Industrial AI & Structural Integrity | Global

I solve the problems
that cost you most
when they go wrong

Over 20 years, I have run commercial technology businesses, led industrial innovation programmes, and taken more than thirty technologies from prototype to industrial deployment. I give industrial operators, deep-tech investors, and technology companies the senior technical expertise to make hard decisions with confidence across inspection, AI-driven manufacturing, structural integrity, and autonomous systems.

How I Work With Clients Talk to Me Directly
£150M
Research hub directed at NSIRC, sponsored by BP and Lloyd's Register Foundation
£10M
Industrial innovation centre set up and directed, funded by Saudi Aramco and ADNOC
£1M
New revenue from cloud RBI/NDT platform deployed across 5 countries in year one
40%
Cost reduction on Teletest MK4 guided wave system. Frost & Sullivan Award winner
66%
Overhead reduction at TWI Certification Ltd operational transformation
30+
Technologies commercialised from prototype to industrial deployment
Live Programmes
Innovate UK: Digi-HSMC & SMART-HEAT PRO European Commission: CleanMat & CONNECT-EU

The advisor you bring in when the stakes are too high to get it wrong. I sit at the intersection of deep technical capability, commercial delivery, and global industrial networks. That combination is rare. I work with a small number of clients where I can make a genuine difference.

Start a Conversation
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When your inspection programme costs too much and delivers too little I redesign it around actual risk, reducing cost while strengthening the integrity case. Applied across oil and gas, nuclear, marine, and power generation globally.
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When your industrial AI works in the lab but fails in the field I build physics-informed systems that encode domain knowledge from the start: models that operators trust and regulators can audit.
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When your technology is proven but stuck between prototype and market I have closed that gap more than thirty times. I know what it costs, how long it takes, and what actually makes the difference.
Tat-Hean Gan
Tat-Hean Gan CEng, IntPE(UK)
Applied Research Director, BCAST, Brunel University London
Chair of Structural Integrity · Founder, Baguda.AI
Education
Chief Strategy Officer, INSEAD France, 2025
Education
Start-up Funding, University of Cambridge, 2022
PhD and MBA
PhD Engineering, Warwick · MBA International Business, Birmingham
Award
BINDT Condition Monitoring Innovation and Frost & Sullivan Awards
Who I Am

Not a consultant. A commercial partner with over twenty years of skin in the game.

I started at TWI as an engineer. I left as Group Director of a £30m business unit covering the UK, Europe, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and China. That arc matters because it means I understand what commercial delivery actually requires, not in theory, but from running a large team, managing P&L, and being accountable for results that customers paid for.

The Teletest MK4 guided wave system. A cloud-based RBI and NDT platform generating £1m in first-year revenue across five countries. Twelve innovation centres operational across the UK and Europe. Sixty-six percent overhead reduction at TWI Certification while simultaneously growing market share by thirty percent. These are the outcomes I measure my career by. Not publications. Not grant totals.

My current focus is the commercial application of physics-informed AI to manufacturing and inspection, where the science is now mature enough to deploy but most organisations lack the integration capability to make it work. Through BCAST at Brunel and four active government-funded programmes running now, I am building that capability in real industrial environments.

I advise a small number of companies and investors each year where I can add genuine value, not as a figurehead, but as the person in the room who has done it before. If you are working at the edge of what is technically possible in inspection, integrity, or intelligent manufacturing, I want to hear from you.

Delivered Outcomes

What the work has actually produced

Every number below is a real outcome from a real engagement. No estimates, no projections, no research metrics dressed up as commercial results.

£1M
Cloud-Based RBI and NDT SaaS Platform: Five-Country Launch
TWI had the technical capability. The gap was architecture, commercial model, and deployment strategy across markets with different regulatory environments. I led development and launch of an integrated cloud-based risk-based inspection and NDT platform, deploying it across Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and South Africa. The result was £1m in additional revenue within twelve months of launch, in markets where the product had not previously existed.
TWI Ltd · Group Director · 2023–2024
40%
Teletest MK4 Guided Wave Inspection System
Led development of the MK4 system delivering a 40% cost reduction and 20% faster route to market. Generated £1m in annual savings for Plant Integrity Ltd and improved inspection efficiency by 25%. Won the Frost & Sullivan Award for Best Guided Wave Pipeline Inspection Product, the most recognised commercial accolade in the sector.
Frost & Sullivan Award · TWI Ltd · Associate Director
66%
TWI Certification Ltd: Full Operational Transformation
As COO, reduced overhead costs by 66% through systematic process and operational redesign. Simultaneously cut certification turnaround time by 50% and drove a 30% increase in market share. All three metrics improved concurrently, not one at the expense of another.
TWI Certification Ltd · Chief Operating Officer · 2021–2022
25%
SMARTHEAT: Machine Learning for Industrial Heat Treatment
Pioneered integration of machine learning into industrial heat treatment for High Shear Melt Conditioning. The SMARTHEAT software delivered a 25% cost reduction in HSMC product development while improving predictive accuracy and process consistency for aerospace and automotive applications. Supported the commercial strategy and secured over £500k in new contracts.
Zyomax Ltd · Technical Advisor · 2024–2026
£40M+
Research Funding Portfolio at Brunel Innovation Centre
Secured over £40m in competitive research funding across NDT, condition monitoring, and structural health monitoring, through Innovate UK, EPSRC, European Commission, and direct industrial programmes. More than 30 technologies reached industrial deployment from this portfolio. The capability built has directly supported the commercial advisory practice.
Brunel Innovation Centre · Director · 2009–2024
3
NeuWave Robotics: Autonomous Inspection Market Entry
Guided the launch of three robotic solutions for ship hull cleaning, anti-corrosion treatment and NDT inspection. Structured and closed two strategic licensing agreements within the first year, establishing the commercial framework for international expansion.
NeuWave Robotics Ltd · Consultant · 2024–2026
12
Innovation Centre Network: Twelve Centres Across the UK and Europe
Built and operated twelve dedicated innovation centres in partnership with eleven universities across the UK and Europe. Each centre was purpose-built around a specific industrial challenge: harsh-environment sensing, robotic inspection, high-temperature monitoring, and digital integrity management. The network connected thousands of organisations and created a direct commercial pipeline from university research to industrial deployment.
NSIRC · Brunel Innovation Centre · TWI Ltd · 2014–2024
£10M
Non-Metallic Innovation Centre: Saudi Aramco and ADNOC Programme
Led a £10m innovation programme with Saudi Aramco and ADNOC as principal sponsors, advancing non-metallic materials and inspection technology for oil and gas applications. Delivered three strategic initiatives across materials development, advanced inspection methods, and fitness-for-service assessment. The Foresight review of non-metallic materials, produced with over thirty industrial players, was formally integrated into IIW Commission XVI, directly shaping international inspection and assessment standards.
Non-Metallic Innovation Centre · TWI Ltd · Centre Director · 2018–2019
How I Work

Six engagement types. All personally delivered.

I do not run a large consultancy. Every engagement is led by me directly. That means senior expertise applied to your specific problem, not delegated to a junior team.

01 · INSPECTION STRATEGY
Asset Integrity & Inspection Programme Design
Independent redesign of inspection programmes that cost too much or deliver unreliable results. Risk-based inspection planning, fitness-for-service assessment, technology selection for specific asset and environment conditions. Grounded in API 580/581, BS 7910, BS 7608, and ASME. Applied across pipelines, offshore structures, pressure vessels, storage tanks, rotating machinery, and wind turbines.
Right forAsset owners, operators, and engineering firms with ageing infrastructure, regulatory pressure, or inspection budgets that need to work harder
02 · NUCLEAR & SMR
Nuclear Technical Advisory & SMR Market Entry
Independent technical advisory for organisations entering or operating in the nuclear sector. The hard questions in nuclear are rarely purely technical. I help organisations navigate inspection qualification, structural integrity for novel materials, supply chain capability assessment, and regulatory engagement. Particularly relevant for SMR developers working through first-of-a-kind challenges where there is no established playbook.
Right forSMR developers, nuclear operators, supply chain entrants, and investors taking positions in the nuclear sector
03 · INDUSTRIAL AI
Physics-Informed AI: From Concept to Deployed System
Most industrial AI fails at the physics boundary. I build and validate systems that embed domain knowledge from the start, producing models that generalise to real operating conditions rather than controlled datasets. Applied across melt quality management, heat treatment optimisation, automated defect classification, predictive maintenance, and process monitoring. Validated through four live government-funded programmes running in parallel with advisory work.
Right forManufacturers, process industries, and technology companies building AI products that need to work in real industrial conditions
04 · ROBOTICS & AUTONOMY
Inspection Robotics: Technical Advisory & Board Roles
Board-level, NED, and direct technical advisory for companies and investors in the autonomous inspection sector. Independent technical credibility for investment due diligence, product development direction, commercial strategy, and market positioning. I have developed and deployed autonomous inspection platforms for offshore structures, ship hulls, storage tanks, and wind turbines. I understand where the technology actually is, not where the marketing says it is.
Right forInvestors, boards, and technology developers who need honest technical assessment of where autonomous inspection capability genuinely stands
05 · EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
Senior Practitioner Programmes, In-Company and Open
Built for technical directors and senior engineers who already know their field and need to understand what is genuinely changing at the frontier. Three programmes: AI-driven inspection strategy, structural integrity for hydrogen infrastructure, and autonomous inspection as a board-level decision. Delivered in-company or as open cohorts.

The training background runs deep. I enhanced the Welding Training programme at TWI, established ISO 17024-compliant training and certification schemes, and modernised TWI's global welding training by introducing augmented reality welding simulation, replacing traditional classroom methods with immersive, measurable, and scalable technology. These are not credentials listed for completeness. They shaped how I think about closing the gap between knowing something and being able to deploy it.
Right forTechnical directors, asset management leadership, and senior engineers in oil and gas, energy, nuclear, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing
06 · INNOVATION FUNDING
Innovation Funding, M&A Due Diligence & Manufacturing Supply Chain
I have secured over £40m in competitive innovation funding and been on both sides of the evaluation table. I help engineering and technology SMEs shape technically credible propositions and navigate Innovate UK and Horizon Europe programmes. I also provide independent technical due diligence for M&A transactions in deep-tech sectors, and manufacturing supply chain advisory for organisations qualifying new technologies or suppliers. Three distinct but related engagements, all requiring the same senior technical judgement.
Right forEngineering SME founders and CTOs targeting UK and European innovation funding, and private equity and strategic acquirers needing independent technical due diligence on deep-tech targets
Global Reach

Five continents. Real industrial networks.

The commercial advisory practice operates globally. These are the regions where active engagements, partnerships, and industrial networks exist, not aspirational markets.

United Kingdom & Europe
Core base: deep institutional relationships
Brunel University London, TWI, NSIRC, AIRTO, IIW, Innovate UK, Horizon Europe. Two decades of industrial and academic partnerships across energy, nuclear, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing. Active Innovate UK and European Commission funded programmes running now.
Middle East & Asia-Pacific
Established commercial track record
Direct commercial engagements across Saudi Arabia, UAE, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia. Led NDT projects worth over £3m in Saudi Arabia and UAE. Deployed the cloud-based RBI/NDT SaaS platform across Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Chair, Welding Institute Malaysia.
Africa & Emerging Markets
Active deployment and partnerships
Cloud RBI/NDT platform deployed in South Africa. Executed NDT audits in Indonesia for Pertamina Hulu Energy. Established innovation programmes and training partnerships with universities globally, including Sabanci University, Turkey and institutions across Africa and Asia.
Live Funded Programmes

The frontier work, happening now

These are active government-funded programmes running now, not historical credentials. The work covers physics-informed AI for manufacturing, circular materials processing, and sustainable industrial production.

Digi-HSMC
Digital High-Shear Melt Conditioning for resource-efficient aluminium processing. Physics-informed AI for real-time melt quality management, bridging laboratory science and shop-floor deployment. Active advisory engagements alongside this programme span oil and gas asset integrity, deep-tech investment due diligence, and manufacturing supply chain qualification.
£198,000
Innovate UK · 2026–2027
SMART-HEAT PRO
Scalable machine learning for resource-efficient thermal heat treatment. Moving from feasibility to pilot and industrial rollout across transport and manufacturing sectors.
£167,000
Innovate UK · 2026–2027
CleanMat
Smart clean aluminium material processing: digital sorting, intelligent pre-treatment, and advanced melt refining. Built for manufacturers who need to process recycled and mixed-quality feedstock reliably and at scale.
£925,593
European Commission · 2026–2029
CONNECT-EU
Structuring joint innovation programmes in circular materials and sustainable manufacturing across European industry networks. Connecting industrial partners with the research capability to solve real production problems.
£280,000
European Commission · 2026–2028
Sector Experience

Cross-sector experience. Specialist judgement.

Breadth is only an asset when it produces insight that narrow specialists cannot access. A technique proven in nuclear that solves an oil and gas problem. An aerospace inspection method that cuts wind turbine maintenance cost. That translation is the value.

Oil & Gas
Nuclear & SMR
Renewable Energy
Aerospace
Automotive
Marine
Rail
Manufacturing
Hydrogen
Infrastructure
"

Most organisations have more data than they can use and less insight than they need. The gap between them is not a technology problem. It is an integration problem, and it requires someone who understands both the physics and the business to close it.

Tat-Hean Gan, Brunel University London | Baguda.AI

Technical Depth

The specific capability behind the advisory

NDT Methods & Inspection Technologies
  • Ultrasonic testing, phased array (PAUT), and time-of-flight diffraction (TOFD)
  • Guided wave inspection for pipelines, structures, and high-temperature systems
  • Acoustic emission monitoring for active defect detection and process monitoring
  • Electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMAT) for non-contact, high-temperature inspection
  • Eddy current, radiography, terahertz, and thermographic inspection
  • High-temperature permanent monitoring systems for in-service assets
  • Corrosion monitoring and hydrogen-induced cracking detection
Physics-Informed AI & Digital Systems
  • Physics-informed machine learning for metals processing and inspection
  • Automated defect classification, anomaly detection, and predictive maintenance
  • Digital twin development for manufacturing processes and physical assets
  • Cloud-based RBI and NDT platform architecture and multi-country deployment
  • Machine learning for PAUT signal processing and defect characterisation
  • Combining data from sensors, NDT systems, process monitoring, and operational databases into integrated decision tools
Structural Integrity & Asset Management
  • Fracture mechanics and fatigue life assessment: BS 7910, BS 7608, ASME
  • Fitness-for-service assessment and life extension strategies
  • Risk-based inspection planning and implementation: API 580/581
  • Offshore structures, pipelines, pressure vessels, storage tanks
  • Damage mechanism identification and failure prevention
  • Hydrogen infrastructure integrity and environmentally assisted cracking
Commercialisation & Innovation Leadership
  • Technology commercialisation from working prototype to market, 30+ deployments
  • Innovation funding strategy and navigation: Innovate UK, Horizon Europe, EPSRC, industry-direct
  • Autonomous robotic inspection platform development and market deployment
  • Intelligent process monitoring for casting, solidification, and melt conditioning
  • Business unit leadership covering P&L, team building, and international market entry
  • NED, board advisory, and investment due diligence in deep-tech sectors
  • AI governance and model validation for safety-critical applications where operators, regulators, and investors must trust the output.
  • Welding Qualification Testing programme development and ISO 17024 training and certification scheme establishment
  • Augmented reality welding training programme design and global deployment, modernising traditional skills delivery at scale
Contact

Direct access.
No intermediaries.

I take a limited number of advisory engagements each year. Every enquiry is read personally. If there is a genuine fit, I will respond within two working days. If there is not, I will tell you that too, clearly and without wasting your time.

LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/tat-hean-gan
Direct Email
tatheangan@gmail.com
Institution
BCAST, Brunel University London
Your message has been received. I will respond personally within two working days.

All enquiries treated in strict confidence.