Local authority leaders and climate adaptation experts are set to join LCRIG’s upcoming webinar exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) could transform the way we monitor, predict, and respond to severe weather events.

Delivered by LCRIG, in collaboration with Colas, sponsor of the forthcoming AI Mini-Guide focused on Severe Weather – the AI Applications for Severe Weather Management online webinar will take place on Tuesday, 4 November 2025 at 11am, with the impressive speaker list as follows:

Carol Valentine – Highways Drainage Manager, Kent County Council

Carol is an experienced local government manager at Kent County Council (KCC), with expertise in change management, diversity, economic development, and highways. She currently works in Highways and Transportation, overseeing operational delivery in areas such as winter service, maintenance, and drainage.

Carol leads on digital, technology, and innovation for KCC Highways and the Growth and Environment directorate. As Chair of the National Winter Research Group, she brings over a decade of operational experience in winter service, has led NWSRG communications, and contributed to national Best Practice guidance. She remains committed to advancing winter service research and development across the UK.

Jon Munslow – UKRLG Adaptation, Biodiversity and Climate Resilience Board Member

Chair of the UKRLG Climate Adaptation Sub Board, Jon has over 37 years’ experience in local government, leading teams in highways, transportation, and asset management. Through his consultancy, Viasulis, and as a UK representative on the PIARC World Road Association, Jon has been involved in several asset management and resilience tools and continues to drive innovation in climate resilience.

Ricky Beecroft, Programme and Project Manager, Colas

Ricky leads the Wessex Live Lab, driving innovation in local roads, and is spearheading an AI pilot within Colas’ UK business to introduce Copilot Pro. This work is blending digital transformation with practical delivery to shape smarter, more sustainable infrastructure solutions.

Rauno Kuusela, Senior R&D Project Engineer, Destia

Rauno specialises in winter maintenance methods, equipment and road weather information systems. His work includes developing Road Weather Cameras and AI-systems for better road status information management.

Dr Avinoam Baruch, Co-Founder, Previsico

Avi co-founded Previsico, a global provider of real-time, property level flood forecasting and monitoring solutions. In 2018, Avi completed his PhD at Loughborough and together with his supervisor Prof. Dapeng Yu, launched Previsico as a spin-out company to transform an innovative flood forecasting system into a global solution to reduce the cost of flooding.

Key Discussion Topics

Our expert panel will discuss:

• Impact of severe weather on local roads – A local authority perspective
• Opportunities and benefits for AI in severe weather
• Challenges to adoption
• Where AI is already being adopted:
  • Automated detection and alert systems
  • Predictive models for flood forecasting, monitoring and risk mitigation

Register for the webinar HERE.

(Pics: LCRIG)