I am excited about next week’s members forum, not only because it provocatively challenges whether collaboration remains our raison d’etre in the view of members, and because we will hear the latest update about the trial of the Integrated Project Insurance model at Dudley College, but because we will announce the new chairmanship of Constructing Excellence.
In a probably-flawed attempt to build some tension(!), we are not yet releasing the identity of our new leadership, but I think that most people will be impressed and similarly excited by the change, which aims to position us as effectively as possible for what will surely be a period of major opportunity for sector transformation.
Meanwhile let me pay tribute to our outgoing chairman Murray Rowden of Turner & Townsend, for whom this is the culmination of a fascinating chairmanship since he took over from Ian Reeves in January 2015. Murray worked so hard to further our aims, from the day he joined our Members Steering Group around 2008 and campaigned for us to focus on infrastructure as a key sector which needed to embrace collaborative working, to the day we signed the merger with the BRE Trust group of companies last summer. At T&T Murray has ‘walked the talk’ of industry change, leading much of the leading edge thinking on intelligent clients and procurement, and development of the younger generation by championing G4C tirelessly. In amongst his work for us he became Global Head of Infrastructure for his company, and last summer also became Managing Director North America, relocating to New York in the process. I am delighted that he has agreed to remain closely involved in our work and to take over the leadership of our international arm. Personally I like to think that Murray is perfectly suited to this role as he can exemplify the old adage that the United States and Great Britain are “two countries separated by a common language”… Thank you so much Murray!
