Peter brings 18 years of digital engineering experience across rail, highways, water, energy and aviation, including HS2 and Crossrail, as we expand our offer to help infrastructure clients turn data into better decisions.
We have appointed Peter Ruff as Digital Engineering Partner, with a remit to build and lead our digital engineering offer for infrastructure clients. Peter joins from Capgemini Invent, where he was a director leading capital projects and asset management, and will work as part of our Digital Engineering team alongside Brent Rees.
Peter’s experience spans rail, highways, water, energy and aviation, with clients including HS2, National Highways, Yorkshire Water, National Gas and Heathrow. That range lets him carry proven digital approaches from one sector into another, so our clients benefit from best practice cross sectors.
Digital delivery at national scale
Peter has spent his career making digital engineering work in the real world, moving it from a modelling exercise to the way major programmes are planned, built and assured. As Head of BIM for SCS Railways on HS2 Main Works, he led a 35-strong specialist team and designed the digital delivery system used by more than 200 subcontractors and 3,000 users. The work was recognised with Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure award in 2018 and the ESRI Customer Success Award in 2019.
He went on to become Group Head of BIM and Digital Engineering at Costain, where he advised clients in transport, water, energy and defence. His work there included the digital PMO and data architecture for the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine scheme, digital strategy and implementation at Yorkshire Water and digital strategy for the Houses of Parliament’s Restoration and Renewal programme. At Capgemini Invent he led bids and advisory work for utilities and government, helping regulated organisations modernise how they manage information and assets.
Helping infrastructure clients transform
Infrastructure owners and delivery partners face a familiar set of pressures: ageing asset bases, rising delivery costs, carbon targets and growing expectations for transparency. Many have invested in digital tools but not yet seen the return. Peter’s focus is on closing that gap, helping clients treat data as a strategic asset across the whole life of a project, from business case and design through construction to operation.
Under his leadership, he will support infrastructure clients with:
- Advice on digital strategy and information management, helping clients set the standards, governance and data foundations that make large programmes more predictable.
- Deploy and optimise common data environments and digital PMO tools, giving programme teams a single, trusted view of progress, cost and risk.
- Connect models to cost, carbon and planning, using 4D and 5D approaches so clients can test options and manage risk before they reach site.
- Extend into data analytics, digital twins and geospatial services, using automation
One joined-up infrastructure offer
Peter’s appointment is the latest step in our growth in the sector. Steve Williams joined as Head of Infrastructure in April, with data and digital integration among his priorities, and Graham Sant joined earlier this month to lead engineering and environmental infrastructure services. Together with the acquisitions of Adept Management, Jubb and HUB, they have strengthened our programme management, engineering and planning expertise.
Peter adds the digital layer. He will work closely with Steve and Graham, with Bobby Brown, Head of Water, and with John Steele, Partner from Adept Management, to bring digital engineering into our advice from the earliest stages of a project, rather than adding it later. The result is a more joined-up offer that connects design, cost, carbon, programme and information, so clients can see the full picture sooner and act on it with greater confidence.
Infrastructure clients are being asked to deliver more, with greater scrutiny on cost, carbon and risk. Digital transformation is how they respond, but only if the data is trusted, connected and used to make real decisions. Our multidisciplinary team and independent voice put us in a strong position to help clients do that, from the first business case to the operating asset. I’m looking forward to building a practice that makes digital central to how infrastructure gets delivered.”
Peter Ruff
Partner, Digital Engineering
‘Peter has shown how digital engineering can reduce cost and carbon on some of the UK’s biggest projects, and he has the vision to build something lasting here. His arrival expands what we can offer across infrastructure and sits alongside the leadership Steve and Graham bring to the sector. We’re delighted to welcome him.’
Brent Rees, Partner and Digital Engineering Lead
Let's talk
To discuss how digital engineering can support your infrastructure programme, contact Peter at peterruff@ridge.co.uk.
