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Join the first APM Wessex Region Corporate Advisory Group session, hosted by APM Corporate Partner Gleeds at their Southampton office. The Corporate Advisory Group brings together representatives of Corporate Partners across the Wessex region to share knowledge on current industry issues and to advise the Regional Network. This launch session focuses on AI in project delivery. James Garner, Senior Director and Head of AI & Data at Gleeds, will cut through the hype and show what is actually working today across the project lifecycle, from meeting minutes and action logs to scheduling, estimating, risk and reporting, and how organisations are overcoming the blockers to adoption.

Expect a practical talk with live demonstrations, followed by an open discussion where partners can share their own experiences, challenges and priorities. Lunch and networking included.

This is the inaugural meeting of the APM Wessex Region Corporate Advisory Group (CAG), hosted by Gleeds at Vanbrugh House, Southampton. The group is being established to bring together Corporate Partners in the region, meeting around twice a year, with discussion topics set by the members and an opportunity for the Wessex volunteer network to draw on the group's advice.

Topic: AI in Project Delivery – What Actually Works

AI tools such as Copilot, ChatGPT and Claude are already on the desks of most project professionals, but the leap from casual experimentation to purposeful, efficient use in project delivery remains a challenge. James Garner will share Gleeds' experience of deploying AI across a global consultancy, including its internal AI assistant, and offer a practical tour of where AI adds genuine value today: meeting transcripts to quality minutes and action logs, scheduling and estimating support, risk identification, progress reporting and stakeholder communications, with live demonstrations of real prompts and workflows that work.

He will then look at how to make it stick in a large organisation: navigating IT security, data governance and cost, building the business case, setting ethical guardrails and knowing when not to use AI, and a simple framework for identifying where to start. The session closes with a short look ahead at agentic AI and the AI-augmented project office, and what this means for the profession and for Corporate Partners.

Organiser:  APM Wessex Network

CPD:  2.00

Ticket prices:

Corporate Partner/Affiliate employee: FREE

Agenda:

12:00 - Arrival, networking and lunch

12:45 - Presentation, live demo and Q&A, James Garner, Gleeds

13:45 - Group discussion and networking

15:00 - Close

Benefits of attending:

A clear, practical view of where AI is delivering value in project delivery now; real prompts and workflows to take away; insight into how a peer organisation has approached adoption, governance and business case; and the chance to build relationships with other Corporate Partners in the Wessex region and influence the group's programme.

Speaker:

James Garner Senior Director, Gleeds | Head of AI and Data | FRICS | DataIQ 100 | APM AI and Data Working Group Member | RICS PGP Member | BSc (Hons), FRICS, RITTECH, AMBCS - Linkedin 

James Garner is a pioneering digital and data leader in the construction industry, driving transformation through AI, analytics, and strategic innovation. Starting his career as a Quantity Surveyor in 2000 after earning first-class honours, he became a Chartered Member of RICS in 2002 and a Fellow in 2012 for his technical writing contributions to the RICS Black Book.

He has delivered major projects across the UK, including for Imperial College and at Oxford University. At Gleeds, James progressed from heading the Education sector in London to becoming the firm's Global Head of AI and Data, where he leads a function focused on business intelligence, project analytics, AI implementation, and digital maturity.

In 2022, he formally qualified as a data analyst, enhancing his ability to bridge traditional consultancy with emerging technologies. James now spearheads the integration of AI into project delivery, commercial consultancy, and strategic planning across global operations.

James served as Chair of the Project Data Analytics Taskforce from 2023-2025, a cross-industry initiative accelerating AI and data adoption across the built environment, uniting industry, academia, and government in shaping the future of projects. He now contributes to industry standards and practice through his roles on the APM AI and Data Working Group, the RICS Construction Professional Group Panel, and the working group developing the RICS guidance note on the responsible use of AI.

He was named one of the DataIQ 100 in 2023 for his influence in advancing the use of data in construction.

James also publishes Project Flux, a weekly newsletter and podcast helping professionals stay ahead in AI, data, and digital transformation. www.projectflux.ai.