Building Resilience: Construction in an uncertain world

Victoria Hills is Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). She comes into this role having previously served as CEO of the Royal Town Planning Institute and with more than 25 years of experience in senior leadership roles. Her previous experiences have most recently been in the membership sector, covering planning, transport, regeneration and regional government. Working for all three Mayors of London, her projects included establishment of the UK’s second Mayoral Development Corporation, the Old Oak & Park Royal Development Corporation. While at the Royal Town Planning Institute, she advocated for resourcing planning and putting the discipline at the heart of delivery for quality places. She also drove the RTPI’s Strategic Plan for their 27,000 members, both domestically and globally, raising the profile of the work of planners and supporting efforts to attract a diverse and inclusive profession. In her time at the RTPI, Victoria oversaw an 8% growth in membership. Victoria currently sits on the Advisory Board of Black Professionals In Construction (BPIC) and the Transport Knowledge Hub Advisory Board. Victoria also is a Commissioner on the Essex Climate Action Commission and is a member of the Worshipful Company of Paviors. In 2024, Victoria was awarded an Honorary Degree Doctor of Technology.

Professor Saul Humphrey MSc PhD FRICS FCIOB FICE MCIArb FRSA CEnv is the Managing Partner of his own consultancy practice eponymously named as Saul D Humphrey LLP - B Corp (certified). The Practice exclusively Project manages sustainable construction projects. Saul is also Professor of Sustainable Construction at Anglia Ruskin University. He is also the Chair of the Institute of Directors (Norfolk). Saul is also Chair of Building Growth (the construction, housing and property development sector group covering Norfolk and Suffolk). Saul is also a Non Executive Director of Great Yarmouth Borough Council's housing development/property companies, Equinox Property Holdings Limited and Equinox Enterprises Limited; Non-Executive Director/Independent Member of Norwich City Council’s East Norwich Strategic Regeneration Area (ENSRA) Delivery Board; and he is the Managing Director (Designate) of Human Nature (Hethel). Saul is a Member of the United Kingdom Green Building Council; Suffolk Sustainability Institute (University of Suffolk); Norfolk Net Zero Advisory Board; a Construction Leadership Council CO2nstructZero Business Partner; and Trustee of Construction East. Saul also volunteers for Sounding Board, Norfolk ProHelp and is an Ambassador Good for Good. Prior to his current portfolio of leadership positions, Saul used to lead privately owned, R G Carter Construction in the East of England  before he became Managing Director (Construction - East) for Morgan Sindall PLC. Saul’s core purpose is to shift the paradigm towards more sustainable development. Saul was awarded the Chartered Institute of Building’s National “Sustainability Award” earlier this year.

Emma is the Chief Executive of the Climate Change Committee, the UK’s national climate advisor. The body advises on the country’s Carbon Budgets and Climate Change Risk Assessments and does annual assessments of the Government’s progress. 

As CEO of the World Green Building Council, Cristina Gamboa leads a network of 80+ national Green Building Councils (GBCs) which represents 51,000+ companies. Together, this network is championing scalable solutions and effective local advocacy to secure the sustainable transformation of the built environment. An economist with extensive experience in sustainability, public policy and multi-stakeholder collaboration, Cristina works to align business, government and communities to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon, resilient built environment and deliver economic, social and environmental value at scale. She regularly contributes to global climate advocacy through the UN Climate Summits and other international platforms. Cristina is also committed to personal wellbeing and finds inspiration in yoga, nature and volunteer work. Cristina is from Colombia and resides in London, UK.  

Julie has 25+ years of experience leading the sustainability transformation of UK’s property and construction sectors across private, public and third sector roles. She is currently enjoying a portfolio of non-executive directorships - including roles on the Boards of Willmott Dixon Holdings Ltd; Thriving Investments (part of Places for People Group); and the Kings Cross Group. She is also Special Advisor to various boards, and a Trustee of charity Blueprint for Better Business. Until June 2023 Julie was the Chief Executive of the UK Green Building Council where, during her tenure, the organisation transformed in scale and profile to become the building industry’s voice on net zero and sustainability. Prior to UKGBC, Julie was the UK Head of Sustainability at JLL, a role she took following JLL’s acquisition of a strategic sustainability consulting practice called Upstream that Julie had co-founded and jointly managed. Julie is married with two sons and lives in Buckinghamshire.

Amanda is Head of Environmental Sustainability at the Chartered Institute of Building, as well as a Subject Matter Specialist (sustainability) for Ofqual and a Full Membership and Chartered Environmentalist Assessor for the Institute of Sustainability & Environmental Professionals (ISEP). She sits on various industry boards and committees including the Construction Industry Council’s Climate Change Committee. She has worked as a sustainability practitioner for over 20 years and has broad experience, having previously worked in the higher education, land and facilities management, defence, and manufacturing sectors as well as on policy and regional liaison for a member of the European Parliament. She is a Chartered Environmentalist and Fellow of the Institute of Sustainability & Environmental Professionals (ISEP).

Dr Ben Smith is a senior climate adaptation expert with 18 years’ experience working on climate risk management and strategy for a range of clients including UK local authorities, IFIs, UK Government Departments, and Infrastructure providers. He has particular expertise in climate risk assessment and supporting organisations to develop adaptation strategies, and has supported local authorities including Gloucestershire, Surrey, WECA an WMCA on climate adaptation, and major cities including Cairo, Alexandria and Addis Ababa to identify adaptation investments. Ben led the development of the Estates Adaptation Framework for the Cabinet Office, which provides comprehensive guidance on climate risk assessment and adaptation planning to ensure consistency in departmental estates adaptation strategies. He has subsequently led the development of climate adaptation strategies for the UK Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and The Pensions Regulator. He is a member of the Bristol Advisory Committee on Climate Change, providing independent technical advice to the City of Bristol in the implementation of its Net Zero and climate resilience goals and leads the Climate Resilience Working Group. He is also on the board of Bristol Climate Nature Partnership, with an emphasis on community resilience. 
 

Dr Bruce Chong is a Fellow and Director at Arup, leading climate resilience, smart city, and sustainable urban development initiatives across Asia Pacific.  He is recognized for advancing climate-resilient cities through integrating digital technologies, infrastructure planning, and smart city strategies.  He established Arup’s Centre of Excellence for Climate Modelling and founded the Asia Corporate Coalition for Climate Resilience (A4CR) to help organizations translate climate risks into actionable strategies.  His work includes major initiatives such as the Kowloon East smart city district plan and key digital platforms including CSDI, 3D Digital Map, Digital Twin Standards, and ICWP.  Bruce advises global institutions including the World Bank, IFC, ADB, and AIIB.  A Fellow of ICE, IET, CIBSE and HKIE, Bruce serves on multiple industry and policy committees, including as Director of the Hong Kong Green Building Council (HKGBC); Vice Chair of the Real Estate & Infrastructure Committee at the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC); Co-Chair of the Real Estate Working Group at the Hong Kong Green Finance Association (HKGFA); Committee Member of the ESG Group at the Financial Services Development Council (FSDC); Working Group Member on Engineering & Climate Change at the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO); and Council Member of the Appointment Advisory Board at the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC).  His book Smart Green Resilient was published in 2016 by Hong Kong University Press.  His latest book, Addressing Climate Risk in Coastal Urban Areas of East and Southeast Asia: Connecting Climate Science, Engineering and Finance, was published during COP30 in November 2025.

Sam is Ecologi's Director of Climate Science and Impact, responsible for grounding Ecologi's products and consultancy services in climate science and industry best practice. He also provides climate and sustainability expertise and strategic guidance to Ecologi and its clients. Sam's work focuses primarily on building the enabling conditions for high-integrity corporate climate action. He regularly works with UK policymakers and is an advisor to a number of industry bodies and working groups, including advising the BSI Flex 3030 Standard for Net-Zero Transition Plans for SMEs. He represents Ecologi on the techUK Climate Council and in the Carbon Markets Innovation Forum, among others. Sam has a varied background in climate science, international operations, sustainable development, and environmental governance. Across his career, he has worked in the charity and sustainable tourism sectors as well as in climate policy and corporate sustainability. He is a Full Member (MISEP) of the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals, a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) with the Society for the Environment, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. 
 

Tom is a Sustainability Manager within Willmott Dixon's central Building Performance team, where his day-to-day work centres on post-occupancy evaluation and operational energy monitoring. Across a portfolio of schools, leisure centres, healthcare facilities, care homes and commercial buildings, he helps project teams and customers understand where energy is really being used, and how that compares to what was originally designed. Tom is the operational lead for EnergySynergy®, Willmott Dixon's in-house building performance monitoring service. Rather than leaving performance data to sit unread, he's focused on turning it into something that tells a story — spotting patterns, flagging inefficiencies early, and enabling action before small issues become bigger ones. Tom holds an MSc in Architectural Engineering and a First-Class BEng in Civil and Structural Engineering. He is a Chartered Passivhaus Designer, having previously worked as a Passivhaus consultant for WARM, and is an Associate Member of the Energy Institute. He remains focused on closing the gap between design intent and in-use performance, making building data genuinely useful for the people who manage buildings every day.
 

Doug Drewniak is a leading sustainability practitioner at Willmott Dixon, driving real-world improvements in building performance and net zero delivery. With a decade of hands-on expertise, he provides central technical support across Passivhaus, near-zero, and net zero carbon projects through all delivery stages—from design through post-occupancy verification. A certified Passivhaus designer, Doug is instrumental in closing the UK's building performance gap through Energy Synergy®, Willmott Dixon's CIBSE award-winning post-occupancy performance optimisation service. Deployed across 50+ projects, Energy Synergy® uses continuous monitoring and expert analysis to bridge the gap between design intent and operational reality. On projects tracked through Willmott Dixon's Coolplanet dashboard, the service has delivered an average of 15% better-than-designed performance, generating substantial cost and carbon savings. Doug actively shapes industry standards and best practice. He is a member of the Passivhaus Trust Technical Panel and Education Steering Group, contributed to task group 1a developing the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard and its pilot programme, and continues to participate in the Pathfinder programme. He holds an MSc in Advanced Structural Engineering and a BSc in Civil Engineering.
 

Dr Ben Roberts is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Healthy Buildings at Loughborough University, UK. His research focuses on building design and operation to ensure indoor environments are healthy and comfortable. In the UK, Ben manages an experimental facility: the Loughborough Matched Pair test houses which are currently being used to evaluate the performance of shading devices. Internationally, Ben’s work in mainly based in Ghana where he has built four test houses, and conducted field studies on extreme heat and indoor air quality in homes, schools, and hospitals.

Toby is an Associate Architect with Article 25, an architectural NGO working around the world to design and deliver meaningful projects. With a background in sustainable design and development, Toby honed his skills working with Indian NGO SEEDS in post-disaster reconstruction in the Indian Himalayas, and later with Jestico + Whiles in the UK. Since 2017 he has led on a series of projects for Article 25 across Africa and Asia, including the project with Collège Amadou Hampaté Bâ in Niger. Toby has a deep interest in natural, sustainable building materials, and in the adaptation of vernacular technologies to meet the challenges of construction in a rapidly changing world.
 

I am Mr. Felix Odhiambo Akello, 36 years old Kenyan male from Homabay County Born on 9th September, 1989 in Kisumu; currently working within the County Government of Kisumu since 2016 to date. I believe in a meritocracy, liberty and sustainability. My current role is Energy Planning/Chief Heat/Resource Mobilization Officer and M&E Focal. I have grown up in Mombasa and Kisumu County where I currently work. Additionally, I am a steering committee member (2025-2027) with the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction and also regional steering Committee (2025-2028) Connective Cities’. I have affiliation to several multi-nationals including World Resources Institute, United Nations Environment Program, United Nations Development Program, International Energy Agency, AFREC, AU, UNFCC and GIZ. I am linked to actions within the Paris Agreement, Montreal Protocol, Kigali Amendment, Rio declaration, Marrakech. All this towards delivering Kisumu County Roadmap 100% Renewable Energy Transition by 2050 with a focus on electricity, sustainable mobility, green buildings and Clean Cooking across sectors . In terms of experience I have worked with EU Funded ADOPT Push-Pull project, World Bank Mwangaza Mtaani Project, ZERB-Accelerator project and several energy and environment research affiliated institutions covering agriculture, road construction, energy and environment programs. Most of my work has been in Nyanza region since graduation. For a living I work as a civil servant but I’m also a farmer rearing alpine goats, sheep, dairy cattle and chicken from the village. As a circular economy enthusiast, also have a liking for orchards development and planting. My career goal is to become a policy professional governance, energy and environment topics for sustainable development. Given a chance I’d spend my money in philanthropy and sustainable community elevation projects. What most people don’t know is that I never crawled from the story my mum tells. In essence I believe changing communities should start with the functional and sustainable households as a way of managing and repairing the national social fabric in African societies.

Gemma serves as Head of Asset Optimisation at Orbit, playing a key role in the development and implementation of the organisation's data-driven retrofit and decarbonisation strategy. She holds qualifications as a Domestic Energy Assessor, Retrofit Assessor, and Retrofit Coordinator. Gemma is a recent graduate of Loughborough University with an MSc in Low Energy Building Services Engineering, where her dissertation focused on climate adaptation and employed dynamic thermal simulation to evaluate impacts on social housing and vulnerable populations based on current and forecasted climate projections. Additionally, Gemma is a Board Member of the Sustainable Housing Action Partnership.

Linda Goodridge, FCIOB, FAPM, PMP, is a built environment professional from the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat with 16 years of experience in architecture, construction, project delivery, and infrastructure development across the Caribbean. She previously served as Chief Architect for the Government of Montserrat, where she led the planning, design, and delivery of key public infrastructure and housing projects. Throughout her career, she has contributed to a wide range of housing, public building, community development, and resilience-focused initiatives in both the public and private sectors. Her experience spans the full project lifecycle, from planning and design through construction and programme delivery, with a particular interest in resilient infrastructure and sustainable development. Linda currently lives and works in Barbados and is part of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), supporting regional resilience initiatives. 

Dr. Zahra Jandaghian is the Nature-Based Solutions Lead and Senior Policy and Technical Advisor at the National Research Council Canada (NRC). She holds a Ph.D. in Building Engineering from Concordia University and serves as an Adjunct Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University.
With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Jandaghian leads national and international initiatives focused on climate resilience, nature-based solutions, passive cooling, sustainable infrastructure, and high-performance buildings. She collaborates closely with federal departments, municipalities, standards organizations, industry leaders, and academic institutions to advance policies, standards, guidelines, and implementation frameworks that support sustainable and climate-resilient communities.
Dr. Jandaghian is Co-Lead of  Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB)  Task Group TG97, "Nature-Based Solutions for Climate-Resilient Buildings and Communities", coordinating a network of experts from more than 25 countries. She also collaborates with UNEP, GlobalABC, the Cool Coalition, and international climate resilience and passive cooling initiatives. In addition, she serves as Director-at-Large of the Southern Ontario Chapter of the International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC), contributing to professional leadership, governance, and knowledge mobilization across the building industry.
 

With over 25 years professional experience in nature conservation, Sam is a recognised subject matter expert in the protection, management and restoration of the natural environment. As the ecology, biodiversity, and arboriculture discipline lead for Balfour Beatty, Sam has extensive experience in the delivery of environmental mitigation and habitat enhancement on projects of all scales. Sam's focus is the strategic advancement of the nature agenda across the construction sector, promoting and developing methods for realising a nature-positive transition beyond business as usual.

Dr Macarena Cárdenas is Senior Advisor for Resilience and Nature at the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), where she leads national initiatives that integrate climate resilience and nature into the built environment, including the UK's Climate Resilience Roadmap and the Framework for a Nature Positive Built Environment. She works across industry, government and academia to shape practical strategies that help create places that are more resilient, nature positive and better prepared for a changing climate.
With over 15 years of environmental research and nearly a decade of experience in urban and built environment sustainability, Macarena brings expertise in resilience, nature, systems thinking and collaborative leadership to help turn environmental ambition into lasting impact.
 

Luke Rootham is Multi-Functional Roof Finishes Product Manager at Axter Ltd, where he leads the development and integration of innovative roofing solutions that combine waterproofing, green roofs, blue roofs, solar PV and other roofscape technologies to create more sustainable, resilient buildings. Working closely with designers, contractors and industry bodies, Luke is passionate about delivering practical nature-based solutions that enhance biodiversity, manage stormwater, improve climate resilience and maximise the long-term value of the built environment. Through his involvement in industry collaboration and knowledge sharing, he advocates for multifunctional roof design as a key component of resilient, future-ready communities. Luke is delighted to join the CIOB panel to discuss how green infrastructure can help shape a more sustainable built environment.

Eszter Gulacsy is Technical Director for Sustainability & Climate Change at Mott MacDonald, with more than 20 years' experience helping organisations and project teams respond to complex sustainability and climate-related challenges across the built environment. She works across sustainability strategy, climate resilience, circular economy and asset performance, supporting clients to translate emerging risks, policy and regulatory requirements into practical action.
Her work spans major infrastructure, real estate and masterplanning programmes, where she helps clients strengthen resilience to climate change while delivering wider environmental, social and economic value. She is particularly interested in the relationship between long-term resilience, systems thinking and sustainable development, enabling organisations to move beyond compliance and embed adaptation into decision-making, design and delivery.
Alongside her project work, Eszter is an active contributor to industry guidance, professional committees and thought leadership initiatives. She is passionate about helping the built environment sector accelerate its response to climate risk and create more resilient buildings, infrastructure and communities for the future.
 

Dr Vanessa Champion is founder and editor of The Journal of Biophilic Design, an international media and publishing platform dedicated to bridging the gap between research and practice in biophilic and nature-inspired design. Through publishing, broadcasting and live events, the Journal explores how the built environment can better support the health and wellbeing of people and planet. Originally an academic at University College London with a PhD in Greek and Latin, Ness also worked at the British Museum, where her interest developed in how environments, culture and visual experience shape human behaviour and flourishing. Her career later expanded into publishing, editorial and broadcast media, culminating in editing a London newspaper before founding her own media company. Under Ness’s direction, The Journal of Biophilic Design has become a global platform for conversations around design, wellbeing and sustainability, publishing international case studies and evidence demonstrating how biophilic design principles and patterns of nature can positively influence health, cognition, recovery and environmental resilience. The Journal reaches an international audience across architecture, interiors, landscape, workplace, healthcare and urban design, with over 30,000 monthly podcast listeners and worldwide distribution of its print and digital editions to designers, architects, planners, specifiers and policymakers. Ness is also founder of the Biophilic Design Conference, first launched at the Barbican Centre in 2024, bringing together leading voices from design, science and industry to explore the future of nature-led design. Alongside her publishing work, she is an artist and professional photographer creating immersive “Virtual Nature Walls” for healthcare, education and workplace environments, and founder of the not-for-profit PhotoAid Global Foundation.