Institution of Civil Engineers | President's view
A year of listening and learning
Former Presidents warned me how the presidential year flies by, and it is hard to believe mine is coming to an end. I set out in November 2022 the aim of listening to our members, updating them on the Institution’s work and persuading them that sustainable development – with a clear focus on outcomes, not just outputs – is the way forward for our industry.
Listening is important – especially for an institution whose members are at the heart of its mission. I wanted to find out what the (often) silent majority thought.
KEITH HOWELLS
For my immediate predecessors, Covid put paid to a full presidential tour, so I was determined to make the most of my opportunity.
My visits showed how the work the Institution is doing – in sustainability, decarbonisation, productivity and resilience – chimes with delivery on the ground and I have taken on board local insight and experience to help inform and support our direction.
I have been fortunate to visit many projects and meet members, industry leaders and decision makers and I have been encouraged and inspired. I have seen great examples of innovation and best practice. I have seen real collaboration, effective community engagement, genuine efforts to reduce carbon and improve resilience, as well as increase use of digital tools and modern methods of construction to improve productivity.
The challenge is to learn from these examples, evolve them, scale them up and continuously improve the ways in which our work benefits society. Curating and sharing knowledge and best practice is part of the ICE’s mandate, but we cannot pretend we know everything. We need members to come forward and share the brilliant things they are doing.
Almost all the conversations I have had over the year focused on the challenges we are facing due to climate change, changing demographics and our ability, as a society, to finance and fund the infrastructure that underpins the fabric of our society. Focusing on outcomes and using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a framework for project planning and design will help us deliver more holistic projects with greater benefits for people and planet.
“We need members to come forward and share the brilliant things they are doingAnd while we face unprecedented challenges, as engineering professionals we have a real opportunity to use our skills, ingenuity and passion to help create a sustainable and resilient future.
The ICE is a great institution with an amazing heritage, supporting an ambitious industry, but our success hinges on the efforts and expertise of our members. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those volunteers who play an active part in supporting the ICE’s mission to improve lives.
I will look back on this year with pride – I have learned a great deal and I hope the people I have engaged with will take on board some of the principles I have been advocating. I leave the role with a sense of hope that the civil engineering profession really can change the world for the better.
- Keith Howells is the ICE’s outgoing President