FIS Regional Conference, Midlands
Faster, Greener and Better - Pipeline, Compliance and Innovation in the finishes and interiors sector (featuring Special Guest Speaker Andy Street, CBE, Mayor of the West Midlands)Date: 19 October 2022
Location: Library of Birmingham, Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2EA
2.00pm – Registration and refreshments
2.35 pm – Welcome and open – Richard Grimes, Grimes Finishing, FIS Board Director and Chair Midlands Region
2.40 pm – FIS Update – Iain McIlwee, CEO FIS
3.00 pm – A new compliance landscape in the wake of the Building Safety Act and overhaul of the Building Control process, Clive Everett, Technical Claims Surveying Manager, NHBC
3.30 pm – Pipeline and prospects for the Midlands Region – Andrew Street CBE, Mayor of the West Midlands
4.00 pm – Break
4.20 pm – Innovation and Change in the Finishes and Interiors Sector, Martin Aidie, Head of Quality, Balfour Beatty
4.40 pm – Reshaping Birmingham, Delivering Change Centred on Social Value and Sustainability, Simon Delahunty-Forrest, Assistant Director Development, Birmingham City Council
5.05 pm – Open Panel Discussion Transformation in the Finishes and Interiors Sector (joining Simon, Martin and Richard on the panel will be Professor Andrew Quinn BSc(Hons), PhD, PFHEA, FIMA, CMath, CSci, University of Birmingham)
5.40 pm – Close
6pm – Social event at Flight Club, Birmingham
Meet our speakers
Andrew Street CBE, Mayor of the West Midlands
Andy Street was elected Mayor of the West Midlands in 2017 and regained his seat in 2021. He is working to deliver his Renewal Plan for the region. His focus is creating new jobs and apprenticeships, delivering better transport and providing more homes – focusing on brownfield sites.
Before becoming Mayor, Andy combined a career at John Lewis, Britain’s most successful workers’ co-operative, with a host of high-profile economic development roles, working with local and national government. Starting on the John Lewis graduate scheme, Andy rose through the ranks to become managing director, overseeing one of the most successful periods in the company’s history.
Additionally, he has been lead non-executive director for the Department for Communities and Local Government as well as a member of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group.
In June 2015, Andy was awarded the CBE for services to the national economy. He was named ‘Most Admired Leader’ by business magazine, Management Today in 2014 and received the ‘President’s award’ from the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce for his work in the region. He holds three honorary degrees from Birmingham City University, Aston University and the University of Birmingham.
Simon Delahunty-Forrest, Assistant Director Development, Birmingham City Council
Martin Aidie, Head of Quality, Balfour Beatty
Clive Everett, Technical Claims Surveying Manager, NHBC
During his 34 years of diverse experience, Clive has previously been engaged as Façade Technical Director at LABC Warranty & Premier Guarantee, and Technical Director at Saint Gobain and Façade Director at global multidisciplinary engineering consultancy practices CBRE, Ramboll and Gifford.
Clive has extensive technical knowledge and project management delivery experience. Supplying solutions to a wide range of complex projects in both new build and refurbishment sectors, in support of the residential, commercial, education and transportation industries.
Professor Andrew Quinn BSc(Hons), PhD, PFHEA, FIMA, CMath, CSci, University of Birmingham
Joining our Panel will be Professor Andrew Quinn is Professor of Climate Adaptation, bridging the disciplines of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science. His research focuses on the interactions between infrastructure, particularly rail and transport systems, renewable energy and extreme weather events/climate change and how these impact on the resilience of communities and services. Andrew was lead author of the International Union of Railways (UIC) climate change adaptation framework, helping railway organisations globally to improve their preparedness for extreme weather and climate impacts and has presented on the adaptation of transport systems at CoP24 and CoP26.
Andrew is Deputy Director of Education for the College of Engineering & Physical Sciences. The role provides strategic leadership for the College’s education delivery, particularly ensuring excellence through quality assurance and staff development. Andrew works closely with the University of Birmingham’s Higher Education Futures Institute to encourage and support pedagogic research, staff training and educational enhancement. Andrew’s educational research focuses on how students receive and perceive the feedback they are provided with during their courses in order to assist them in maximising their learning experience.
Mark Potter, Construction Shield Limited
To help manage risk and provide additional support to its members on insurance matters, FIS has partnered with specialist insurance consultants Construction Shield and AWL Homeproof Limited. Mark heads up the team at ConstructionShield and has a background in developing insurance products and has previously worked on mutual products with the NFU.