Bricks & Bytes Bulletin
INTELLIGENCE FOR CONSTRUCTION LEADERS

June In 2026

As Europe bakes in one of the most intense heatwaves i’ve experienced, June was a month of continued intensity, continued growth and exciting content, and a chance to step away from the desk and get some true R & R (rest and relaxation).

Highlights of the month

  • Our second ever in-person Fireside Chat

  • On stage at Paris Summit

  • A much needed break

  • CEO discussions

  • + more that I didn’t get to write about here (safety tech report, new video)

Fireside chat with Chetan Kotur – Head of Technology and Innovation at Laing O’Rourke

On 03rd June, we hosted our second live fireside chat. Approx 75 people in London came together to hear how one of the leading UK Contractors is changing the game. At the bottom of this excerpt is a preview for the talk.

In the meantime, here’s some of my thoughts:

I don’t mind being open about what it feels like to host these things. I admire speakers and I often wonder if they are nervous when they are speaking in front of lots of people. From my own experience, I always get a sense of deep anxiety when doing these things. It’s not easy.

People are giving up their time to watch you “perform” and you want to make sure things fulfil their expectations. I admit, I was very nervous. But I also notice the nerves becoming less intense as we do these more. In fact, I draw parallels with the first ever podcasts we recorded. It was terrifying! But now, I have never felt more relaxed. I am looking forward to the day where public speaking feels the same way in front of a live crowd :).

Full talk coming soon. Preview for now: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/owen-drury_a-room-full-of-the-industrys-most-influential-activity-7468265104371810315-FEX2/ 

Live From Paris

We headed over to Paris for the second time in as many weeks to sit down with Leonard (The innovation department of Vinci). This was part of our live-stream series where we effectively attempt to replicate a sports-style recurring podcast with key attendees.

It’s a brilliant format. In around 3.5hrs you can get 10-15 or so 15 minute conversations., exploring a wide range of subjects with a wide range of people. More of these to come.

We also threw a fun challenge. Guess mine and Martin’s age and win a hat. No one won. (skip to the end if you want the answer :P): https://youtube.com/live/u-Axl2jlvJc

And if you want to go deeper, you can consume these articles to learn more:

A much-needed break

If you’ve touched based with me over the last few weeks you will have almost certainly been told that I had my first break away from the desk for over 7 months (a record for me, and one im not proud of). In amongst that, one of the most intense periods of growth for Bricks & Bytes and a newborn.

I managed to take the family on a short car ride to the South coast of England, which to my delight is a beautiful part of the earth with ancient pubs, cliff-side walks and tons of fun stuff for the kiddos.

I love stepping away from the desk. You’re able to zoom out and question a lot of things. A lot of great ideas, clarity and breakthroughs happen when you step away and let your brain breathe.

Well, it was exactly what the doctor ordered. Here’s a photo on the morning of England’s first world up game… come on England!

Interview with Rob Painter, CEO Trimble

Mid-June we shot an episode with Rob Painter (if you follow us you will know). I wont go over what he said, you can watch the full thing below. But I will share some of the experience of speaking with one of the greatest in the industry.

First, job titles aside, there is a reason these people are the leaders of their companies. There is something very unique about speaking to the best in the business. To me, it comes down to clarity of their own thoughts and then articulating those thoughts very eloquently.

People say the key role of a CEO is to tell stories; sell the vision, culture, purpose etc of the company to your employees, shareholders and everyone else. So it’s no wonder these episodes are hugely successful for Bricks & Bytes.

Second, getting these people on Bricks & Bytes is not easy. My guess is that it takes 3-4x the effort than any other guest. You have to sell the idea. You need to get through the various gatekeepers. You need to align on expectations and converstaion. And then yuo have to schedule.

It’s difficult and resource consuming. But the rewards pay off. For me, these interviews should be the bar for Bricks & Bytes moving forward and I hope we can continue that,

Inside Bricks & Bytes

On the inside, things honestly continue their upward momentum. We’re experiencing record viewership, record subscriber growth, increased revenues and increasingly good content. As we truly ride this wave, I often wonder if we can maintain it. and if we can, how do we do it.

On the people front, we’ve been on the hunt for an operations manager / chief of staff style role. We’ve been taking our time to find the right hire and I hope to have news soon.

Every quarter we set ourselves some small goals. I can’t say that we’ve hit every goal. But we’ve almost certainly hit the ones that matter over the last two quarters.

The second half of the year is upon us and here’s to making sure the second half was as good as the first!

July Preview

Nothing out of the ordinary here. Except in the third week of July, we will be heading to Proto Town in Austin, Texas. You will all soon learn why. But let me just tell you, it involves big machines and autonomy and a new documentary… watch this space.

Thanks for reading.

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