CIOB Chartered Company & Client Forum 2026 - Client Champions

Steve has worked as a commercial consultant for over 30 years and is a founding partner of GVE Commercial Solutions. He is an NEC advisor/trainer, expert practitioner, contract claims specialist and is the commercial lead for his clients in adjudication management and commercial/risk management. He has worked on a wide range of projects requiring legal interpretation including acting as an advocate witness, preparation of adjudication submissions, examination of detailed claim documentation and production of bespoke contract suites containing main and subcontracts. He has assisted in drafting legal papers for barristers in litigation and mediation. He is an NEC specialist having authored numerous published articles in the NEC newsletter and other high profile industry-recognised publications. He has also co-authored articles with solicitor practitioners, barristers, and national organisations such as the Met Office.

Matt is an experienced director, commercial manager and quantity surveyor with over 30 years’ industry experience spanning healthcare, education, residential and mixed-use building projects; working with clients, contractors and specialist subcontractors to provide commercial and contractual guidance and support. Matt specialises in JCT, NEC and bespoke contracts advising clients in risk management, claims and disputes, negotiations, mediation and adjudication as well as being involved in practical day-to-day commercial management. He is also a JCT trainer, delivering training workshops to main contractors and specialist contractors.

Carlo Gibbs is Chief of Staff to the Small Business Commissioner, leading the team that supports Emma Jones CBE, the current Commissioner, in her role. Carlo oversees the delivery of the OSBC's free and impartial complaints service for small businesses experiencing late payments, the administration of the government-backed Fair Payment Code, which rewards best practice for commercial payments in the private sector, and is currently preparing the OSBC for further enforcement powers to tackle late payments, a key measure proposed in the Commercial Payments Bill.

Ola Obadara is the Senior Vice President of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) ) and a CIOB Client Champion since 2023.  With more than 25 years’ experience in property development, she is Group Director for Property Projects at the City of London Corporation, where she oversees construction projects across the City. contributing to industry leadership, policy development, and professional standards. She also serves as a Board Member at London South Bank University, supporting skills development and future talent pipelines into the built environment. She has a passion for sustainable development, and her key theme is research, innovation and technology in the construction industry.

Sam is the author of Brunel’s Bees: Creating a Flourishing Built Environment. He is a leader in construction programme management, sustainability and innovation with 25+ years’ experience delivering complex, high value projects across the public and private sectors. He has a unique perspective on the built environment, having served on the boards of the Building Research Establishment, the Construction Innovation Hub, InnovationRCA, National Platform for Construction and the Active Building Centre. He combines technical know-how with degrees from some of the world’s leading universities: Architecture from Cambridge, Engineering from Imperial College, and an MBA from Henley Business School.  

From 2018 to 2022 he led the Transforming Construction Challenge on behalf of the UK Government. This four-year, £420 million programme was a key part of the UK's post-Brexit Industrial Strategy, delivering cost, time and sustainability improvements for the sector. He is a Director of A7C, delivering digital transformation, modern methods of construction, and major programme performance. 

James is a senior ESG and real estate professional with deep expertise in built-asset sustainability, certification, and strategic advisory. He advises real estate owners, investors, and asset managers on resilience strategy and built-asset sustainability. With extensive experience across certification, consultancy, and portfolio-level delivery, he helps clients embed ESG into real assets in a way that is commercially robust and operationally practical. He specialises in low-carbon and net-zero strategies for existing portfolios, alongside benchmarking, performance KPIs, and wider ESG frameworks impacting the built environment. Combining deep technical expertise with strong commercial acumen, James works closely with senior stakeholders to turn sustainability ambition into measurable performance and long-term value.