Registration & Networking

Welcome & Opening Remarks

UK Construction's Strategic Crossroads: Doing More with Less

Is the UK construction sector at an inflection point? Margin pressure continues, productivity is stuck, talent is in demand, the supply chain is volatile; and insolvency risk is still relatively high — could the sector’s maturing approach to technology and data be a driver of strategic change to ease these pressures. This opening session sets the strategic context for the day, making an assessment of where the sector stands and, drawing on lessons from the US market, where it can go next. We explore how construction-native technology and connected data move companies from firefighting to foresight, And what is truly takes to turn ambition into momentum.

Surety is Changing - Is Your Strategy?

Billions of pounds have simply vanished from the market - leaving clients exposed, supply chains destabilised, and growing concern in the industry. The role of surety moves beyond a formality to a meaningful business indicator. This session gives a frank and practical view of the current landscape and how you can positively navigate this as a strategic relationship.

The Morning Review

Networking Coffee Break

Start the day on the right note with a dedicated networking coffee break - take the opportunity to connect with peers, digest the content & meet our sponsors.

Stabilising Construction Businesses Beyond Finance

Surviving a difficult period is one thing, but building a business that never returns to that place is another challenge entirely. For many of us, the last few years have been defined by crisis management - survival mode. This goes beyond financial pressure; it fragments teams, erodes trust, and creates governance gaps that can quietly grow into future problems. This is for those who are out of survival mode but are asking the harder questions: How do we never come back?

What Your Business Needs Before Technology Can Deliver

Construction continues to lag on industry level technological advances, but someday argue that there aren't many platforms specific to the industry & challenges. We all know the offers and features, but there still seems to be a disconnect between the true value and the need for it. In this session, we'll discuss the realities of finding the right tech for you and your business, alongside the business requirements that need to be in place for the tech to come in - it's a two way street.

Beyond the Chatbot: What Changed in 2026 and What CFOs Should Actually Do About It

Most finance leaders have used ChatGPT. Far fewer have a clear picture of what changed this year to make AI meaningfully different from the consumer tools they already know. This session cuts through the noise, Vivek, draws a clear line between the consumer AI tools most of us have already used and the agentic AI now operating inside mid-to-large contractors — reading invoices, maintaining live cost-value positions, and answering the CFO's questions directly from transactional data. No jargon. No roadmap promises. Just a plain-English account of what's running today, what it changes, and how to think about the numbers without falling into the efficiency trap.

The Afternoon Review

Lunch

Enjoy a curated lunch break while making further connections for you and your business.

Beyond the Balance Sheet: Building Trust, Credibility & Investment Confidence

In construction, credibility is currency - and the businesses that survive aren't just the ones that fix their numbers, but the ones that win back the trust of the people they work with. This session brings together two perspectives on what the real world looks like in practice: a lender who sits inside dozens of construction businesses, and a developer who has lived through the scrutiny of raising capital, while managing the investor relationship at scale. Join this session to hear the breakdown of what banks, lenders and clients are genuinely looking for beyond the numbers.

What CFO's Can't Afford to Get Wrong: Joint & Several Liability

IR35 isn't just a tax issue - it's a business risk hiding in plain sight. The stakes have never been higher, with misclassification leading to liability throughout your workforce, projects, and even reputation. In this session, we will cut through the complexity of this to examine the real liability facing businesses with contractor reclassification changes.

Networking Coffee Break

Refresh your day with your last coffee break.

Scaling Without Breaking

Scaling at the wrong moment, or in the wrong way, doesn't just slow down business but could break it entirely. Growth can happen in many ways before it's externally seen to the industry. This session is for those looking for the "green flags" and understanding if you truly are ready for scaling.

The Must Do's for the Next 12 Months

The pressures on Construction finance professionals aren't letting up — regulatory change, workforce instability, project risk, and rising costs have all been front and centre today. Now it's your chance to go further. This open Q&A session invites you to put your questions directly to our speaker and dig deeper into the roadmap for the next twelve months. Whether you want to challenge an idea, explore a specific pressure point, or get practical on next steps — this is the room to do it.

Closing Remarks

Join us as we wrap the day with final remarks from Andrew Curtin, Founder of Construction Wave.

Networking Drinks

Join us for a drink as you connect further with our industry peers.