Welcome

It is a pleasure to have this opportunity to communicate with CABE members for the first time in my role as Interim Chief Executive Officer. The recruitment process to select a permanent CEO is underway, with the aim of making a permanent appointment in May. If you are interested in applying, you can request a recruitment pack here.

Until then, my role is to ensure that CABE continues to serve its members and provide stability and support for its tremendous staff at both HQ and the Asia Pacific office. This is more important than ever, given the changes we are experiencing as an industry and, in particular, the pressure on members in building control to meet the deadline for building inspector registration. We all have a duty to be supportive and considerate, and to be mindful of our own mental health and wellbeing, as well as that of colleagues. It is often in our nature to try to battle through stressful periods on our own, but I would urge everyone to recognise that these are exceptional circumstances and to talk and share concerns. If you need support, don’t forget the CABE Benevolent Fund, with its partnership with Anxiety UK, is here to help: visit cbuilde.com/benfund for information.

While the scale and pace of change should moderate in coming months and years, the need for long-term continuous improvement will remain. To help, I am delighted to welcome CABE’s new Academic and Research Director Nikki Ghadiminia. Nikki is a Chartered Civil Engineer and academic with a track record that includes developing industry standards and guidance on critical issues such as cyber security. Nikki will further invigorate and strengthen ties with academic partners and develop closer ties with education committees in the Royal Academy of Engineering and Engineering Council. CABE will also be looking to build new pathways to support students on CABE-accredited courses to transition from the learning environment to workplace practice.

Finally, I wanted to touch on the theme of this month’s journal – inspiration. There have been many periods in history where engineers have inspired radical improvement in our quality and way of life. The professional values that engineers embody – reliability, competence, awareness of risk, accountability and diligence – have made engineers the sixth most trusted professional group in the UK today.

The ability to innovate and adapt in a safe and sustainable way has never been more important in addressing the increasing global challenges arising from climate change. Given that the built environment worldwide is responsible for 37% of carbon emissions and 34% of energy demand, it seems clear that the role of building engineers will be increasingly important to meet critical net-zero targets in a way that also keeps people safe. CABE remains committed to supporting its members to rise to these challenges.

Image credit | Sam Kerr