Meeting our Members - The industry through the lens of our Members in the UK and Overseas

Since I started at the CIOB – just over six months ago now! – I’ve made it my mission to understand what the important industry issues are by listening to our members. As CEO, it is important to me to see the industry through the lens of our membership, here in the UK and overseas.

You may recall, if you spotted some of our social media posts, that the CIOB’s Director of Membership, Amy Gough, and I travelled to Malaysia in December. We were fortunate to spend time with members, supporters and industry experts. I came away from that trip with a deep respect for the commitment, passion and insight of the CIOB community and stakeholders who really engaged with us on our strategy for the region.

Since then, I’ve spent time with many more CIOB members – in Malta, London, Wolverhampton, Leeds and Norwich.

My Leeds visit, last month, started with a trip to the brand-new Carnegie School of Sport teaching and research building at Leeds Beckett University. A project run by Galliford Try, this new resource will support local elite athletes and students of the university. I was also taken to the former Yorkshire Post site, where ISG has been working to adapt the build process to consider the recommendations of the recent Hackitt Report. I was also lucky to meet Zoe Price, Chief Operating Officer of ISG, to discuss the how to attract new talent to the industry. These were highlights from a packed schedule, but I saw a real breadth of different projects and got to talk to some impressively knowledgeable people about on-site and off-site issues.

My trip to Norwich included a meeting with the Lord Mayor Cllr Vaughan Thomas and the Sheriff Dr Marian Prinsley, alongside many of our locally based members and friends. I also got to see something quite special – the Goldsmith Street development for Norwich City Council which won the RIBA Stirling Prize last year. The houses in this one hundred home project are built to Passivhaus standards, with the aim of creating a highly sustainable community.

I also managed to combine business with pleasure on a trip to Malta for a short holiday. I accepted an invitation from CIOB member Jesmond Chetcuti to witness the significant investment the region has made in the built environment. Meeting Ian Borg, Malta’s Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects, I had the opportunity to understand how important construction is for Malta’s economy and recognise that quality in construction is a critical issue and high on their agenda. I am pleased to say that, following the meeting, the Minister recognised that the CIOB can be an important ally in driving up quality in the sector and has encouraged the CIOB to grow its membership base to increase the number of chartered professionals available to lead the industry in Malta.

I firmly believe that an important role for the CIOB is in bringing communities together, so conversations take place about how we are working together to tackle the key issues facing the construction industry today.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all the members, stakeholders and staff who have helped organise these visits, given up their time and given me the benefit of their experience, expertise and insight. Thank you so much – and by the way, I’m signing off while in the middle of my latest trip, in Scotland with some fantastic construction professionals. Do have a quick look at my Twitter and LinkedIn if you’d like to know more!