Thought leader and ambassador for change Paul Tinker, 48, has really set himself a difficult and challenging problem that exists in the UK today. Former solider and bricklayer Paul has made it his mission to lead change in how construction projects are delivered in the United Kingdom and has set about this change through powerful events and training being delivered globally. Having delivered over £300M worth of local authority funded construction projects, he sought change after the stress, the booze and working conditions in the industry needed a desperate shake-up. Paul’s project management expertise was weaponised by tier 1 main contractor employers to win, to win the battle of project management. The war that exists between client and contractor. Paul was deployed when the hammer needed to be dropped to win the battle and end the war. When one side wins, inevitably, one side also loses. And this is the change that Paul so desperately wants to see in the industry. Holding a firm belief that there is room on the market for a collaborative way of working to ensure both sides get the results that they are looking for through effective communication, collaboration and negotiation. Recently back from a talk he delivered in Coimbra, Portugal on these challenges that the industry faces, he was facing an uphill battle with getting his message across and grabbing attention from his peers and from industry. Speaking at industry specific networking events up and down the UK, spreading his message, he decided to make a bold move by hosting and funding his very own first National Event hosted at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham. Partnering with industry sponsors and ticket holders to make the event financially viable and become a reality, he delivered an impressive 2-day conference at the Exhibition space where he was joined by 16 other thought leaders from the space who were all singing from the same hymn sheet. Another stand-out talk from the event was delivered by Paul’s wife, Lisa Tinker, 43, who shared her career story of discrimination in the industry and how she has been unfairly treated throughout her career, which included unfair dismissal, sexual discrimination, unfair pay and her career defining moment where she used this abuse to fight back. To fight back against these industry dinosaurs to be more inclusive, to build more inclusively and ultimately attract a wider array of people into our struggling industry. Guests and speakers flew in from Dubai, Belfast, Portugal, Cyprus and came from all 4 corners of the UK to hear and support spread this message of collaboration will always beat conflict. Recently partnering with the CITB, the Construction Industry Training Board on a recent project to deliver this message to a conference of school children as it’s Paul’s firm belief that this is where the grass roots and next generation of construction professionals will come from and therefore the charge needs to be led from the back. That message is clear and can be seen and heard throughout the message he is driving across social media, the press, his events and now through this National Conference recently delivered. Following this noise that he has been making, Paul has now been approached by Doncaster University to deliver the message of change to graduates about to enter their paid profession with an unfamiliar perspective to leave their formal, academic education with which Paul hopes will improve their results and the industry at large if implemented. Paul, having delivered this most recent event so successfully decided to take on the even bigger challenge of doubling the audience size and taking it to the nation’s capital for 2025. So in November 2025, Paul will do it all again in London with the mission of changing the way in which construction projects are delivered in the UK, bridging the gap that exists between two adversarial industries – the property developer and construction industries. One side always setting up to beat the other with some contractual clause or trick up their sleeve. Openness, transparency and collaboration are always going to beat conflict, secrecy and competition and will always yield better results – so why do we seemingly always opt for the latter? Likely answer to this question is “Because that just how the industry is” Well Paul is here to change this…. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals