Ground Engineering Subgroup

Emilio Linde-Arias BSc MSc PhD CEng MIMMM EurGeol

Emilio Linde-Arias has over twenty years of international experience in geotechnical engineering and engineering geology working for consultants and contractors on the management, planning, procurement, design and construction of large scale and complex infrastructure projects and underground structures.

Emilio has direct responsibility for all drill and blast, ground investigation and laboratory activities as well as an extensive background in the supervision and construction of underground structures, including rail, road and hydro tunnels excavated by traditional (drill and blast) or mechanized (TBM) techniques both in UK and abroad.

Chair, GES

David Waring BSc MSc DIC CEng MIMMM

David is a Lead Geotechnical Engineer within bp, with over 24 years’ experience, after graduating from Imperial College with a MSc in Engineering Geology. David started his career at STATS Geotechnical Ltd, before moving to Hong Kong for four years to work with Fugro. On returning to the UK David spent 8.5 years with Atkins before joining bp in 2012. David is recognised across the industry for leading and delivering geotechnical and geohazard solutions for a wide variety of projects and is currently supporting bp in their transition to become an integrated energy company. David is a Chartered Engineer through IOM3 and has been an active supporter of the professional review process through scrutineering and interviewing candidates for professional registration. David has been active in the wider ground engineering community and has formally been the Secretary of the Engineering Group of the Geological Society, Member of Committee of the British Geotechnical Association and Ground Forum. David is excited to take on the role of Chair of the Ground Engineering Subgroup Committee and driving forward the challenge to raise the profile of the ground engineering community within IOM3

Vice-Chair, GES

Iain McKechnie BSc CEng MIMMM FGS

Iain McKechnie graduated from the University of Glasgow and joined the Ritchies ground engineering division of Edmund Nuttall Ltd in 2007.  He moved to Cheshire and worked as a geotechnical engineer managing both ground engineering and ground investigation works on highways, railways and mine remediation projects throughout England and Wales. Iain relocated to the Glasgow head office of BAM Ritchies in 2011 to hold key roles on several large infrastructure projects, including remote renewable energy schemes and Borders Rail. Iain also managed piling works for the upgrade of Waverley Train Station in Edinburgh.

Invited into a pre-construction role in 2014, Iain became the HS2 Framework Bid Manager for BAM Ritchies in 2015. Upon successful completion of that Framework in 2017, he returned to the wider business and helped to make improvements to the structure and direction of the ground investigation department, with his particular focus on pre-construction activities. Iain is the Senior Estimator and Bid Manager for ground investigation, managing large bids for the company. He holds a key client management role and ensures effective collaboration between different business units within BAM to secure sustainable and profitable work.

Iain is a Chartered Engineer, Registered Ground Engineering professional, past judge of the Scottish Ground Engineering Group poster competition, a Member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and Fellow of the Geological Society of London.

Alan Auld BSc PhD CEng FIMMM FICE

Alan is an Engineering Consultant for Golder (UK) Ltd Shafts and Tunnels based in the Doncaster office in the UK. He has over 40 years of experience in the design of shaft and tunnel linings, underground structures, underground support and consolidation systems, underground plugs, dams and water control systems, temporary works using artificial ground freezing (AGF) and concrete works, particularly long-distance pumping, working all over the world. 

Alan is the author of more than 50 papers and articles published in books, technical journals and conference proceedings, the majority related to the design and construction of underground structures. He was a co-founder of the original consultancy company, I W Farmer & Partners Ltd, incorporated in 1989 which became Alan Auld Associates Ltd in 1998 and then part of the Alan Auld Group of companies in 2010. The Alan Auld Group was bought out by Golders in 2017 and Golders have now been bought out by WSP in 2021. 

Stewart Beattie PhD MSc CEng MIMMM

Stewart is a Teaching Fellow of Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde. Stewart gained his Masters in Geotechnics in 2009 and worked in consultancy, predominantly on major transport projects. This experience involved Stewart working on various stages of geotechnical projects from initial ground investigation, through to design and construction. Stewart completed a PhD in Geology in 2018 after returning to Strathclyde to take up a teaching position in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Stewart is a chartered engineer with IOM3. 

David Bradley BEng (Hons) CEng MIMMM MICE

A chartered engineer with ROGEP registration who has overall responsibility for the BAM Ritchies ground investigation business across Scotland and North of England. Following a period of industry learning in both geotechnical construction and ground investigation, David developed his career on major geotechnical projects across the UK for infrastructure customers. This included periods as a project planner and commercial manager to provide a foundation to his next step in a leadership role, spear-heading major projects. 

He takes his responsibility as a professional engineer seriously, actively playing his part in improving engineering and the lives of engineers through mentoring, being a STEM ambassador, committee member of the Scottish Ground Engineering Group, IOM3 reviewer at CEng level and participant in the Women@BAM group.

Martin Griffin BEng ACSM CEng FIMMM FGS CGeol EurGeol

ADM3

Martin is a UK-based Senior Mining Geotechnical Engineer who is chartered engineer and chartered geologist and works for the international multidisciplinary niche consultancy Knight Piésold in their London office.  He is neurodivergent (autistic dyslexic and dyspraxic) and registered as disabled by being visually impaired.  Presently, he specialises in mining and ground risk and uncertainty and works on geotechnical engineering aspects for international mining projects from concept to closure including tailings dams, heap leach operations and open pit assessments.  Martin has also been involved in ground engineering teams for several UK civil engineering megaprojects. 

Currently, Martin is currently serving as Chairperson of Ably Different, a Geological Society Council Member and a former committee member of several other national executives (British Geotechnical Association, Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists, and Ground Forum), Geological Society Scrutineer for chartership candidates, Keratoconus-UK charity trustee, international journal peer reviewer for QJEGH and IAEG, STEM Ambassador to local secondary schools and a Ground Forum / STEER mentor for underrepresented groups. Martin has been a lay EDI Champion and Advocate since 2013 in the geoscience and engineering sectors, acting as an advisor, mentor, and is frequent LinkedIn blogger on all aspects of EDI, disability and neurodiversity. 

Tim Leung

Tim Leung is a FIMMM, FICE and FHKIE and is a Chartered Engineer with more than 30 years of experience in the Hong Kong construction industry. I have in-depth and on-the-job experience in government and private developments in civil infrastructure and specialise in tunnelling by drill-and-blast, drill-and-break, use of NATM, tunnel boring machines, cut-and-cover and pipe jacking as well as in other underground works consisting of shaft sinking, foundations, site formation, ground investigation and geotechnical instrumentation.

As of my contributions to the IOM3, I was awarded the Institute’s International Medal of the IOM3 in 2018. Currently I am the Director and Consultant of Paul Y. Engineering Group. Main leading role in business development and business solution delivery driver, strategic planning, tendering and project management.

In addition, I have been actively supporting the construction and engineering industries and also the academic, such as,

Vice-Chairman (2021-) of the Civil Engineering Committee of the Hong Kong Construction Association

Committee Member (2019-) of the HKIE Civil Division

Advisor (2019-) of the H.K.U. Engineering Alumni Association.

Publication:

“Temporary Supports for Tunnels of Trunk Road T7 in Meta-sediment Ground”, 23^rd Annual Seminar by the HKIE in 2003.

“Monitoring during excavation of Route 8 Eagle’s Nest Tunnel” 26^th Annual Seminar by the HKIE in 2006.

“New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) Tunnelling in Central-Wan Chai Bypass” and “Construction Challenges of Large Span Highway Tunnel in Hong Kong Urban Area by Drill-and-Break”, Hong Kong Underground Design and Construction Conference (UDCC) 2015

“Performance of NATM Hard Rock Tunnelling for Large Span Mined Tunnel underneath Cross-Harbour Tunnel”, World Tunnel Congress 2016 (WTC 2016) at San Francisco in April 2016.

“Instrumentation Monitoring for Tunnelling of Large Span Trinocular Cross Section Tunnel underneath Cross Harbour Tunnel”, 13^th International Conference – Underground Construction Prague 2016 organized jointly with 3^rd Eastern European Tunnelling Conference (EETC) at Prague in May 2016. 

Cover story on “Use of NATM on Central-Wan Chai Bypass tunnel”, Journal of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE), Vol 44, Sep 2016.

“Challenges and Solutions for Tunnel Construction in Hong Kong Harbour”, World Tunnel Congress 2017 (WTC 2017) at Bergen, Norway in June 2016.

“Application of new Austrian tunnelling method to a large span trinocular cross section tunnel” (in Chinese), Chinese Journal of Rock Mechanics and Engineering in November 2017.

Jim Shields CEng CSci FIMMM CGeol FGS FICE FIQ

Jim’s career began with Fugro Scotland Ltd in 1985, as a junior geologist on various ground investigations throughout the UK. He joined BAM Ritchies (then Ritchies Equipment Ltd) in 1986 initially as a Contracts Engineer on ground engineering and ground investigation projects.

Jim has also undertaken numerous field visits overseas to advise on rock sources for armour and aggregates primarily for group company BAM International.

Jim is now Operations Manager with direct responsibility for all Drill and Blast, Overseas and Engineering activities as well as providing support and direction for the training and development of all BAM Ritchies employees towards professional qualifications. He is a chartered engineer, chartered scientist, chartered geologist and a Registered Ground Engineering Adviser. He has recently become Chair of the IOM3 Membership Committee, is a committee member of the Mining Institute of Scotland, the Ground Forum and is Vice Chair of Register of Ground Engineering Professionals (RoGEP). Jim was instrumental in RoGEP expanding to allow Engineering Technicians and Incorporated Engineers to join the register. 

Emily Wood MSc CEng CSci MIMMM

Secretary of GES

Emily is an Engineering Manager with BAM Ritchies, a division of BAM Nuttall, and a subsidiary of the Dutch Royal BAM Group. Emily has worked on various projects from  railways, highways, nuclear, tunnelling and mine remediation projects involving geotechnical works. Emily initially  went to mining school and gained a masters in geotechnical engineering. As part of her masters year  she  studied in 5 separate  universities across Europe and then went to Hong Kong to work on a tunnelling project.  Emily moved back to the UK to join BAM in 2013 as Assistant Geotechnical Engineer on site. 

Currently  as a Engineering Manager she focuses on support of numerous projects at time on technical and engineering aspects of the upcoming and live geotechnical projects utilising digital construction and project planning software. Emily is involved throughout the project lift cycle at  early contractor involvement, tenders, project construction and handover stages. In 2019 Emily won the BAM Digital Construction Award for her individual for contributions to digital construction in BAM many of her projects involve 3D and 4D elements and digital field data capture techniques. She is a Chartered Engineer through IOM3.