Tooling up

Digital mindsets & skills to power up infrastructure delivery

Louisa Finaly

_{Chief Operating Officer}
_{Kier Group}

Also on this panel:

Kay Mulcahy

_{Associate Director of National Estates Operations,}
_{NHS England}

Amman Boughan

_CEO,
_Pagabo

Sarah Bazan

_{Digital Infrastructure Lead,}
_{West Sussex County Council}

Jake Drummond

_{Deputy Government Head of Property}
_{Cabinet Office}

Anthony Oliver

_{The Infrastructure Podcast}

Quick read

The main barrier to digital delivery is no longer technology, but confidence, consistency and leadership mindset.
Measuring success by the number of tools deployed is misleading; adoption, data quality and outcomes provide a more accurate picture of progress.
Fragmentation remains a risk, with organisations often duplicating platforms rather than fully embedding what they already have.
Skills challenges are as much about baseline digital literacy and data governance as they are about advanced analytics or AI capability.
Digital infrastructure, including connectivity and power, underpins delivery and must be treated as essential rather than optional.

This session focused on a practical question for the sector: what does it take to translate digital ambition into day‑to‑day delivery? Building on wider discussions at UKREiiF around strategy and long‑term planning, the conversation moved quickly to the realities of implementation.

A consistent theme was that the tools largely already exist. The challenge is not access to technology, but how confidently and consistently it is used. Across both public and private sectors, digital capability is present but unevenly applied, often limited by user confidence, competing systems and inconsistent data.

Amman Boughan described how success is still too often measured by what has been purchased rather than what is being used.

Adoption and engagement are the clearest measures of whether digital is working.

Amman Boughan - Pagabo

The discussion returned repeatedly to the question of focus.

Not more tools. Better use of tools.

Louisa Finlay highlighted fragmentation as a persistent issue, with organisations layering new systems without fully embedding them. The result is complexity rather than productivity, with teams moving between platforms but not always gaining value from them.

The challenge isn’t having the tools - it’s using them consistently and with purpose.

Louisa Finlay, Kier Group

Data quality sat at the centre of this. Without consistent, reliable data, digital systems add limited value and can undermine confidence in decision‑making. Kay Mulcahy reflected on the scale of information held across the NHS estate, but also the difficulty of using it effectively where collection and interpretation vary.

In practice, progress is shaped as much by mindset as it is by systems. Confidence to use tools, clarity on what they are there to achieve, and leadership that enables teams to test and learn were all identified as critical. Jake Drummond noted that hesitation, particularly among non‑digital natives, can slow progress more than any technical limitation, reinforcing the role of leadership in creating the right environment for change.

^{A delegate explored some of Kier's digital expertise.}

The role of digital infrastructure was also a consistent thread. Sarah Bazan highlighted the importance of connectivity in enabling both public services and wider economic growth. Without reliable fibre, mobile coverage and power, digital tools simply do not function as intended, particularly across dispersed sites and regional projects.

Digital infrastructure underpins everything from service delivery to economic growth.

Sarah Bazan, West Sussex County Council

The conversation also addressed the growing focus on artificial intelligence. The panel took a measured view, positioning AI as a tool to support productivity rather than replace decision‑making. Its value lies in speeding up tasks such as information retrieval and analysis, but only where data is clean and governance is clear.

Skills were discussed in similarly practical terms. The challenge extends beyond specialist roles to the wider workforce, where improving baseline digital literacy, data understanding and confidence in everyday tools are immediate priorities.

Kay Mulcahy also pointed to longer‑term workforce pressures, including the ageing profile of estates teams and the need to attract new entrants. Digital capability, modern tools and clearer career pathways will be important in making infrastructure roles relevant and accessible to the next generation.

The session closed with a focus on collaboration. While progress is being made, fragmentation remains a risk where organisations develop systems independently. Greater alignment around data standards, interoperability and shared approaches was seen as essential if digital is to support delivery across interconnected infrastructure systems.

_{^{Illustrated highlight from the panel discussion - by}}_{^{David Lewis}}

After the panel session Louisa sat down with The Infrastructure Podcast to talk more about the digital mindset and skills needed to power up infrastructure delivery. Click here to listen to the full podcast.

Key take-aways

Digital transformation is a leadership challenge: Confidence, clarity and consistency now matter more than access to technology.
Adoption is the real measure of success: Usage, data quality and outcomes provide a more accurate reflection of progress than tools alone.
Fragmentation limits value: Embedding and aligning existing systems will unlock more productivity than introducing new ones.
Skills need to broaden: Baseline digital literacy and data confidence are as important as specialist capability.
Infrastructure underpins transformation: Reliable connectivity, power and data systems are essential foundations for digital delivery.

_{^{Our Digital hub}}