GRAHAM is pleased to announce the official opening of a new construction training hub at its Tilbury2 site at the Port of Tilbury. The Thurrock Hub has been created in partnership with the South Essex Construction Training Academy (SECTA) for the CITB Construction Skills Fund project, led by Southend-on-Sea Borough
Willmott Dixon has created a unique programme to help the construction industry tackle its skills shortages by setting up the first of what it hopes will be a series of academies within prison environments that help former offenders find jobs on their release Willmott Dixon Building Lives Drylining Academy has
The future of the construction industry will be on show at an event next week when the hard work of some of most skilled and talented apprentices from across the region will be recognised at an awards ceremony. The Swansea Bay Construction Support Group’s inaugural awards ceremony will take place on 20
Deemed to be a national crisis by some industry experts and costing the UK economy £1.5 billion a year according to a report published in the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the shortages of workers in STEM sectors are a significant point of concern. But could improving and developing STEM apprenticeships
Two new appointments have taken place at Mace as they brought from JLL two senior directors to strengthen its cost consultancy business. The new Project Directors, Darren Boyaram and Stuart Mudd, will help develop and expand Mace’s service offering. Darren brings 15 years experience in property and quantity surveying to
The world’s most widely used green building rating system, LEED, is getting updated to improve building performance and to integrate the latest reference standards. The current LEED rating system, which is LEED v4, was launched at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Philadelphia on November 20, 2013. Over the
Working in collaboration with Bell Decorating Group, Crown Paints marked the launch of the first Bell Decorating Academy in Lincoln with a morning of workshops for the students of Lincoln College. The workshops were hosted in the recently-opened Decorating Academy, which was created by Bell Decorating Group in partnership with
Ibstock Brick has been shortlisted for The Inspire Awards which celebrate diversity and inclusion in the construction, engineering and housing sectors in the UK. The leading brick manufacturer, part of Ibstock plc, has been named as a finalist in the Most Inspiring Apprenticeship Programme category. Ibstock Brick offers two engineering
Waterloo Air Products plc is investing in an 18-month professional development programme for a group of employees from all disciplines within the company. Run in conjunction with Accelerator Solutions, the initiative is designed specifically to develop the skill sets that Waterloo will require as it continues to expand, creating a
Four new appointments have taken place at This Land™, who appointed established property leaders as Non-Executive Directors. Susan Freeman, David Meek, Jeremy Miller and Richard Steer join the company with significant experience in various aspects of the property industry. Susan Freeman is one of the UK’s foremost property lawyers, with
GRAHAM is pleased to announce the official opening of a new construction training hub at its Tilbury2 site at the Port of Tilbury. The Thurrock Hub has been created in partnership with the South Essex Construction Training Academy (SECTA) for the CITB Construction Skills Fund project, led by Southend-on-Sea Borough Council. The official opening ceremony of the new hub was held at the Tilbury2 site on Tuesday 25th June. Representatives were in attendance from Port of Tilbury, Essex County Council, Thurrock and Tilbury Council, while GRAHAM also welcomed the Mayor of Thurrock, Terry Piccolo. Hyla Grimwade, SECTA Project Manager commented: “SECTA is pleased to be working in partnership with leading UK contractor GRAHAM. GRAHAM has kindly agreed to host the Thurrock hub for this CITB Construction Skills Fund project. The hub allows people to have first-hand experience of visiting a live construction site and will host training as part of the SECTA project. Clients using the hub have already felt the difference from a normal classroom compared to this hub as it allows them to relate their learning to a real-world experience.” Tilbury2, situated on the north bank of the River Thames, is a nationally significant infrastructure project involving the delivery of a new multi-million pound port terminal. The site will host and facilitate training as part of SECTA, which has been developed to support 650 people from the south Essex region into the construction industry. Students at the Thurrock Hub will receive ongoing training on a live constitution site, with support from qualified construction professionals to provide an improved learning experience that brings the subject to life. The CITB Construction Skills Fund supports the development of onsite training hubs. It has been set up to help train people who are looking to make a career change into the construction industry as well as others not currently in employment. The fund’s objective is to increase the number of people trained in construction skills to create a workforce to meet the needs of the sector. Thomas Craven, GRAHAM’s Tilbury2 Contracts Manager, said: “We’re thrilled to be playing host to this new construction training hub at Tilbury2 and look forward to working with the new trainees over the duration of the project. “At GRAHAM we understand the importance of skills development in our industry and the need to provide high quality training to fill the growing demand for workers in construction and bridge the employment skills gap. “By providing hands-on teaching and exposing trainees to this huge, live port construction site, we will offer the best environment possible for them to learn the trade and gain the skills needed to make them employment and site ready at the end of their training.” Peter Ward, Commercial Director, Port of Tilbury said: “It’s great to partner with SECTA and GRAHAM on this construction academy. Training and skills development is a key part of our business and it is only fitting that as part of the construction of our new port, Tilbury2, that this plays a major role in the project. The Construction Academy will ensure that people are skilled for not only the T2 project but for future work opportunities which help our local and wider economies. Tilbury2 is a significant project for our business, our customers and the local communities and we look forward to it being operational next year.” When operational in Spring 2020, Tilbury2 will be the UK’s largest unaccompanied freight ferry port, the country’s biggest construction processing hub and will see the creation of a new significantly larger rail head which can accommodate the longest freight trains of 775m. GRAHAM is delivering both the Terrestrial and Marine packages of work and is currently underway with works including Roll-On/Roll-Off (RoRo), highway works, the relocation of the existing railhead, and a fixed structural steel bridge to the linkspan. SECTA is supporting businesses and residents across south Essex, with hubs in Southend and Basildon as well as Thurrock. For details about SECTA visit www.sectatraining.co.uk or call 01702 212856.
Willmott Dixon has created a unique programme to help the construction industry tackle its skills shortages by setting up the first of what it hopes will be a series of academies within prison environments that help former offenders find jobs on their release Willmott Dixon Building Lives Drylining Academy has teamed up with HMP Elmley to provide offenders with drylining skills and a CSCS card to help them move straight into employment when back in the community. It comes after the CITB’s annual Construction Skills Network report recently predicted approximately 168,500 jobs will be created in construction over the next five years to meet demand. The launch was made possible after Willmott Dixon and its supply chain converted a warehouse inside the prison into a drylining academy facility. They have also equipped prison officers with accredited skills necessary to deliver six week long in-house courses for prison residents, a sustainable and replicable training model believed to be a UK first. The academy aims to upskill over 100 HMP Elmley residents each year so they are ‘job ready’ on release and ready to find careers in construction. Willmott Dixon’s supply chain partners and local job agencies are part of the process to help them find work, which is important as it is estimated that only 17% of former offenders quickly get work on release, with re-offending more likely for those who are unemployed. This is the third Building Lives Academy launched by Willmott Dixon within the last 12 months. Its academies in Croydon and Kingston, based adjacent to construction projects being delivered in these two London boroughs, have already equipped over 150 young unemployed people with key construction skills. Candidates who attend at Croydon and Kingston get a Level 1 Certificate in Construction Operations, Level 1 Certificate in Health and Safety at Work, plus a CSCS card. Afterwards, candidates are supported to apply for work with Willmott Dixon, supply chain partners or other construction opportunities advertised by a local employment service. The academies are part of Willmott Dixon’s ‘purpose beyond profit’ ethos to play an active role in strengthening the well-being of society through the contribution of its people. Last year, four out of five Willmott Dixon people undertook a community-related project as part of the company’s volunteering policy. Willmott Dixon’s regional head of legacy, Richard Pickett, said: “It’s a logical step to tap into the potential of people who are in prison but keen to find a sustainable and rewarding job on release. Our industry needs to constantly think of imaginative new ideas if we are to attract the people we need and this is a very replicable model that’s easy to migrate to other UK prisons.” Andy Davy, HMP Elmley deputy governor, said: “HMP Elmley and the Reducing ReOffending team are excited to be working in partnership with Willmott Dixon. Being able to better prepare our residents with the appropriate skills to transition straight into employment upon release is a priority for the Prison. Employment is a definite contributor to the reduction in offending behaviour and helps to build stronger family stability.”
The future of the construction industry will be on show at an event next week when the hard work of some of most skilled and talented apprentices from across the region will be recognised at an awards ceremony. The Swansea Bay Construction Support Group’s inaugural awards ceremony will take place on 20 June at the Village Hotel, Swansea to support and recognise the achievements of new entrants, apprentices and future talent within the construction industry in the South Wales region. The awards ceremony, which will be hosted by Swansea legend Kev Johns and includes a three-course meal, is also part of an overall objective to promote the construction industry’s image and showcase the benefits of considering the construction industry as a career path, and what skills individuals can gain from this profession. The evening will see awards presented to nominated apprentices from member companies of the Swansea Bay Construction Support Group, including: ASW Property Services; John Weaver; Cyfle Building Skills; Hale Construction; Craftsman Flooring and V&C (SW). There will also be awards for the Best Overall Apprentice and Best New Apprentice. The awards ceremony is sponsored by AB Glass, Peter Lynn & Partners and Barry Training Services. Anthony Thomas, chairman of the Swansea Bay Construction Support Group Awards, said: “The construction industry is often overlooked by young adults about to leave school who are considering what career path they want to embark on. The Swansea Bay Construction Support Group Awards will allow us to not only reward the hard working and dedicated apprentices who work for our members but will also allow us to spread the word and positivity about the opportunities available to other young individuals who are weighing up their options. “We look forward to celebrating the achievements of the nominated apprentices during the ceremony and hope that we continue to do so every year going forward.” Gemma Mineur, training officer at NPT Group, said: “It is a pleasure to organise the first Swansea Bay Construction Support Group Awards to showcase the achievements of local people beginning one of many career paths available in the construction industry.” Alan Brayley, managing director of AB Glass, comments: “We are thrilled to be supporting the Swansea Bay Construction Support Group Awards and all those who have been recognised for their achievements in the construction industry. Encouraging new entrants and young people into this sector is incredibly important to the future of the construction industry, as it welcomes new talent and helps to build upon the unique skills and confidence of young people to the benefit of the sector in Wales. These awards will showcase the many opportunities and fulfilling career paths the industry can offer. We look forward to meeting the rising stars of construction in Wales at the awards ceremony.” Darren Lewis, partner and commercial property solicitor at Peter Lynn & Partners, comments: “We work with a wide range of businesses in the construction sector from individual tradespeople to multi-million-pound property developers, and we are proud to support this excellent event which recognises excellence within the sector.” Sean Boyle, director of Barry Training Services, said: “We are very pleased to be able to sponsor this event, which recognises the valuable role in which apprenticeships offer to the workplace and given the number of construction related courses we offer to this industry, we can see the value in developing these skills for the future.” During the evening, there will also be an auction and raffle to raise money for local charity Hands Up for Downs. This support group brings families, parents, carers and children with Down Syndrome together to share advice and support, and as a group ensure that children living with Down Syndrome are given access to services they need. Sam Fisher, a founding member and trustee of Hands Up for Downs, said: “At Hands up for Downs, our main mission is to bring together families with children who have Down Syndrome across the Swansea Bay area, ensuring they are united and supported, promoting inclusion and raising awareness so that our children can flourish.” “We are extremely appreciative of the Swansea Bay Construction Support Group for choosing our charity to raise funds for during the evening and would like to thank everyone who donates in advance. These funds will go towards continuing to provide support for our members and their families, ensuring children with Down Syndrome are given access to the services they need to ensure they reach their full potential.”
Deemed to be a national crisis by some industry experts and costing the UK economy £1.5 billion a year according to a report published in the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the shortages of workers in STEM sectors are a significant point of concern. But could improving and developing STEM apprenticeships be the solution? Apprenticeships are rocketing as a recruitment option for most UK industries. But perhaps due to their focus on offering hands-on and practical learning processes, apprenticeship programmes are ideally suited to STEM — science, technology, engineering, and maths — sectors. Alongside engineering firm, Houghton International, which specialises in high voltage coil, we’ll explore the statistics behind this nationwide problem and look at how employers, organisations and the government can boost STEM apprenticeship enrolments and reduce the pressure on these industries’ workforces. The scale of the STEM skills gap So just how problematic is the STEM skills gap at present — and how much worse could it become in the future if not remedied? According to a response by the Royal Academy of Engineering, more than half of engineering companies say they have had problems recruiting the experienced engineers they need. This demand for skilled and experienced engineers is set to increase considerably over the next three to five years — 90% of engineering, science and hi-tech businesses expect this to be the case. But what is causing this gap? STEM businesses suffer greatly from an aging workforce. As skilled and experienced engineers retire, it is increasing vacancies across thousands of engineering roles. Putting a more exact figure on this is EngineeringUK, which — through detailed analysis — has determined that there are annually 29,000 too few workers with level 3 skills and an even greater shortage of more qualified engineers — 40,000 of those with level 4 and above skills. With a skills shortage already evident, businesses have another worry to consider — Brexit. As uncertainty remains, the UK’s exit from the European Union could create an even bigger headache for those in STEM sectors. A key action point for businesses hoping to close the STEM gap is to encourage more diversity. At present, under 10% of the engineering workforce is female, while those from minority ethnic backgrounds make up just 6% of the workforce. STEM companies have roles to fill — so could apprenticeships be the answer? Apprenticeships in the UK In the past, you left school and got a job. Nowadays, students have a wealth of opportunities to choose from, whether it’s A-levels, BTECs or apprenticeships — and the latter is growing in popularity. In the 2016-2017 academic year, 491,300 people started an apprenticeship, with almost a quarter of those under the age of 19. Each month, an average of 23,000 apprenticeship opportunities are listed on the government’s Find an Apprenticeship site, while organisations — such as WISE, which campaigns for gender balance in science, technology and engineering — are continually driving initiatives to help grow the number of apprentices in these sectors. However, a report by Financial Times makes for more negative reading. Between May and July 2017, parliamentary statistics show that only 43,600 people began an apprenticeship, which is a 61% reduction from the 113,000 that started in the same period in 2016. This has been largely accredited to an apprenticeship levy that was introduced in April 2017, which every employer with a pay bill of more than £3 million a year must adhere to if they want to employ apprentices. But has this affected the level of apprentices specifically in the engineering and related sectors? Apparently not. In 2016/17, 112,000 people started a STEM apprenticeship — up from 95,000 in 2012/13. This growth is impressive and may be a sign that STEM employers are taking on board the warning that they must be creative with their recruitment processes. Rod Kenyon, former director of the Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network, once said: “The traditional recruitment pool is diminishing at the same time as work-based learning routes are facing increasing competition from alternative post-16-year-old provision. Employers wishing to attract quality applicants in sufficient numbers to meet their skills requirements have to look beyond their traditional sources.” But are STEM employers simply not focusing on demographics that could significantly reduce their skills gaps? Overall, women account for 50% of all apprentices in the UK. However, for STEM apprenticeships, they make up just 8%. STEM employers are overlooking a great talent pool if they don’t concentrate on encouraging women into their companies. According to WISE, 5,080 women achieved a Core-STEM apprenticeship in 2016/2017, while 62,060 men accomplished the same in the same period. What makes this statistic even more concerning is that, according to an Apprenticeships in England report published by the House of Commons Library, 54% of overall apprenticeships starts were women in 2016/2017. Evidently, women are opting for apprenticeships in different fields, which means that STEM industries are missing out on thousands of potential workers if they don’t try to make their apprenticeship programmes as attractive to women apprentices as they clearly are to men. How to improve STEM apprenticeships and reduce the skills gap The government has an aim of achieving three million apprenticeship starts by 2020 — so does this mean we can expect more initiatives that encourage programmes like these in all sectors, including engineering? Possibly, but more work must be done to hit this lofty figure. Apprenticeships in STEM industries must be advocated and discussed in schools in order to instil a sense of enthusiasm from a younger age. Career advisors should make it clearer to kids that a university degree is not the only avenue to success and that the same level of fulfilment and opportunity is available with STEM apprenticeship programmes. Perhaps this means a stronger relationship between STEM firms and educational establishments, which can grant more opportunities for schoolchildren to get first-hand experience of how these companies work in practice prior to having to make an official decision. Already, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) offers around
Two new appointments have taken place at Mace as they brought from JLL two senior directors to strengthen its cost consultancy business. The new Project Directors, Darren Boyaram and Stuart Mudd, will help develop and expand Mace’s service offering. Darren brings 15 years experience in property and quantity surveying to the role, working across the entire development lifecycle, in both the public and private sector. Underpinned by his wider sector experience, Darren specialises in providing cost advice for education, commercial new build and commercial refurbishment projects. He will be helping Mace Cost Consultancy to grow these areas of the business and build on an already impressive portfolio of schemes, including 100 Liverpool Street and the Old Admiralty Building in Westminster. Stuart will help to drive wider business development, while also taking on a more focused brief, drawing on 20 years’ experience at firms including JLL, Gleeds and Franklin + Andrews. He specialises in cost advice for mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) projects and, before joining Mace, was leading an MEP cost team across a number of heavy engineering and datacentre schemes. “These appointments are fundamental to the growth of Mace Cost Consultancy. Not only do Darren and Stuart bring specialist insight, their 35 years of combined sector experience and knowledge adds to our unique, integrated cross-disciplinary service, and will be invaluable as the team continues to develop. It’s exciting to have two people who have hit the ground running and are already making a difference to the business through their ideas and unlocking new opportunities,” commented on the appointments Steven Mason, Managing Director of Mace Cost Consultancy.
The world’s most widely used green building rating system, LEED, is getting updated to improve building performance and to integrate the latest reference standards. The current LEED rating system, which is LEED v4, was launched at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Philadelphia on November 20, 2013. Over the last years, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) was working on the LEED rating system to integrate the lessons learned from the green building projects. With LEED v4.1, the green building projects will be able to make a bigger contribution to reducing the global climate change, improve building performance, as well as expanding activities that positively impact human health and well-being. On March 2018, registration for the beta version of the LEED Operations and Maintenance (LEED O+M) rating system was launched. As of January 2019, the registration is open for the LEED Building Design + Construction (LEED BD+C) and the LEED Interior Design + Construction (LEED ID+C) LEED v4.1 beta rating systems. The beta versions will be available throughout 2019 and with the feedback received from the green building projects that pursue LEED v4.1, the updated rating system will be launched after public commenting and the approval phase. People that are planning to take LEED exams are also curious about this change and want to know when the LEED credentialing exams will be effected with this change. The LEED credentialing exams like LEED Green Associate or LEED AP BD+C, will be untouched throughout the 2019 and continue to be based on LEED v4. Once the beta rating system launches on 2020, the U.S. Green Building Council will start updating the LEED exams to reflect the LEED v4.1 with a prior notice. Even though the exact dates are not yet announced by USGBC, the LEED exams will be based on the LEED 4.1 version by the end of June 2020. The current beta rating systems are not yet finalized and will definitely see some revisions. With those revisions, the USGBC will start updating the LEED reference guides which will include the finalized v4.1 rating system. At that point, the LEED credentialing exams will be updated with a prior notice. USGBC will allow for a specific period of time for test-takers to take the LEED v4 exam as they had started their studies while the LEED v4.1 was still in beta. During this time frame, LEED exam prep providers (like us) will also be able to update their LEED courses, LEED practice tests, and study guides. What’s New in LEED v4.1? First of all, LEED v4.1 is not a full version change, rather it is a critical update to reflect the lessons learned from the LEED v4 rating systems. For LEED BD+C projects, there are some revisions on credit requirements to streamline the certification process, and credits like Low-Emitting Materials, Daylight, Rainwater, and Heat Island Reduction are more impacted with this change. The credits that were tested through the LEED Pilot Credit Library are expected to become actual credits in the newer rating system. The performance thresholds of some credits have been updated to be more straightforward. Additionally, with LEED v4.1, the international projects will have easier time achieveing the LEED certification as it will contain more options on complying with the project’s local standards. From the beta version we can also say that not all of the prerequisites and credits are impacted with this change. Approximately one-third of all the LEED BD+C prerequisites and credits are expected to stay as is. In summary, with these revions we can say that LEED v4.1 will be more performance based and is more focused on implementation. LEEDUCATE Inc. | LEED Exam Prep Provider
Working in collaboration with Bell Decorating Group, Crown Paints marked the launch of the first Bell Decorating Academy in Lincoln with a morning of workshops for the students of Lincoln College. The workshops were hosted in the recently-opened Decorating Academy, which was created by Bell Decorating Group in partnership with Crown Paints, and took place on 3rd April 2019 at Lincoln College. Representatives from Bell Decorating Group and Crown Paints were on hand to answer any questions the students had. Alongside Bell Decorating Group CEO, Craig Bell, Crown’s contractor/specification sales manager for the central east region, Paul Burton, and Dave Hooper, regional sales manager central east attended the full session. As part of the event, 27 full-time learners from the college’s painting and decorating courses had the opportunity to learn more about how to choose colour and the factors that play into it from Crown Paints’ colour consultant Jemma Saunders. Apprentice Decorator of the Year judge Kevin O’Donnell was also on hand to provide a demonstration of paint application, showing the benefits of Crown Trade primers, the Fastflow system and Clean Extreme and provided hints and tips. Crown also donated products for the students to practice with after. Paul Wilcockson, lecturer at Lincoln College, said: “The session gave our learners a real insight into what painting and decorating is all about in the real world. The event created a real impression upon them afterwards, and our full-time learners seemed to be very motivated and keen to progress with their tasks following the workshops.” Crown Paints’ colour consultant, Jemma, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the Bell Decorating Academy at Lincoln College, and I very much enjoyed meeting the students and encouraging them to think about how to apply their knowledge of colour to real-world situations where they might be called on to advise their clients.” Bell Decorating Group’s Les Birtles, community engagement co-ordinator said: “The Bell Decorating Academy at Lincoln College is designed to support the painting and decorating students to gain valuable knowledge and fantastic work experience placements. It’s great to work collaboratively with Crown Paints again to give the students valuable knowledge and the hands-on nature of the morning helped them to improve their skills and their employability.” For more information on Crown Paints’ specification services, please call 0330 024 0310, email info@crownpaintspec.co.uk or visit www.crownpaintspec.co.uk. You can also follow @CrownTradePaint on Twitter and Crown Paints on LinkedIn.
Ibstock Brick has been shortlisted for The Inspire Awards which celebrate diversity and inclusion in the construction, engineering and housing sectors in the UK. The leading brick manufacturer, part of Ibstock plc, has been named as a finalist in the Most Inspiring Apprenticeship Programme category. Ibstock Brick offers two engineering apprenticeship programmes, both four years in duration; Advanced Mechanical Engineering and Advanced Electrical Engineering. There are currently 35 apprentices within the business, ranging from 16 to 25 years old, including two female engineering apprentices. One of these is Courtney Scarlett, a Dual Engineering Apprentice. She says: “I wanted to do something where I could use my practical skills rather than just learning about the theory behind it. An engineering apprenticeship allows me to do exactly that. Women are still a minority in engineering, and this is why I love working in an engineering team and showing other people that women can also be successful in a male-dominated field.” Paula Wardle, Group Learning & Development Manager at Ibstock plc, commented: “We are delighted that Ibstock Brick has been shortlisted for the Most Inspiring Apprenticeship Programme. It recognises the investment we have made in developing a comprehensive programme focussed on delivering world-class engineering skills and knowledge. As a building products manufacturer, our apprentice population currently reflects the traditional nature of the industry, yet we are working hard to encourage a more diverse range of apprenticeship applications, and are proud of the steps we are taking. “Our apprenticeship scheme has gone from strength to strength, and ensures that we create a pool of engineering and technical specialists who will help drive forward innovation and manufacturing excellence. It is only by nurturing our future talent that we will have people with the technical expertise and skills to manufacture our products for years to come.” The winners of The Inspire Awards will be announced on June 5th at The Hilton, Deansgate in Manchester.
Waterloo Air Products plc is investing in an 18-month professional development programme for a group of employees from all disciplines within the company. Run in conjunction with Accelerator Solutions, the initiative is designed specifically to develop the skill sets that Waterloo will require as it continues to expand, creating a group that is ready for the future challenges the business will face. The participants were selected on the basis of an initial assessment as to suitability, aptitude and potential to benefit from the programme. The content is broad-based, from analytical skills and the application of technology, through to emotional intelligence and communication. The benefits will not just be for the business. The goal is to increase employee satisfaction and generate a positive impact on customer service. Managing Director at Waterloo, John Tiernan, says: “Customer service is the main focus for Waterloo as we move forward. We know that the key factor in delivering exceptional customer service is having experienced and happy employees. This course is designed to really support and challenge our people to help drive innovative customer solutions into the future.” Heidi Daniell, Director of the providers of the training programme, Accelerator Solutions, adds: “It’s fantastic to be working with Waterloo Air Products. We aim to not only benefit Waterloo’s employees but positively impact the organisation. Accelerator delivers high-impact training and development programmes to clients in a range of sectors. We’ve found that these programmes really help organisations to strengthen skill sets, and build a culture based on shared vision and values with team members at all levels as well as customers and stakeholders.”
Four new appointments have taken place at This Land™, who appointed established property leaders as Non-Executive Directors. Susan Freeman, David Meek, Jeremy Miller and Richard Steer join the company with significant experience in various aspects of the property industry. Susan Freeman is one of the UK’s foremost property lawyers, with a wealth of knowledge and influence in the real estate sector as recognised by her ranking as “The Woman Who Knows Everyone” in Bisnow’s ‘The 51 Most Influential Women in UK Real Estate’. Susan’s breadth of experience and extensive property industry network will be a welcome asset for This Land™. She joins as a Non-Executive Director by David Meek who holds over 30 years of senior executive and board experience in Tier 1 global financial institutions, real estate and technology companies, such as JP Morgan and Citi, currently serving as a Non-Executive Director in the Middle East on the Board of one of the region’s leading retail banks and asset managers. Led by Chairman Steven Norris, This Land’s™ Board will also be bolstered by the appointment of Jeremy Miller and Richard Steer. Jeremy has served as Non-Executive Director and Chairman for a raft of innovative businesses related to property and finance, including Countryside Properties and Centerview Partners, whilst acting as a trusted advisor to many FTSE100/250 companies. Richard Steer is renowned for having spearheaded the growth of property consultancy, Gleeds, into a major global brand, increasing UK turnover more than six-fold in the process. Richard was recognised in 2017 as Building Magazine’s Personality of the Year. “I am both delighted and incredibly excited that This Land™ has secured the services of such an established group of industry leaders as we continue to grow and develop the business. Susan, David, Jeremy and Richard are all towering figures in their respective fields, bringing a breadth of top–level experience and their own invaluable specialist insights to support This Land’s™ growth ambitions,” commented David Gelling, Managing Director of This Land™. “As Managing Director it will be of immense value to me to be able to call on such a high level of expertise to the business as we forge an exciting future for the company. We believe in long term value and seek to fulfil our mission to deliver new homes and neighbourhoods that will reinvigorate the quality and reputation of UK housebuilding,” he added.
