Driving more social value for people, communities and investors is not a corporate tick box exercise. It’s a vital element for organizations that must increasingly demonstrate their purpose beyond profit, generating greater value for stakeholders and shareholders. Creating meaningful social value requires integrating a tailored social value strategy and an iterative mindset. To do this, you need the right mix of leadership, data-driven solutions and cross-sector expertise. When organizations make informed, responsible choices, they can drive growth, improve efficiency and enhance their reputation, all while creating long-term value for society and the environment. The two guests on this episode are celebrated for getting this mix right globally: Dr Mary-Kathryn Adams (known as MK), Chief Executive Officer of Simetrica-Jacobs, and Toyin Ogunfolaju, Director Social Value Americas at Jacobs.

For companies with workers and job sites all over the world, how do you take care of every employee? Emerging technologies and digital tools are a critical part of the solution, but it all must be integrated into a sound, resilient strategy that relies on track record and local experience. This strategy needs to span time zones - and clients/partners - to ensure the health, safety and security of every colleague is paramount, no matter if they’re a hybrid employee, based in an office or working on a job site. To ensure this strategy works on the ground, you also need the right partners. Our guests for this episode are Joe Olivarez, Executive Vice President and Leader of Health, Safety, Security, Environment & Enterprise Quality at Jacobs, Dr. Myles Druckman, Global Medical Director and SVP at International SOS and Polly Willis, Strategic Account Manager and Market Lead at International SOS.

Leaders of global, multi-sector companies are tackling bigger, more complex challenges in our fast-evolving, highly connected world. During times of greater change and shifts, employees are looking to the C-Suite for even more direction and inspiration. Research by Harvard Business Review reveals that for leaders to be successful now, they need to be versatile, resilient and empathetic to thrive in the relentless pace of global corporate organizations. For this If/When podcast, we speak to two inspiring CEOs who embody these qualities and offer some of their experiences as leaders and collaborators. We explore the importance of key partnerships,* shared values, employee engagement and family support and learn how it's all helped shape them in their pivotal roles. My name is Arthur Jones, and the guests for this episode are Bob Pragada, CEO of Jacobs since January of 2023 and appointed Chair of Jacobs Board of Directors the following September and Christian Norris, who became CEO at PA Consulting, a global innovation and transformation consultancy, in August 2023. *Jacobs holds a 65% stake in PA Consulting, with the remaining 35% held by PA employees. Both Jacobs and PA operate as separate entities, each responsible for serving clients independently.

Transportation is still the highest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and one of the greatest carbon contributors globally. Governments and local authorities are continually researching ways to drive positive change through legislation and policy, and a large part of this will come down to urban mobility and transportation planning. To make the right decisions in these fields, we need the right data and measurement tools. Case in point: the Transportation Climate Impact Index by StreetLight Data. Their report uncovers how metros in the U.S. rank across eight key factors and reveals the major mobility trends impacting climate. In this episode, we discuss urban mobility and its role in climate change. We explore how to build a climate-resilient transportation system — one that offers social, environmental and commercial value. Our celebrated guests explain why urban mobility is one of the most critical areas of climate response, and more importantly, how we can better design our cities for greener futures with cleaner air and less traffic.   Today, we’re speaking to Dr. Laura Schewel, CEO of StreetLight Data and VP of Transportation Software at Jacobs and Jenny Jones, Head of Transport Planning for Europe at Jacobs.

How can we modernize airports to be better for passengers, communities, balance sheets and our environment? It’s a complex challenge that can’t be solved by talent or policy alone — it also requires the right application of digital tools and technologies. These transport hubs play a vital role in our communities and economies, and to empower a better, more sustainable future for all, we need an elevation in industry-wide innovation and collaboration. Our guests for this episode are leaders in this field: Ersin Inankul, Head of Aviation Digital at Jacobs, and David Miranda, Digital Expert at PA Consulting.* *Jacobs holds a 65% stake in PA Consulting, with the remaining 35% held by PA employees. Both Jacobs and PA operate as separate entities, each responsible for serving clients independently.

How are PFAS affecting your work and our world? Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are a large class of long-lasting, synthetic chemicals used extensively in industrial and household products. Many PFAS don’t degrade readily on their own, and some are highly mobile in the environment. They can be found worldwide in water, soil, air, plants, animals and even our bloodstreams. We’re still uncovering the full impact of these chemicals on the health of humans and our environment, but here’s what is clear: it’s a complex challenge at scale to remediate these so-called “forever” chemicals. Add fast-changing regulations in different geographies and regional differences to the scale and response to the PFAS challenge, and it all compounds the difficulty. The way forward requires a greater understanding of the risks and challenges of PFAS, but it’s just the start. We’ll need cross-sector collaboration and innovation to tackle these issues and apply the right measurement tools and technology.  Our guests for this episode are defining the solutions for clients and the industry at large: Sharon Minchak, Global Solutions Director for Remediation and Regeneration at Jacobs, and Dr. Russell Ford, Global Director for Drinking Water & Reuse Solutions at Jacobs.

Transformation has become an over-used buzzword for companies and consultants in the last five years, but the market-proven truth is that companies, and by extension, employees, are now required to be more agile and resilient — and willing to upskill. So, how do large companies manage significant, lasting changes across their operating model during times of transition with organizational performance, innovation and collaboration as priorities? Success is driven by engaged and empowered employees, but it requires the right leadership, corporate culture and silo-busting collaboration. There’s one golden thread that runs through all three: the power of collective purpose. Our guests for this episode: Shelie Gustafson, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer at Jacobs, and education and leadership development coach Michael Chavez, who is Founder & Managing Director at Broad Vista Partners.

How can water companies deliver the best value for customers by turning sector challenges into opportunities for people and places? Like most markets and industries globally, the water sector is facing greater and more complex challenges due to climate change, population growth, rising costs and a shortage of incoming talent. In this episode, we unpack innovation, core values and close collaboration between Jacobs and Northumbrian Water, which supplies 2.7 million people with water and wastewater services in North East England, and 1.8 million people with water only in Essex and Suffolk. The inspiring leaders on this podcast are Northumbrian Water Group CEO Heidi Mottram, CBE, and Jacobs Senior Vice President and General Manager for Buildings & Infrastructure Europe Kate Kenny.

How do you build resilient healthcare that benefits patients, health carers and communities? It’s a complex challenge that requires a new approach, one that builds on lessons from the pandemic and introduces evidence-based design, tech-led innovation, cross-sector collaboration and hybrid skill sets. For this episode, host Arthur Jones interviews pioneers in these fields: Matthew Holmes, Global Director of Health Infrastructure at Jacobs, and Dr. Diana Anderson, Dochitect and healthcare principal at Jacobs.

The climate emergency is rapidly emerging as one of the biggest global challenges of our time. In response, many organizations have set ambitious sustainability commitments and become focused on doing business in a more responsible way. Organizations are increasingly looking to their employees to contribute. But if you’ve never worked in sustainability, then where do you begin? In this episode of If/When, Arthur Jones talks with three Jacobs teammates about their backgrounds in sustainability, how it has affected their careers and roles, and how every role within an organization can contribute to a more sustainable future.

In a world where climate change and ESG are becoming increasingly popular buzzwords and themes for Big Business, how can we ensure that companies truly "walk the talk" on sustainability by taking actions that deliver tangible, impactful results? On this episode of If/When, this question is tackled by Hollie Schmidt, Global Solutions Director of Sustainability, Resilience & Climate Response for the Americas Region at Jacobs, who shares what she's learned in her career around helping organizations move the needle on sustainability and how to avoid pitfalls in their efforts.

On this episode of If/When, Jilma Jiménez, Jacobs Vice President and Market Strategist of Global Program Management shares her insights on the factors putting pressure on supply chains today and the strategies that organizations can take to minimize their risks, as well as some examples of emerging technology useful in addressing supply chain challenges in the construction industry.

On this episode, Marc DeSchamp, Program Manager and a leader in the Transportation Decarbonization Practice at Jacobs, shared his insights on trends we’re seeing in green transportation, including some of the challenges that municipalities face when deploying a green transportation program, as well as the opportunities and technologies that are helping to make more sustainable and environmentally friendly public transportation a reality.

On this episode of If/When, Dr. Peggy Whitson, Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight, discusses the future of human spaceflight and the role that privatized, commercial endeavors will play to help us push the frontiers of human space exploration. Before joining Axiom Space, she enjoyed a storied 37-year career as a NASA astronaut and scientist. Among her accomplishments, Dr. Whitson was the first female commander of the ISS and has flown three long-duration missions to the ISS, has conducted 10 spacewalks and has spent more cumulative time in space than any woman in the world. Upon joining Axiom Space, she commanded the Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), becoming the first female commander of a commercial spaceflight mission to the ISS.

Forty-five years ago, a crew began working on a film with a modest budget, under the helm of a director making only his second picture and starring a cast of very talented and accomplished actors who were yet largely unknown. The filmmakers themselves acknowledge it was by all accounts a B movie, but by virtue of emotionally compelling performances, a well-crafted story and visuals that were out of this world, they created a stunning experience that literally exploded into a lasting cultural phenomenon. On this episode of If/When we sat down with two of the legendary cast members of ALIEN – Tom Skerritt, who played the role of Captain Dallas, and Veronica Cartwright, who played the ship’s navigator, Lambert.

On this episode of If/When we explored intelligent O+M with two experts from Jacobs - Dr. Jennifer Baldwin, Digital OneWater Strategic Growth Lead, and Joshua Registe, Data Scientist and Environmental Engineer. We discussed the concept of “One Water” and how digital tools enable greater support for water management facilities and professionals, as well as the positive environmental impacts that digitally enabled water operations can achieve.

On this episode of If/When we discussed the impact of generative AI, with a focus on the legal, creative and user experience impact of the technology. Our guests for this episode are Todd Marks, founder and CEO of Mindgrub Technologies, a digital experience agency, and Darrell Collett, associate general counsel for Jacobs. In his work at Mindgrub, Todd and his team use AI technology to enhance the digital solutions their agency provides to clients, while at Jacobs, Darrell studies and evaluates the intellectual property implications posed by generative AI.

How blockbuster films of today get made is an awe-inspiring mix of collaboration and a constant drive for process and technical innovation. On this episode of If/When, our guest is Todd Busch, first assistant editor at Marvel Studios. Todd’s career as a film editor and visual effects editor has spanned three decades and has seen him assigned to some of the most iconic film franchises in movie history, including films in the Star Wars, Spider-man, Terminator, and Fast and Furious franchises. He recently finished an assignment as the assistant film editor on Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, and he shares with us a behind the scenes look at the incredibly complex mechanism of teams and technology necessary to pull off these marvels of cinematic entertainment.

On this episode of If/When we discussed advancements in data science as deployed on behalf of transportation safety. Our guests are Sean Co, Director of Special Projects and Services at StreetLight, and Michael Brown, Data & Technology Director at Jacobs. They recently collaborated as part of a team that successfully brought to market a transportation data solution for one of the largest metropolitan planning organizations in the US. In this episode, they shared insights from that experience, as well as their thoughts on how organizations can integrate data solutions into their workflows, and what they see as the path forward for the future transportation data landscape.

On this episode of If/When, we explore data-driven intelligent asset management with Graceson Scariah, CNS&A Asset Lifecycle Management Lead, Airservices Australia, and Abhishek Singh, Director - Technology Convergence, Jacobs. During the discussion, they shared their thoughts on some of the top benefits that intelligent asset management can provide, as well as methods that organizations should consider when trying to deploy intelligent asset management in their operations.