Emma meets NASA’s Chief Programme Management Officer, Kevin Gilligan. Kevin explains how NASA delivers some of the world’s most ambitious programmes – from the historic Artemis voyage and a sustained presence on the moon to new propulsion technologies and commercial space partnerships. He shares how project management helps balance speed, rigour and risk, and why openness, resilience and learning from failure are vital when tackling missions that seem impossible.

To explore why influencing is such a vital skill for project professionals, Emma is joined by Emily Jackson, Jessy Morais and Precious Nwagboso to discuss how to build trust, secure buy-in and communicate effectively with stakeholders at every level. From reading the room and adapting your approach, to listening actively and building influence before you need it, the conversation offers practical advice for anyone looking to get better at bringing people with them. The guests also reflect on confidence, credibility and the role of relationship-building in successful project delivery.

Interested in attending APM’s Women in Project Management Conference 2026? Find out more here: apm.org.uk/apm-wipm-conference/

How do you start a project well when the real world is messy, teams form gradually and not everything is ready on day one? In this episode, Emma speaks to Lindsey Brown from the V&A, Kerry Daly from Balfour Beatty and Anita Suji from AECOM about project launches, kick-off meetings and building momentum. They discuss readiness checks, stakeholder alignment, psychological safety, team culture, optimism bias, roles, responsibilities and the human relationships that keep projects moving. Their advice: invest time up front, get the right people together and make expectations clear.

Want more? Read the Project magazine feature ‘How to start a project (brilliantly)’: https://www.apm.org.uk/blog/how-to-start-a-project-brilliantly/