Industry Board announced for the Construction Innovation Hub

The Construction Innovation Hub (formerly the Transforming Construction Alliance) announces the creation of a powerful new Industry Board to ensure key industry decision makers and leaders help to shape its programme of work.

The £72 million Construction Innovation Hub, funded by UK Research and Innovation through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, will transform the UK construction industry. Its new Industry Board will:

• Ensure the voice of industry – consultants, contractors and product suppliers – is fed directly into the Construction Innovation Hub programme
• Encourage collaboration across government policy makers, planners and delivery bodies to drive better social, economic and environmental outcomes from the Construction Innovation Hub
• Make sure the outputs of the programme reach businesses with the potential to drive the transformation of the sector
• Provide external challenge so the broader, long-term objectives of the Construction Innovation Hub meet the needs and aspirations of businesses throughout the UK

The appointed members of the new Industry Board are:

• Mark Farmer, Chief Executive of Cast Consultancy
• Diana Montgomery, Chief Executive of the Construction Products Association
• Alasdair Reisner, Chief Executive of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association
• Hannah Vickers, Chief Executive of the Association for Consultancy and Engineering
• Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute
• Huda As’ad, Head of Performance, Infrastructure and Projects Authority

Keith Waller, Programme Director for the Construction Innovation Hub said:

The Construction Innovation Hub is working with government, academia, the Construction Leadership Council and other industry leaders to develop solutions that can be used across projects and sectors. But I want our programme to go further. I want to ensure key industry decision makers and leaders help shape the Construction Innovation Hub, so it can deliver for industry as well as society at large. Our new Industry Board will help us develop the framework we need, focusing on those outputs that will make a real difference”.

Mark Farmer said:

I am delighted to be joining the Industry Board. The way we are currently designing, procuring and delivering built assets is broken and many of the problems stem from what clients, funders and their advisors are initially asking for and how they perceive value. We need to completely review how value is defined and measured in such a way that we drive large scale educational and behavioural change. I am looking forward to using my position as an independent voice in the industry, not tied to government or to a membership body, to provide some frank but constructive views on how we make this happen as part of the broader Transforming Construction strategy and in particular what it might mean for the homebuilding sector.”

Diana Montgomery said:

The work of the Construction Innovation Hub is key to driving how the industry must change in terms of skills, product standards, capacity and innovation.  We are confident that the expertise of UK construction product manufacturers and suppliers will be at the heart of that change.”

Alasdair Reisner said:

The UK construction sector stands on the edge of a transformation that will fundamentally reshape the way we think about delivering the nation’s buildings and infrastructure. We can grasp this opportunity to become global leaders in the field, accelerating productivity and creating an industry that the next generation will want to be part of. We look forward to playing our part in supporting this transformation.”

Hannah Vickers said:

The role that the Construction Innovation Hub will play in transforming our industry is immense, and I am proud to be joining the board to help in driving it forward. We have a huge opportunity to transform the sector, and in conjunction with ACE’s own Future of Consultancy campaign, I know we will be able to work together to modernise the sector and deliver better outcomes for the ultimate customers, our clients and our businesses well into the future.”

Victoria Hills said:

Planners make up a vital part of the expertise that enables construction projects deliver true value to people. I am delighted to be able to contribute our profession’s views to help the Construction Innovation Hub transform the sector and find exciting solutions to improve the built environment for everyone.”

Huda As’ad said:

The UK government is committed to helping transform the construction sector by improving productivity and reinvigorating the attractiveness of the industry. We are excited to see the increased uptake of technology and the ‘smart’ agenda in industry in line with our Transforming Infrastructure Performance Programme. The Construction Innovation Hub will help us deliver smarter, greener and more efficient buildings that are focused on whole life value. I’m excited to be on this board continuing to bring industry and government closer together.”  

Further Information 

To contact the Construction Innovation Hub’s press office, please email pressoffice@constructioninnovationhub.org.uk.