The event saw CIOB CEO Caroline Gumble and Graham Simpson MSP, among others, discuss critical themes within the industry including public sector procurement, EDI, digital innovation and quality & safety.

“What our industry does really matters,” Caroline Gumble outlined in her opening address. “Built environment professionals create the homes, hospitals, schools, community spaces and infrastructure that is essential for a good quality of life.

“Because it is so important, it also matters how we do it. We need to ensure the creators of the built environment stay safe and well and that users of our built environment have access to spaces that are fit for purpose and constructed to the highest standards.”

Speaking to SCN, Ms Gumble added: “The idea behind the roadshow was not necessarily just to focus on culture change, it was to start building relationships with Scottish Futures Trust. We’re hoping to have a couple more events within the next year, but for both organisations, it’s our job, to share knowledge, share thought leadership, and just bring everyone together to work on common key themes.

“In my role as chief executive, I have the privilege of travelling around, meeting my members in their own communities, and trying to learn and share what is unique and that others can learn from. One that particularly excited me recently was a lady who was 85 years old doing a PhD on mobility within the construction sector. How wonderful is it that an 85-year-old wants to leave the world a legacy for the built environment?

“And that’s why for me, I don’t just work with construction professionals, I work with academics because academia and industry working together can speed up absolutely best practices around the world.”

The CIOB chief executive was also full of praise for the cross-party working prevalent in Scotland, which was highlighted by Graham Simpson in his address. The MSP is the convenor of the Scottish Parliament’s cross-party group on housing and a member of the cross-party groups on construction and on renewable energy and energy efficiency.

There was also recognition for the Passivhaus standard being utilised in the social housing sector, “particularly the care that was taken to hand over these properties to the people living in them”, as well as renewables projects in Shetland.

Looking ahead, the CIOB has launched its new five-year plan, which focuses on quality and safety, environmental sustainability and closing the construction industry’s skills gap.

The plan is the organisation’s roadmap to 2028 and aims to make modern professionalism in construction management widely aspired to and increasingly a reality across the industry. Trustees and CIOB members from across the globe were involved in shaping the plan, which centres on the key issues facing the users and creators of the built environment.

Ms Gumble added: “I do feel there is reason to be positive about the construction sector. I am sensing more of an appetite to tackle important and long-standing issues in our industry.”

Read the CIOB’s monthly column for SCN here.