Overview keynote speakers
Dinesh Patel, ARUP
Director at ARUP
With over 30 years’ experience of a diverse range of projects in the UK and overseas, Dinesh is considered an industry expert and thought leader in the field of geotechnical and soft ground engineering. He is also an expert on foundation reuse and carried out many projects where the reuse of foundations has resulted in beneficial impacts on Clients developments.
He has extensive experience of geotechnical design and construction of deep basements and foundations in the UK and overseas. This ranges from design and technical reviews to resolution of construction issues for schemes ranging from basements with varying wall types and support systems, rafts, piled rafts, settlement reducing rafts and suspended piled slab. The 25-30m deep basements at Claridge below a live operational Hotel and the development of the new Hotel Leicester Square epitomizes the excellence he brings to geotechnical engineering and perceived schemes once considered unimaginable.
Seth Pearlman, Menard USA
CEO at Menard
Seth Pearlman is the executive responsible for Menard Group North America. Working at board level he is responsible for over-seeing Menard operations for ground improvement and Site Investigation. The companies under his leadership include Menard US, Farrell Design Build of California, Menard Canada, and CONETEC (a leader in geotechnical site investigation and characterization).
Seth has been recognized through Board Certification in Geotechnical Engineering (Diplomate), received the Wallace Hayward Baker Award for innovation in ground improvement from ASCE in 2020 and the Henry Michel Award for Research in Industry at the ASCE OPAL awards in 2015. He has received awards from Carnegie-Mellon University, the CEE Department for Alumni Service and several Vinci and Soletanche-Freyssinet awards for innovative solutions.
Seth is a member of numerous engineering organizations and is the past president of the Deep Foundations Institute. He is an expert in both ground improvement and geo-structural applications.
