Architect Becomes President of the Chartered Institute of Building

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has for only the second time in its 174 year history elected an architect as President.

Keith Pickavance, who is a Senior Vice President for Hill International, has become the CIOB's 105th President.

Commenting on his appointment, Keith said, ‘The built environment is a fantastic and challenging industry to be involved in, and to be honoured by its leading professional body in this way is very humbling.

‘The CIOB is a community of professionalss working across the built environment not bound by geography or discipline, and that gives us a uniqueness that I am proud of and truly reflects the diversity this industry supports.

‘There will no doubt continue to be familiar issues for future President's of the CIOB. There are other topics that we as an industry are facing. Some grab more headlines in the media than others for obvious reasons. But two that I think need more awareness are population ageing and time management.

‘We know that population ageing is pervasive, in fact it's a global phenomenon affecting everyone - but countries are at various stages of the process, and the pace of change differs greatly. Those that have started the process later will have less time to adjust. For the built environment that has an impact on the use, lifecycle and design of our buildings.

‘Time related risk and the analysis of delay and disruption are parts of my everyday job as a specialist so its no coincidence that I am interested in how the industry manages it's time. The research that we recently launched at the House of Commons shows that on the whole complex construction projects in the UK are likely to be finished more than six months late, due to poor time control. The results indicate that the growth in training, education and skill levels within the industry in the use of time-management techniques has not kept pace with the technology available.

‘There is a role for us to play here and we will provide standards in effective time control by facilitating education and accreditation. On top of that there is a need for us to promote an increased awareness of the importance of project planning and scheduling in the industry.’

Renny Borhan, Hill International's managing director for the EMEA region, said: ‘To be named president of the CIOB is a real achievement both for Keith personally and for Hill International as a company.

‘Over 30 years, Keith has built up a global reputation as an authority on construction management and disputes and for promoting professional standards within the industry.

‘With his extraordinary experience and expertise, I believe Keith will bring a new focus to the position in terms of his commitment to implementing better time management practices, improving efficiency in the industry and avoiding disputes.

‘This role will enable him to wider impart this expertise and I can think of no better ambassador for the industry on both a professional and personal level.’

Keith is an architect with construction management experience. He is the author of 'Delay and Disruption in Construction Contracts' (3rd Edition 2005) and 'Construction Law and Management' (2007). Keith has had numerous articles published in leading technical and legal journals and regularly contributes papers on delay and disruption related issues.

His academic qualifications include a Diploma in Architecture, an honours degree of Bachelor of Laws, and a Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration. He is currently a Fellow of the British Academy of Experts, a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Arbitrators, an international associate of the American Bar Association, a Member of the Project Management Institute and a Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

As an expert he has been appointed on over 400 occasions in a broad variety of cases involving such diverse projects as housing, shipping, IT supply, oil and gas, road rail and air transport, multi -storey buildings, power generation plants, hospitals, commercial and industrial buildings, petro-chemical and other process plants.

He has given evidence in a broad variety of civil courts and both domestic and international tribunals on more than 20 occasions over a period of 30 years as a testifying expert and has sat as an arbitrator, adjudicator or mediator on over 80 occasions.

The newly elected CIOB Board of Trustees are:-
• Professor Li Shirong FCIOB elected as Senior Vice President
• James Wates FCIOB elected as Vice President
• Peter Jacobs FCIOB elected as Vice President
• John Bale PPCIOB
• Henry Butler FCIOB
• Alan Crane FCIOB
• Colin France FCIOB
• Barry Grimes FCIOB
• Stuart Henderson PPCIOB
• Richard Humphrey FCIOB
• Paul Nash MCIOB
• Kevin Sheridan FCIOB
• Eric Stokes MCIOB
• Gill Trodden FCIOB
• Michael Yam FCIOB
• Martin Chambers PPCIOB - Co-opted

Further information on the CIOB Board of Trustees is available at:- http://www.ciob.org.uk/about/boardoftrustees