Conference Speakers and Schedule

Now in its 16th year, the World Demolition Summit (WDS) is returning to Europe with an array of exclusive, in-depth presentations for demolition industry professionals.

Delegates at the 2023 World Demolition Summit in Toronto.

PHOTO: DRI

Taking place in Stockholm, Sweden, on the 6 and 7 of November, this year’s WDS will see experts from leading contractors take to the stage to provide insight into both the key issues affecting our industry, and some of the most remarkable and challenging projects carried out around the world.

Run in partnership with the European Demolition Association, in association with the US National Demolition Association and with the support of both the UK National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC) and the Swedish demolition association, Branschorganisationen för byggnadsberedning (BFB), WDS 2024 is set, once again, to be the most useful and important industry event of the year. And here is our lineup of the industry experts who will be helping us to bring it all together.

SPEAKERS &PRESENTATIONS

PHOTO: SKANSKA

ENHANCING CIRCULARITY THROUGH STRATEGIC DEMOLITION PRACTICES

BARBRO BRATTSTRÖM GRUJOVIC

BUSINESS DEVELOPER, SKANSKA

A trained engineer, Barbro has vast experience in waste management in both the residential and commercial sectors.

She is responsible for moving Skanska’s business towards circularity, and specialises in creating opportunities for Skanska’s operations by managing various innovation projects, including the Skanska ReSources initiative.

Skanska Resources recycles and reuses materials, such as asphalt, concrete, gravel and aggregate from the contractor’s project sites.

PHOTO: COLEMANS

MODERN THINKING

MARK COLEMAN

CEO, COLEMANS

Mark Coleman is a globally recognised and award-winning specialist in engineered deconstruction, demolition and remediation services.

He has worked at Colemans, which was founded by his grandparents in 1962, for more than 30 years. Under his leadership, Colemans has undertaken some of the United Kingdom’s most challenging projects. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), a member of the Institute of Demolition Engineers and an associate of the Institute of Explosive Engineers.

PHOTO: THORNTON TOMASETTI

MANAGING SAFET Y AND REDUCING RISKS IN POWER PL ANT DEMOLITIONS

MAHESH BAILAKANAVAR

VICE PRESIDENT OF APPLIED SCIENCE PRACTICES, THORNTON TOMASETTI

An expert in both mechanical and aerospace engineering with an engineering mechanics doctorate from Columbia University, Mahesh manages a diverse portfolio of projects in the field of engineering risk and safety management.

These include demolition/ decommissioning of infrastructure, power plants and industrial facilities, forensic investigations, emergency response, and the integration of artificial intelligence & machine learning technologies for engineering.

PHOTO: EUROPEAN ASBESTOS FORUM

A CRITICAL LOOK AT THE NEW EU ASBESTOS AT WORK DIRECTIVE

DR YVONNE WATERMAN

FOUNDER, EUROPEAN ASBESTOS FORUM

Well-known in the global asbestos industry, Yvonne is the head of Waterman Legal Consultancy, which offers legal advice on asbestos and other cutting-edge liabilities.

Yvonne's interest in asbestos started when she began researching her comparative PhD on employer’s liability law for occupational accidents and diseases, and has led her to become a leading expert in the field.

PHOTO: AKER SOLUTIONS

THE GYDA RECYCLING PROJECT

BENGT BORGEN HILDISCH

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF DECOMMISSIONING, AKER SOLUTIONS

Bengt has over 15 years of decommissioning experience and prior to his current role he served as President of AF Offshore Decom for 13 years. Under his leadership, AF Offshore Decom successfully removed and recycled a total of 400,000 tonnes of oil and gas installations. Over the years Bengt has played an important role in transforming the company's Vats environmental yard into one of Europe’s most modern decommissioning sites.

PHOTO: COWI

THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE NEW LAW ON SELECTIVE DEMOLITION

HENRIK BONNESEN

PROJECT DIRECTOR, COWI

JAN ROHDE

DIRECTOR AND FOUNDER, GREENDOZER

With more than 25 years’ experience as a consultant within the field of environment and handling demolition projects, Henrik has extensive experience related to building contamination and the handling of demolition materials. His experience ranges from mapping building contamination and preparing tenders for remediation, to developing strategies for the reuse of materials and devising methods for carrying out demolition works.

He has served as a special inspector for the Danish Demolition Association since 2004. Jan Rohde is an electrician with a technical background as an electrical power engineer. He spent the majority of his career in the wholesale industry before founding GreenDozer – an online platform for professional suppliers and buyers of reused construction materials, in 2017.

By bringing together as many participants as possible, GreenDozer increases supply and supports demand for reused building materials, aiming to make purchasing and using reused materials as easy as new ones.

PHOTO: GREENDOZER

TO BE ANNOUNCED

NUCLEAR RESTORATION SERVICES

Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS), formerly known as Magnox, is a stateowned decommissioning company in the UK. It is responsible for decommissioning the UK’s first-generation of nuclear sites at Berkeley, Bradwell, Chapelcross, Dounreay, Dungeness A, Harwell, Hinkley Point A, Hunterston A, Oldbury, Sizewell A, Trawsfynydd, Winfrith and Wylfa.

PHOTO: TOTAL WRECKING

FOUNDATIONS OF LEADERSHIP AND LESSONS LEARNED IN DEMOLITION

FRANK BODAMI

OWNER, TOTAL WRECKING AND ENVIRONMENTAL

With 42 years of demolition and environmental remediation experience, Frank founded and owns Total Wrecking & Environmental with his wife and business partner, Sandy Bodami.

Frank is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day activities of Total Wrecking, and is hands-on in all aspects including production, equipment purchasing, project management, environmental management, and personnel supervision.

He is an active participant on all job sites where he assists with estimating, negotiating, troubleshooting, and providing clients with a high degree of owner accessibility and accountability, resulting in years of lessons learned and knowledge to teach and share. Frank has also contributed to the National Demolition Association by serving as a member on the Board of Directors for 10 years, as a chair of the both the Risk Management and Government Affairs committees, and as a member of the Safety Committee.