Throughout his year in office, Mike plans to use his platform as CIOB president to drive greater focus on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Speaking yesterday at CIOB’s annual Members’ Forum event held in Cape Town, South Africa, he said the sector needs to focus on targets like building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and fostering innovation.

“In 2015 – what seems like a lifetime ago – the United Nations adopted the SDGs to guide how, as a global community, we tackle humanity’s biggest challenges,” said Mike, Pro Vice-Chancellor Research and Business Innovation at De Montfort University in Leicester.

“They are about sustainability in the broader sense. They are about the quality of our lives, access to justice, economic growth, and productive employment.”

Mike added that many of the 17 SDGS, which can be seen here, are easily relatable to the construction sector as well as CIOB’s corporate plan.

He continued: “The built environment affects everyone. It is the foundation of economies everywhere – offices, shops, infrastructure, hospitals, schools, and housing.

“More than that, our people delivering those buildings and infrastructure are part of communities – through our workforce, our supply chains, and the users of what we create.”

Mike is the 121st person to hold the position of CIOB president having taken over from Sandi Rhys Jones OBE, FCIOB.

He was formerly the Pro Vice-Chancellor Global Development (Europe and UK) and Dean of Engineering, Design and Built Environment at Western Sydney University (WSU), Australia.

Notable achievements during his distinguished career, in which he started as an integrated systems engineer, include directing two government-funded innovative manufacturing research centres in built environment and healthcare infrastructure, overseeing the establishment of innovative educational units and structures in three Universities and two countries and frequently acting as an expert for the evaluation of programs, subject areas, research councils and universities, globally.

Caroline Gumble, CEO at CIOB, said: “I am delighted to welcome Mike into the role of CIOB President. Mike’s international perspective and experience as an academic will be very beneficial to CIOB’s work, particularly in continuing to strengthen links between industry and academia.

“His knowledge will contribute to many of our areas of focus but, with his expertise, I know he will be key in driving forward our environmental sustainability work and our efforts to help close the skills gap.”