, protecting supply chains, and building reputations that actually last.
We explore:
• Why poor culture and communication sit at the heart of so many project failures.
• The real impact of non-payment and commercial pressure on people and businesses.
• Suicide and mental health in construction, and why silence makes the problem worse.
• Inclusion in construction and why the industry still has work to do.
• How better leadership, accountability, and communication can genuinely change outcomes.
This is a deep, honest, and at times uncomfortable conversation but a necessary one.

Damien Clifford is the founder of Ethos EQ and a specialist in early-stage cost consultancy, operating across RIBA Stages 0 to project completion.
With experience managing large-scale developments as a surveyor, Damien has seen first-hand how projects succeed or fail long before anyone steps on site. That early exposure to cost, procurement, and decision-making has shaped a very honest view of why so many construction projects struggle financially.
In this episode, Damien breaks down where things commonly go wrong between clients, consultants, and contractors and how better alignment at the front end can prevent cost overruns, disputes, and commercial breakdowns later on.
We explore:
• How managing global portfolios has shaped Damien’s approach to cost control
• Why margins are so thin in construction and how alternative procurement routes could improve them
• How costs and budgets spiral out of control on projects, often earlier than people realise
• What contractors get wrong when engaging with surveyors and project managers — and how to improve their chances of securing work
• Why turnover is often chased at the expense of profitability, and whether ego plays a role
• How final accounts can be manoeuvred within contracts, leading to disputes and non-payment
This is a practical, straight-talking conversation about money, risk, and behaviour in construction and how the industry can do better with clearer thinking, stronger procurement, and more honest engagement at the early stages.
A must-listen for contractors, surveyors, project managers, and anyone involved in controlling cost and risk on projects.

Ollie Plastow returns to SQ FT Stories for a second episode, but this time, the format is different.
Rather than a full life or business journey, this episode is a candid catch-up between two people actively working in the Design & Build and construction industry, reflecting on what’s changed since Ollie’s last appearance and what’s really happening on the ground right now.
We talk openly about the realities of running businesses in today’s market, the pressures across the supply chain, and the topics that keep coming up in conversations behind closed doors.
In this episode, we explore:
How Ollie’s business has evolved since his last time on the podcast.
What good business development in construction actually looks like and why it’s still misunderstood.
Why subcontractors continue to struggle with payment and where responsibility sits.
How tight margins shape behaviour across the industry.
The knock-on effects these pressures have on people, projects, and relationships.
To finish, we switch things up with a quick-fire round, ten rapid questions each covering industry frustrations, opinions, and lighter moments that anyone working in construction will recognise.
This episode is honest, unscripted, and very much rooted in real experience.
If you work in Design & Build, construction, or the wider property sector, this one will feel familiar and probably spark a few strong opinions of your own.