CIOB ACADEMIC SUMMIT: Creating an inclusive global community

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. 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. 

Abdullahi Saka is Professor of Sustainable Digital Construction and Enterprise at Westminster Business School, University of Westminster, where he serves as a Director at the Centre for the Study of the Production of the Built Environment (ProBE). He is a Chartered Construction Manager. His research focuses on responsible artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and sustainability in the built environment, with a portfolio exceeding £2.5 million in funded projects. He has over 70 publications, including industry reports and proceedings. He leads the Responsible AI for the Built Environment (RAI4BE) Hub and AI4QS initiative. He holds a PhD in Construction Engineering and Management from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. 

Dr Mohammad Mayouf is an Associate Professor in Digital Built Environment at Birmingham City University, where he leads teaching, research and industry engagement across BIM, digital construction and emerging technologies. He is the Academic Lead for Teaching and Learning and has extensive experience in curriculum development, professional accreditation and international partnership building. His research focuses on digital transformation, artificial intelligence, information management, socio-technical systems and workforce readiness in the built environment. Mohammad has led and contributed to national and international conferences, education innovation projects and industry collaborations, strengthening knowledge exchange across the UK, Middle East, Europe, Asia and beyond. 

Dr Amal Abuzeinab is an interdisciplinary architectural academic and advisor at the institute for sustainable futures, De Montfort University, UK. She is a senior fellow of advance higher education. Amal is an academic co-lead for education for sustainable development and United Nations SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) Impact Fellow. Amal is recognised internationally for her work on sustainable development implementation within higher education and the built environment sectors. 

Muhammad Shoaib Khan is working as a Postdoctoral Researcher, specializing in the convergence of smart technologies for the development of digital twins of infrastructure. His expertise lies in building semantically rich and realistic built environments through ontologies, twin modeling, BIM–GIS integration, LLM-driven IFC data processing, immersive VR-based visualization, and multimodal human–machine interaction. He has strong experience in designing scalable system architectures that bridge physical and digital environments by integrating advanced sensing technologies (e.g., laser scanners, cameras, drones, and IoT sensors) with intelligent software ecosystems, including AI, large language models, BIM, GIS, game engines, and knowledge-based systems. Muhammad’s work focuses on improving efficiency, productivity, and safety in construction and infrastructure projects. 

Hamidreza Abootalebi Jahromi is a London-based project management and construction professional with experience in project coordination, operations, stakeholder engagement and business improvement. He holds an MSc in Construction Engineering Management from the University of East London and a Level 7 qualification in Construction Senior Management. His work spans construction delivery, research, event operations and community-focused initiatives. He is particularly interested in the practical use of artificial intelligence, digital tools and structured project systems to improve decision-making, efficiency and collaboration. Hamidreza is also an active researcher, mentor and event organiser. 

Dr Don Samuel is a RICH (Reflective, Innovative, Collaborative and Humanistic) Senior Lecturer with 8 ½ years of academic experience, 21 years of industry experience and 16 years of voluntary experience. His practice incorporates a passion for gamification , indelible positive student experiences and novel academic frameworks. In terms of academic qualifications, Dr Samuel is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK) with post graduate teaching certificates from two distinguished institutions: Harvard University (USA) and the University of Portsmouth (UK). In terms of industry qualifications, Dr Samuel is a Chartered Construction Manager with CIOB since 2024, Project Management Professional with PMI since 2008, and Member of the Association for Project Management since 2026.  
Dr Samuel has successfully managed over 200 construction projects with a net value of £60 million. He has 6 publications with 10 citations in 10 countries. He has over 120 days of continuing professional development. In the past he has planned and hosted over 30 seminars, 3 conferences and 10 media appearances. 

Fatemeh Mosleh is a London-based Full-Stack Developer with experience in React, C#, TypeScript, Python, SQL and AI-powered applications. She is a University of East London alumna and has experience working across software development, data and digital solutions. Fatemeh and Hamidreza collaborate on both professional and research-related projects, with a shared interest in the practical use of artificial intelligence, digital tools and data-driven approaches to improve project delivery, decision-making and collaboration.