Project managers from businesses across Furness are being invited to join a new group that will allow them to share best practice, improve their career development opportunities and enhance their project management skills.

The North West branch of the Association for Project Management (APM) is launching a Furness Group that will pull together skills from a range of different industries.

Its free-to-attend launch event on January 17 at Furness College will feature an address by Barrow-born Steve Livingstone, whose project management career has seen him leading on projects for companies as diverse as BNFL, BBC and Heathrow Airport.

Steve started his career as an apprentice in the Barrow Shipyard, before moving into the oil and gas industry via the South Morecambe Onshore Terminal.

He led the completion of the BG Armada Project in the North Sea through to hydrocarbon introduction and was operations manager in Atyrau, Kazakhstan.

Steve joined BNFL at Sellafield in 2003 as head of site services and subsequently took on a range of different roles.

He left in 2008 to join the BBC where he established the programme management arrangements for the move from White City to MediaCity, Salford Quays. He then worked at Heathrow Airport for five years, becoming the project director on the successfully delivered £2.5 billion Terminal 2 : The Queen’s Terminal major project.

That was followed by 18 months as the delivery director for Hinckley Point C, before returning to Sellafield Ltd as a board director accountable for projects delivery.

He now runs his own freelance advisory business, supporting executives in achieving project success.

Furness APM Chairman Ian Murray said: "Steve is an ideal speaker for our inaugural event; he's an inspirational figure with an excellent track record across a range of industries.

"Furness has a huge amount of project management expertise and the new Group will provide an opportunity for that expertise to be shared between professionals."

The Furness College event will take place from 6pm to 8pm on Thursday, January 17 and is also open to non-APM members.

Visit https://www.apm.org.uk/event/the-role-of-an-ex-shipyard-apprentice-in-the-delivery-of-global-infrastructure-projects-you-can-make-the-difference/ to register your interest.