Sandi Rhys Jones OBE, FCIOB, has called for collaboration across construction, education and policy makers
Sandi Rhys Jones OBE, has been selected as the 2022/23 president at the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), becoming the 120th person to take on the role after the departing Dr Michael Yam.
Officially stepping into the role at the CIOB’s Members’ forum event in Liverpool on June 26, Sandi has chosen collaboration as the key theme for her leadership.
Observing that the construction sector can be famously combative, adversarial and prone to working in silos, Sandi wants to improve joined-up thinking.
Sandi has over 45 years of experience in the industry
Starting out as a journalist, Sandi has worked for contractors, consultants, suppliers, representative organisations and government, both in the UK and overseas, focusing on performance improvement and business development as part of her management and marketing business, RhysJones Consultants.
She also has over two decades of experience in executive and trustee roles at organisations such as the Royal Marines Museum, Envirobuild and the Association of Women in Property.
Sandi is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building, a Fellow of the Women’s Engineering Society and trained as a mediator after completing an MSc in Construction law.
She was appointed OBE in 1998 for her work promoting women in construction
Sandi’s other positions include an active role in multiple government industry working groups including Latham, Egan, the Housing Forum and the Movement for Innovation, with resulting expertise in contract and policy drafting, conflict management and leadership development.
Caroline Gumble, CEO at CIOB, said: “I am so pleased to welcome Sandi as our new President. Sandi has an impressive breadth and depth of knowledge of the industry and her understanding of its place in society, which is a vital perspective for a construction professional.
“I know she will make a valuable contribution in our drive to tackle some of the key challenges in this important industry and will offer real leadership on the issues for CIOB and the wider industry.”
Speaking at the event, Sandi said:
“We have a vital role in addressing today’s huge global and societal challenges, from mitigating climate change to providing safe and affordable homes, schools and hospitals, from building the offices, factories and shops that represent the foundations of a strong economy to offering safe and rewarding jobs. We need to accept the fact that the world can’t achieve net zero without us in the built environment sector.
“So we’ve got to harness all the skill and ingenuity our sector possesses – plus that which we can learn from other sectors – to change the way we work.
“Our strategy at CIOB is to drive forward the concept of modern professionalism, which is infused with the values of competence, respect, inclusivity and confidence. However, if we want to be true modern professionals, how we work needs to be more collaborative.
“Our sector has great examples of collaboration but only in pockets. What we need now is to scale up that collaborative mindset and I look forward to using the platform the CIOB presidency will give me to collaborate with people within our sector and beyond over the next 12 months to help drive real change.”
You can learn more about the CIOB here.
