Glyn Thomas, managing director at Approved Inspector Building Consents, talks to Harvey Traynor about his informative years in Ukraine, preparing for the challenges ahead to comply with the Building Safety Act and the importance of taking time out for mental and physical wellbeing
Prior to the war, if anyone said that they worked in Ukraine it used to raise two questions: how corrupt is it and is it as wild as they say? What were you doing there and how did you get on?
I was based in Kyiv for 10 years working for Amstar, a US private equity investment company, but travelled extensively throughout the country and before Russia invaded it was a great place to work and live.
Yes, it was corrupt, but often rather like in the UK where you pay more for having your passport application checked rather than paying for something to be overlooked or permitted wrongly.
Overall, as a developer, the Ukrainian regulatory system was very efficient, particularly public utilities, who all consulted with each other unlike in the UK. As a US company, we kept within the law and avoided the “fast-track” systems, which was slower but we still met our goals. Working in Ukraine was a challenge, but it taught me a lot about adaptability, leadership and problem-solving.
Living and working in a country where sometimes there is no effective rule of law, however, does have its drawbacks. I was present during the Maidan Revolution and saw how brutal a dictatorship can become.
Telling your investment board in Denver that you’re behind schedule because the police have set fire to the concrete workers’ cars because they have western Ukrainian number plates was difficult. Leaving work to find somebody sitting on the bonnet of your car with a gun also makes the experience memorable.
Health and safety on site was also a concern. It seemed obligatory to cut stone while wearing flop-flops and harnesses at heights were shunned; barriers around lift shafts were always absent. Addressing issues like these was a challenge and the contractors often thought we were mad foreigners asking for what most take for granted.
“We’re just about to sign off on Eye Witness Works, which has been featured extensively on Channel 4 recently and lately seem to have bizarrely landed a lot of projects involving recording studios. Work on one project successfully and your reputation leads to the next and that has meant organic growth through happy customers across the board.”
Overall, though, it’s still a country with great people and I know their will and determination will push Russia out. I met my wife in Ukraine, my three children were born there and we only returned to the UK so that they could have a British education or I’d have happily stayed.
So what made you decide to join Building Consents?
Before emigrating, I’d had experience in both the private and public sector working with Seifert Architects on projects such as London City Airport and had been a head of building control with Newham Council but when I returned to the UK, it was a natural decision to rejoin the building control profession as an approved inspector. I met the owner of Building Consents, who was retiring due to ill health and it was opportune for me to buy the business from him and develop it further.
We’re a team of remote staff spread out over the North West, Midlands and South West but service projects nationally. Morale is good as we meet virtually and face-to-face for both CPD and social events regularly – only last week we were at Chester Races. All of this fosters a family culture, which tends to be very supportive and prevents micro-management which I abhor.
Instead, there’s a lot of trust in staff and that’s paid back in commitment. I’m particularly proud that we took on a graduate in the spring and will welcome another in August who will transition from the Police Service.
We have a good mix of residential projects and some bespoke commercial and retail gems as well. Our clients include Matalan, Superdrug, New Look, Lloyds TSB and HSBC, and we have a great number of multi-storey work, hotels, student accommodation and warehouses.
We’re just about to sign off on Eye Witness Works, which has been featured extensively on Channel 4 recently and lately seem to have bizarrely landed a lot of projects involving recording studios. Work on one project successfully and your reputation leads to the next and that has meant organic growth through happy customers across the board.
The building industry is facing several challenges due to the new Building Safety Regulator (BSR) and the tightened regulations.
What are you doing to meet the compliance requirements under the new regime?
We’re committed to providing the highest level of service to our clients and investing in our people, processes and technology to ensure that we are prepared for the changes ahead. For staff, this means CPD events for training and professional development but also active work portfolios and peer reviews tracking their work to prove practical competency.
The BSR is consistently pushing the message that we need to be competent, and my view is that we are and just have to prove it. Sitting an exam won’t prove that; it’s a combination of knowledge, experience and how it’s applied in practice, plus peer reviews and validation.
I’m awaiting CABE’s plans to harmonise the competency framework and provide a professional route to prove competency but in the meantime, we’re actively developing our own portfolio approach.
As well as preparing to prove the competence of the staff and the company to transition to being an Approver, we’re also actively working on an agenda of Business Resilience, which extends throughout from administration processes to inspection routines. It’s having some positive effects such as automating quotes and even introducing fuel cards. Call it QMS+.
So, all smooth sailing?
Generally, yes but I have a few gripes. The changes post-Grenfell are understandable but for it to be beyond criticism is unfortunate – it stifles debate and the profession is in danger of being led down a canyon of bureaucracy.
Consultation on policy documents on HRRBs is all well and good but has anyone in the BSR met Mr Singh building his own loft conversion from his retirement funds? It may not be glamorous, but someone should recognise that thousands of safe buildings are in part down to the professionalism of companies that they now expect to adapt and take on new ways of working in their stride – and all without the benefit of a subsidy, even for training. The local authorities receive millions of pounds for new staff and that’s great but the private sector is being ignored.
We hear that the Building Safety Act is the largest change in legislation since the end of WWII but there are never words of encouragement at conferences for the building control profession.
There is, however, always a PowerPoint slide of Grenfell and a gentle reminder that we were all somehow complicit. More than five years on, this is starting to wear thin and it’s time for a little more engagement with individual companies.
I should not have to visit LinkedIn to find out which direction we are heading or get the heads up on a new piece of key legislation. No violins required but let’s face it: there is not an agenda to help businesses.
This all sounds busy –how do you relax?
Taking some time out for mental and physical wellbeing is crucial so I’m a firm believer in having a good work-life balance. I regularly encourage my team to take time out, recharge their batteries and come back refreshed.
We also offer flexible working arrangements, which have helped improve wellbeing and productivity. This, in turn, has led to the decision to become wholly virtual and close our physical premises later this year. We’re investing in the technology to allow this to happen and the end result will be a stronger company with happier staff – which is what we all want.
My own relaxation comes from beekeeping, a hobby I’ve only recently taken up but which combines a bit of meditation, empathy but ultimately calming down. Bees can sense stress so it’s a great barometer!
Glyn Thomas
Managing director
Building Consents Ltd.
Tel: +44 (0)800 999 1099
*Please note: This is a commercial profile.
