The British Geotechnical Association (BGA) is pleased to announce that Tony Suckling has received the 2026 John Mitchell Award. He will give the BGA John Mitchell Lecture at the ICE in London in January 2027.
The John Mitchell Award is presented annually by the ICE, based on a nomination from the BGA, for significant contributions in the field of geotechnical engineering. The award was instituted in 2008 in memory of the prominent geotechnical engineer John Mitchell of Arup, who was killed while observing piling works at a central London site in 1990.
The award criteria considered by the BGA include the following:
- In reflection of John Mitchell’s career, selection will favour practical applications of up to date geotechnical concepts or models (rather than advanced theoretical academic practice).
- The BGA will consider individuals, like John, who in the course of their careers via incremental works have made significant contribution to geotechnical practice.
- Notwithstanding the above, the BGA will in addition consider any contemporary practitioner who has instigated a major advance in the geotechnical field, thus opening the award up to the innovative, regardless of age or incremental contribution count.
Tony Suckling graduated for the University of Birmingham in 1986 after a period working in industry, he completed a postgraduate qualification at the City University in 1997.
Tony is the Co‑Founder and Director at A-squared Studio (A2 Site Investigation, A2 Advanced Monitoring, A2 Maritime and Danu Underground Solutions) after having worked for Cementation Skanska, Amec, Stent and Arup before joining Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering as a technical director in 2010.
Tony is a highly respected and influential UK geotechnical consultant whose career exemplifies the practical, innovative, and problem‑led engineering philosophy at the heart of the John Mitchell Lecture. He has over 35 years of professional experience across a wide variety of major and complex geotechnical projects, primarily in the UK but also internationally. As such his interests align with those of the late John Mitchell.
Tony is well-known for delivering high‑value ground engineering expertise across site investigation, deep substructure design, advanced geotechnical monitoring, and strategic ground risk management. He is a passionate advocate for our industry to adopt a more integrated and forward‑looking approach to substructures, emphasising the role of instrumentation and monitoring in enabling adaptability, reuse, and carbon‑efficient foundation strategies. Through his thought leadership in intelligent geotechnical design, Tony keeps on challenging the profession to confront long‑standing fragmentation, reconsider assumptions about project lifecycle value, and adopt more data‑driven, carbon‑aware engineering practices.
Tony is a worthy winner of the John Mitchell Award and we look forward to his award-winning presentation!
