South West Construction Summit will highlight ‘An Industry of Opportunity’

One of the major events of the year for the region’s construction industry takes place next week as Dame Judith Hackitt, author of the Hackitt Review following the Grenfell tragedy, heads an impressive list of speakers at this year’s Constructing Excellence South West Construction Summit.

Industry leaders and professionals with gather online for the event, titled ‘An Industry of Opportunity’, on Wednesday, May 26^th. It comes as construction faces unprecedented challenges in the shape of quality and compliance, post Grenfell, and how it responds to climate change, but also huge opportunities with building and infrastructure at the heart of the Government’s post-COVID Roadmap to Recovery.

The keynote address will be given by Fergus Harradence, Deputy Director for Infrastructure and Construction at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). In addition to Dame Judith, speakers and topics will include:

• Lynne Sullivan RIBA, Chair of the Good Homes Alliance and member of the Government-backed Green Construction Board, who will be addressing the critical net zero agenda.
• A look at the economy, post COVID-19 and Brexit, with Noble Francis, Economics Director at the Construction Products Association & Honorary Professor at the Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, UCL.
• An update on the Government’s Construction Playbook by event sponsors, Southern Construction Framework.

Constructing Excellence South West (CESW) leads the change agenda in construction regionally as part of Construction Excellence’s national mission to improve the industry’s performance and produce a better built environment.

Andrew Carpenter, CEO of Constructing Excellence South West, said: “This year’s CESW Construction Summit comes at pivotal time for the industry regionally and nationally. As construction helps lead the post-COVID recovery, now is the time to harness the lessons learned during the pandemic, and from Grenfell, and to position ourselves as pioneers in tacking the challenge of our lifetimes which is climate change.

“I am delighted we have such an impressive and inspirational line-up of speakers, all leaders in their field, and I look forward to them sharing their knowledge with CESW members and guests and helping reinforce the can-do attitude we have in the South West towards positive change in our industry. All-in-all it is a must-attend event for all South West construction professionals.”