In Conversation with Andrew Barr, President of Hitachi Europe
Release Date: 04/10/2025
In conversation with Dan Labbad, CEO of the Crown Estate
Connected Places
In this episode we meet Dan Labbad, CEO of the Crown Estate - an independent commercial business, created by an Act of Parliament, with a diverse portfolio of UK buildings, shoreline, seabed, forestry, agriculture and common land. Dan sat down with the Chair of the Catapult, Prof. Greg Clark, shortly after giving a keynote address to the Summit our second Connected Places Catapult Summit held in in London on 19-20 March. They discussed the Crown Estate’s approach to long-term stewardship, the future of placemaking, the role of innovation and new technologies in creating that future, and the...
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In Conversation with Andrew Barr, President of Hitachi Europe
Connected Places
In this episode we meet Andrew Barr, President of Hitachi Europe in conversation with Becky Wood at our recent Connected Places Summit, held in London on 19/20 March. Hitachi Europe was one of our strategic Summit partners and we are very grateful for their support. Andrew and Becky sat down in the margins of the Summit to discuss Hitachi’s approach to innovation in rail, the work they do in the energy sector, navigating the clean transition, and how data and digital technologies are changing how we think about rail, energy and place. Andrew is President of Hitachi Group’s Regional...
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Highlights from the Connected Places Summit - 2025
Connected Places
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The future of innovation procurement
Connected Places
Every year the UK spends £380bn on third party suppliers - £60bn of that is spent by local authorities - so it is vital to ensure we are getting the best value from the goods and services we buy. A big part of any public budget is not just the question of what things to buy, but how can we be more creative in how we buy, especially when it comes to innovation. So, in this episode we want to revisit what’s happening in the world of public procurement, and what’s being done to not only improve the UK’s procurement landscape, but also make it more innovation-friendly. We were...
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Inclusive Innovation in the West Midlands
Connected Places
The UK is positioning itself to be a global hub for innovation by 2035. But how do we make sure that the innovation economy creates opportunities for people and communities from all corners of the country? Getting this right has implications not just for businesses and research institutions, but also for the life chances of people and communities who have typically been marginalised or overlooked by the innovation economy. So in this episode we explore some of the latest thinking on inclusive innovation and what it means for places - specifically one of the UK’s most diverse and...
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Highlights from the Connected Places Summit - 2024
Connected Places
Last week was a big one for the Connected Places Catapult. On the 20/21 March we hosted our first ever Connected Places Summit, in the heart of the City of London. It was a big one because even though we run multiple events throughout the year, this was the first time we’ve run a 2-day Summit which brought together all of our flagship projects under one roof. But it also included a keynote programme with some of the most influential thinkers and leaders from across government, business and academia. Over the two days had 220 speakers, 27 companies exhibiting, 30 supporting...
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Minding the gaps in London with Graeme Craig
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Ask any Londoner what the city’s greatest challenge is and they’ll probably mention the housing crisis or, more specifically, the affordable housing crisis. Over the last 40 years, London’s population has boomed from 6.9 million in 1980 to 9.6 million today. London now hosts 6 million jobs, £1.5 trillion of housing assets and a £4 trillion property asset base. All of that growth has put enormous pressure on the affordability of living and working in London. In this episode we meet , CEO of Places for London – an innovate, TfL-owned property company that is transforming how...
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In conversation with Baroness Brown of Cambridge
Connected Places
In this episode we meet member of the House of Lords and an engineer by training. We talked about the UK Government’s ambition to become a science and technology superpower by 2030; what it’s like to straddle the worlds of academia, industry, and government; the role that data and digital has to play in making our national infrastructure more resilient; and how alloys in aeroplane engines react under extreme pressure! Julia began her academic career by studying metals, and the composite structures used in wind turbines. Her specialty was designing metal alloys that are...
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2023 - A Year In Review
Connected Places
It’s been another eventful year on the Connected Places Podcast and we’ve got a lot to look back on as 2023 draws to a close! In this episode we revisit some of the stories we’ve featured on the show this year, and the fascinating guests we’ve been able to have on. We hear from three companies making extraordinary strides on the use of connected digital twins to tackle real world problems; RoyalHaskoningDHV, National Grid ESO and IOTICS. We return to Bristol Temple Meads station where the UK's first Station Innovation Zone was launched earlier this year – how are...
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Meet the Innovators
Connected Places
Innovating isn’t easy. It's risky, it's fraught with failure, and there’s no guarantees of success. In this episode we meet two companies that have had to navigate the innovation rollercoaster to get to where they are. Both companies have been supported by the Connected Places Catapult at various points in their journey. They have each developed two ground-breaking products and collected some great stories to tell along the way. Our in-house journalist, Mike Walter, spoke to , the CEO and Managing Director of and , CEO & co-founder of . Ecomar Propulsion builds zero emission...
info_outlineIn this episode we meet Andrew Barr, President of Hitachi Europe in conversation with Becky Wood at our recent Connected Places Summit, held in London on 19/20 March. Hitachi Europe was one of our strategic Summit partners and we are very grateful for their support.
Andrew and Becky sat down in the margins of the Summit to discuss Hitachi’s approach to innovation in rail, the work they do in the energy sector, navigating the clean transition, and how data and digital technologies are changing how we think about rail, energy and place.
Andrew is President of Hitachi Group’s Regional Headquarters for Europe, Middle East & Africa - the company’s largest business region outside Japan. He has had a career spanning 20 years at Hitachi, and under his leadership he’s played a leading role in shaping the company’s global strategy and expansion – and that includes helping governments, cities, and customers cut carbon and accelerate the transition to a more sustainable future.
Becky is a partner in EY’s infrastructure consulting business, and she’s lead a number of complex and high-profile transport infrastructure programmes for the UK’s Department for Transport, as well as Crossrail, Thameslink, Intercity Express, and the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade programme.
The recorded sessions from the Summit are now available to view online, and you can also subscribe to our newsletter now to find out all about our plans for our next Summit in 2025!
Connected Places Summit website: https://cp.catapult.org.uk/summit/connected-places-summit-2025-wrapped/
Theme music on this episode is by Phill Ward Music (www.phillward.com)