Our councils

The Nation Councils deliver on a significant call from industry through

our last Consensus consultation and Government through the ITB Review, for CITB’s governance to be more representative of the Industry it serves.

1. Each Nation Council is charged with enhancing the evidence base from which CITB forms and develops its Strategic Plan, to ensure that the Board is cognisant of key industry issues, concepts and opportunities affecting both the individual Nation and the collective Nations.  From this collective evidence base CITB will reflect and prioritise the issues, as appropriate, into the formation and implementation of the Plan for Careers, Standards and Qualifications and Training and Development delivery across the three Nations.
   
   
2. Government guidelines, legislative and regulatory mandates will inform and guide the work of the Nation Councils.
   
   
3. With particular reference to the individual Nation, the Council will: 

• Provide insight into the challenges and opportunities for the Nation it represents;
  
  
• Steer and influence the Board on development and effective delivery of the Strategic Plan encouraging adjustments to delivery to reflect unforeseen events/changes that impact on the Nation/industry more generally;
  
  
• Debate and offer constructive challenge in relation to proposed allocation of resource against competing industry priorities across Great Britain;
  
  
• Provide National perspective on construction skills gaps against agreed forecast needs.

Current Members (as at March 2020) are:
 
Seamus Keogh - CITB England Nation Council Chair
Seamus has 35 years of construction experience, with 30 years at the Clancy Group. He retired as CEO of Clancy Group in March 2019. As well as being the Chair of the CITB England Nation Council, he is also Chair of CIJC (Employers) Ltd, a member of the Mayor of London's Skills Board and Skills for Business Partnership, a Fellow of ICE, Chartered Member of IOSH and a Member of IEI.
 
Kevin McLoughlin - Managing Director, McLoughlin Group Holdings, and CITB Trustee

Diane Bourne - Managing Director - Eric Wright Civil Engineering & Group Technical Director
Leading one of the North West’s most respected civil engineering companies, Diane has over thirty years’ experience in the industry covering many roles including site agent, site manager, quality & environmental manager, contracts manager and various directorial positions. Diane qualified as a Civil and Structural Engineer and also holds a Diploma in Environmental Management. Diane has a strong desire to encourage other young people into the industry and has been instrumental in the establishment and development of the Eric Wright Learning Foundation. Now acting as its Chair, Diane works in partnership with Preston’s College providing opportunities to young adults from 14+ to support and guide them in choosing a career within the wider construction and civil engineering industry through vocational training. Outside her immediate work Diane is a Governor at Runshaw College and has served for more than 10 years as a member of CECA North West, serving as Vice Chairman and Chairman 2007-2009 and sitting on the CECA National board. In recognition of the diversity of the female business community, she has twice been recognised by Business Insider Magazine as one of the North West's "Women of Influence" and "Woman100".

Karen Brookes - Director of People & Infrastructure, Sir Robert McAlpine
Karen is an Executive Director with over 30 years’ experience in Human Resources in both the public and private sectors, supporting businesses in the consultancy, construction, retail and sales + marketing industries.

She has led and successfully implemented major business change programmes focussed on creating long term sustainable value through engagement and empowerment of employees and teams.

Deploying teams in some unusual, diverse and hazardous locations across the globe, she has gained invaluable experience in ensuring their safety and security in such locations as Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia and Nigeria, whilst ensuring project delivery for the client.

Karen is currently working as a Board Director with the construction company Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd, responsible for People and Infrastructure, including People, Property & Facilities and Marketing & Communications.

Chris Carr - Joint Managing Director of Carr & Carr (Builders) Ltd
Carr & Carr is a small family owned Housing Development Company established approximately 100 years ago in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire. Chris passed his City and Guilds in Carpentry & Joinery at Grimsby College before taking a JCB/digger course at Bircham Newton. He progressed to be a site manager in his mid-twenties and now runs the family business with his elder brother. Chris is on the Board of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Other roles Chris holds are: Construction Leadership Council Board Member (CLC), Director of the UK Business Council for Sustainable Development, Chairman & Secretary of the Grimsby District Builders Association, Chairman of the North East Lincolnshire Housing & Development Board, Advisor to the Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education’s Construction Industry Panel, and Member of the North Lincolnshire Construction Apprenticeship Partnership.

James Flannery - Owner of Cunard Construction Ltd
James is an experienced Company Director and current Chair of Constructing Excellence Liverpool City Region, with an entrepreneurial spirit and a unique mix of experience spanning 25 years in specialist market sectors in Construction, Education and Regeneration. He is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Building (MCIOB) and spent the formative years of his professional career with Balfour Beatty Construction, Tysons Construction and Thomas Armstrong Construction as an Engineer. He entered the Academic field as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire in 1998, Department of Built Environment. In 2004 he left the University for a sabbatical to manage the Construction Initiative in Liverpool, after which James established Atom Regeneration Ltd (2007). He grew the business and sold the company in September 2013. In 2015 he completed the Common Purpose International Leaders Award in India. Currently he is the owner of Cunard Construction Ltd and was elected as a Labour Councillor in May 2019. He is also an external examiner for Built Environment courses at Salford University, and sits on the Liverpool City Region Skills Commission for the Combined Authority and Metro Mayors office.

Andrew Harvey - Managing Director, Harvey Shopfitters Ltd
Harvey Shopfitters Ltd is a £50m per year national fitout contractor with offices in the South West and Scotland. The company was founded in 1983 but prior to that Andrew started work as a trainee quantity surveyor with a local building contractor. Andrew is also a Director of Grown in Britain, a not for profit based company which, working with government and the industry supply chain, aims to increase the supply of sustainable British timber.

Sharon Llewellyn - Risk Managements and Projects Director, JPR Roofing and Flooring Ltd
With a background of over 27 years in the NHS at both management and strategic level Sharon joined the building industry in 2010 to expand and develop her knowledge and experience in the private sector focusing on training, governance and risk management. With a reported national skill shortage, Sharon is passionate about developing a young, skilled workforce to support the future building infrastructure. She is currently working in partnership with CITB, schools, colleges, local businesses, building companies and manufacturers to raise the profile of the building industry and develop a programme whereby students aged 14 to 18 can prepare for and access apprenticeships and careers in construction. Through her experience in governance and business planning she can identify and prioritise opportunities across the building industry and work through a strategy of implementation which meets the pressures and needs of the industry both locally and nationally.

Ged Simmonds - Managing Director, Commercial Offices and Residential, Mace
Ged has worked in the Construction Industry for more than 25 years. He has worked for major contractors throughout his career delivering a variety of projects as well as large programmes of work. In his current role as Managing Director of the Commercial Offices and Residential businesses within Mace he oversees the delivery of projects in London.

Rob Tansey - Group HR Director, Barratt Developments PLC
Rob joined the Barratt Group as Group HR Director in 2012 from Dairy Crest Plc where he was Group HR Director for six years. Before joining Dairy Crest Rob was HR Director at Travis Perkins Plc and previously held senior HR roles at Celesio AG and Wickes. Rob is a member of the Executive Committee at Barratt Developments, with full responsibility for the creation and delivery of HR Strategy. His responsibilities include Training and Development for Trades, Apprentices and Graduates, through to Senior Management development, Remuneration and Benefits Strategy, Resourcing and Performance Management.

Julie White - Managing Director, D-Drill (Masters Drillers) Ltd
Julie completed a management buy-out of D-Drill from her father in 2008 and immediately set about restructuring, remodelling and transforming the business. Julie has always been a hands-on managing director and completed her NVQ5 in Business at the same time as starting her own company, Superfloor UK Ltd in 2001, introducing new techniques for specialist floor preparation to the UK. D-Drill has now been trading for close to 55 years and it has the UK’s largest branch network in its sector with an unrivalled team of experts utilising the latest equipment in diamond drilling, sawing, 2D/3D Concrete Scanning and controlled demolition technology. Julie is the only woman running a business in this specialist industry and the first woman to be appointed as Chairperson to the professional body for the industry, the Drilling and Sawing Association, and is former President of the World Association (IACDS) – the first woman ever to take up that post. She has shown a huge commitment to training and apprenticeships spending five times the industry average on training: currently, 45 per cent of the D-Drill workforce are either undergoing or have completed an apprenticeship with the company. Julie is a previous chair of the National Specialist Contractors’ Council’s (NSCC) Training Committee and was part of the group that formed BuildUK (representing 27 of the largest main contractors and 11,500 specialists, which represent 305,000 construction employees, together they deliver excess of 40 per cent of UK construction. She now chairs the CITB Reform Steering Group and has an honoured position as a Director on the Main Strategy BuildUK board (the longest serving of the board’s eight members). Under her leadership, D-Drill has won numerous industry accolades including a coveted award from the ‘International Association of Concrete Drillers and Sawers’ (IACDS) ‘The Diamond Awards’, the equivalent of an Oscar for the drilling and cutting sector and late in 2011 she was chosen as the 'Vitalise Businesswoman of the Year' following in the footsteps of Karren Brady and Hilary Devey, of BBC Dragons’ Den. Following this she has appeared on national TV, radio and press on a regular basis covering business and construction industry issues.

Current Members (as at August 2020) are:

Maureen Douglas – Group HR Director, the Forster Group and interim CITB Scotland Nation Council Chair

Maureen, formerly a CITB Trustee, joined the construction industry in 2005. She is responsible for the development of the people, safety and systems at Forster.  Maureen is currently leading the modernisation of the business through digitally transforming its operations. Maureen is a highly engaged advocate for the industry, particularly micros and SMEs, and works extensively with government, funders, education and industry to drive strategies and interventions which positively contribute to the qualification, skills, training and wellbeing challenges faced by the sector. Contractual relationship:  As a levy-registered business, Forster Group accesses grants for its workforce, employing and training apprentices at the Forster Skills Academy and for administrating Angus Construction Training Group.

Tony Elliott - Group HR Director, Robertson Group, and CITB Scotland Nation Council Deputy Chair and CITB Trustee

Zeshan Afzal - Site Manager, BAM Construction Ltd
Zeshan completed his honours degree in Construction Management from Glasgow Caledonian University in 2007 and began his career working for BAM Construction after graduation. Zeshan has over 12 years of experience in the construction industry and has also worked in BAM’s pre-construction and planning department for three years, working on multiple tenders, live projects and BIM modelling. Zeshan joined CIOB as a student member whilst studying at Glasgow Caledonian University, and upon graduating gained incorporated membership and achieved the Chartered Membership at a young age, becoming the Youngest Member of CIOB in Scotland at the time. In 2017 he was elected as the CIOB Novus Europe Regional Group Chair for a one-year term, looking over 30 Novus Hubs and representing Novus at Global platforms. Zeshan is also a part time student at University of West of England studying Master of Science Façade Engineering.

Nicola Barclay - Chief Executive, Homes for Scotland
With overall responsibility for running the membership organisation providing a voice for the new homes building industry in Scotland, Nicola manages the Executive Team and delivers business strategy while meeting the wide-ranging needs of her member companies. With a career spanning over 20 years in the home building industry and stretching over sales, land acquisition, funding and planning, Nicola has the depth of knowledge and first-hand experience to take the organisation forward at this pivotal time. Nicola currently sits on the Scottish Government’s Joint Housing Policy and Delivery Group, as well as representing the industry on the NHBC Scottish Committee, the Building Standards Futures Board, and is a non-exec director on the Consumer Code for Home Builders Board.

Mark Bramley - Commercial Director, Pat Munro (Alness) Ltd
Following completion of a Quantity Surveying degree in 1995, Mark spent six years with Robertson Construction in a number of commercial roles working on a variety of new build and refurbishment developments, and commercial, industrial and healthcare projects. In 2001, Mark joined Pat Munro (Alness) Limited - a multi-disciplinary construction services SME company based in the Scottish Highlands - and has held a number of positions with them, currently as Commercial Director, overseeing all commercial aspects of the business’ service delivery including Construction, Homes, Waste Services, Quarries and Road Haulage, along with the important support services of Finance, HSEQ, HR and Marketing. In addition, Mark has been a board member of CECA Scotland since 2015, becoming Vice-Chair in 2019. He is an advocate for encouraging opportunities for new entrants, particularly women, into the construction industry, and works closely with local representatives from CITB to this end. In 2018 he also accepted an appointment as a Non-Executive Director of Calman Trust, a Highland based charity that provides employment and training support to challenged young people as they try to transition into independent adulthood, discover their future and achieve their potential.

Craig Bruce - Managing Director, Pert-Bruce Ltd
Craig is the seventh generation of his family to run the business dating back to 1871 and he has 30 years' experience in the industry. He started in the family firm as a joinery apprentice at 16, serving his time in the workshop, onsite and carrying out maintenance, before progressing to the office and eventually to MD in 2007. He merged the business in 2007 with another local family company to increase capability and service delivery, increasing his original 25 employees to as it stands, directly employing 100 staff, 16 of which are trade apprentices. As MD of Pert Bruce Construction, Craig has experience in carrying out a varied roster of work ranging from £25,000 domestic projects all the way up to £4m historic/listed house conversions, with clients ranging from private individuals through to blue-chip industrial clients, architects and leading developers. Craig also owns a property development company building new homes, converting listed buildings and building affordable homes for RSL Partners. Craig currently sits as a Director of the Scottish Building Federation, President of the Dundee and Angus Association, Council member of SBATC (Scottish Building Apprenticeship &Training Council), CITB LEVY Working Party, Founder & Director of Angus Shared Apprentice Scheme, a Director of a north east based safety group (SAFE) and has previously been on CITB GSWP and as a founder of the Angus Training Group also sat as Chair of the local Group and Training Group National Rep.

Marion Forbes - Homes Director
Marion is Director of HR, Health & Safety and Business Support teams for Mactaggart & Mickel Homes Ltd having worked for the organisation for 13 years. Marion and has been instrumental in our Homes division being recognised as an Employer of Choice and gaining Platinum Investors In People and Silver Investors in Young People accreditation. Marion also Chairs a youth group and volunteers as a youth leader.

Richard Steedman - Founder & Managing Director, Cameron Drywall Contractors Ltd
Richard founded Cameron Drywall Contractors Ltd 23 years ago as a small family Limited Company and now turns over £5.5m on average each year. They are a leading specialist sub-contractor for the construction industry in Scotland and one of the largest employers in the field. Richard is a board member for Scottish Specialists Training Group, a member of Scottish Building, and an FIS member and Supply School Chain Member. As a result of  lobbying West Lothian Council and West Lothian College, and along with the local CITB, a Drywall Lining Apprenticeship was successfully started in 2018 in West Lothian. Cameron Drywall have also won industry recognition for their manual procedures for a more productive workforce.

Jim Young - Business Development Consultant, CHAP Group
Jim Young looks after Business Development for CHAP Group in Aberdeen after 12 years as Construction Director managing their construction operations. With over 40 year’s industry experience, he is a Chartered Civil Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers. A member of the ICE Scotland committee, he served as Chair in 2018-19 and continues as Public Voice Chair as well as being a Council member of the Aberdeen Association of Civil Engineers. Jim is also a Director of Grampian Construction Training a CITB supported training group which provides training for the construction industry in the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire area. Originally from Ayrshire, Jim has worked all over the UK. A graduate of Strathclyde University, he started his career in a design office in London followed by many years in the Contracting side of the industry including the residential sector. He was site agent on the first construction contract for the British Library in London, the largest public building built in the UK on the 20th Century and also on the Kielder water scheme in the north of England.

Two vacancies

Current Members (as at March 2020) are:

Leigh Hughes - CSR Director, Bouygues Construction UK, and CITB Cymru Wales Nation Council Chair
Leigh is currently Chair of Cardiff Capital Region Employment & Skills Board and represents the South East Wales region on Welsh Government Employment & Skills Board (WESB). He has worked in the construction industry for 30 years and is CSR Director for Bouygues Construction UK and its entities. Bouygues UK, Bouygues Energies & Services, Bouygues TP and VSL deliver construction, housing, development, regeneration, energy performance and management including smart cities innovative solutions using our global and local experience across private and public sectors. The company employs around 4,400 people across the businesses in the UK.

Robert Williams - Chairman, WRW and CITB Trustee

Gareth Davies - Construction Director, Knox and Wells Limited
Gareth is the Construction Director for Knox and Wells Limited. His role combines all aspects of Client servicing, from bid management to project delivery, together with responsibility for strategic liaison with key Industry stakeholders such as Welsh Government, CITB and CIOB. Prior to joining Knox and Wells, Gareth was in post with Britannia Construction Ltd from 2010 as Regional Director (Wales), Wales Regional Director for Carillion Building (Mowlem Building prior to 2006 takeover) and from 2001-5 was Wales Construction Director for Mowlem Building. During a thirty five year career in the construction industry Gareth has been responsible for delivering many prestigious projects in south Wales, south west England and Jersey, across a variety of sectors. Gareth is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building (FCIOB) and was a member of the CITB National Council from 2015 to its reorganisation in 2018. He chaired the south-east Wales Regional Construction Forum from its inception in 2010 to its re-constitution in 2018. Gareth is also an active member of Constructing Excellence in Wales and a Professional Assessor for the CIOB and has been a judge and Panel Chairman on the CIOB's Construction Manager of the Year Competition since 2004.

Terry Edwards - Managing Director, John Weaver Contractors
Terry Edwards has been the Managing Director of John Weaver Contractors since March 2015. Terry started his construction career as a CITB apprentice bricklayer and then progressed through the ranks as a management trainee with Fairclough Construction, during which time he completed his Advanced Craft in Bricklaying, ONC and HNC in Building Studies. Terry then moved on to work for Gee Walker & Slater as Site Manager, Brunswick Construction (Project / Contracts Manager), Andrew Scott (Deputy MD / Operations Director), MIDAS (Regional Manager) then JWC as their current MD. Terry became Chartered in 2005 then gained Fellowship to the Chartered Institute of Building in 2008. Terry plays an active role in the implementation and management of the JWC Apprenticeship Training Programme whereby the firm takes on two apprentices every year, and currently employs 5 apprentices. Three of the former apprentices have now progressed through the ranks and are currently employed as assistant site managers.

Andrea Green - Highways Customer Experience Director, Costain
Andrea has more than 20 years of experience in the construction industry, working for both regional and national business. Following an early career as an engineer, she has a deep understanding of the challenges facing the industry, and the customers and communities that will be impacted by major projects. She now focusses on ensuring excellence in customer experience and has a passion for improving standards of safety and performance.

Simon Jehu Managing Director of Development, Jehu Group Limited
Simon has been a company director for over 25 years leading a small family building business into a £70million+ property and construction group. He founded Waterstone Homes, an executive housing developer with a turnover in excess of £25million. Simon trained and qualified as a Quantity Surveyor and went on to become Commercial Manager and then Commercial Director. His roles include responsibilities for business development, estimating, financial management, marketing, purchasing, and project management. Simon completed a PGC in Sustainable Leadership at Cardiff Metropolitan University in conjunction with CITB and Construction Futures Wales. He has developed a Strategic Growth Project focusing on Leadership, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Simon is the lead in the Jehu Group on innovation with a particular passion for offsite manufacturing.

Owain Jones - Director, Richard Jones (Betws) Ltd
Educated at Ysgol Gymraeg Rhydaman and Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, Owain studied for a Higher National Diploma and B.A. (Hons) in Business & Finance at Swansea and later returned to the University of the West of England, Bristol where he was awarded an MSc in Construction Management. He also holds a NEBOSH qualification relating to Health and Safety in Construction. A Director of T. Richard Jones (Betws) Ltd “TRJ” a company established by his Grandfather in 1935, Owain has led the development of the company over the last two decades, building on its firm foundations as one of the leading SME’s in the region. The company currently directly employ a workforce numbering 190 including trade apprentices and management trainees. In recognition of Owain and TRJ’s long standing support of Apprenticeships the company was recognised in 2015 as CITB Apprentice Employer of the Year for both Wales and Great Britain. Owain sits on the Wales CITB Nation Council and Chairs the South West Wales Construction Forum. He is a past Chair of Carmarthenshire Construction Training Association Ltd CCTAL and continues to sit on its Board of Directors. Owain is a founding Trustee and Chairs the Board of Directors of Cyfle Building Skills the largest Construction Shared Apprenticeship Scheme in the UK which currently offers employment to over 170 young people and was recognised with a Queens Award for Innovation in 2017. Owain was also instrumental in the setting up of the South West Wales branch of the Engineers for Overseas Development (EFOD) Charity. Owain is a member of the South West Wales Regional Learning Partnership Construction Cluster Group. A fluent Welsh speaker, Owain is a passionate supporter of the Welsh language and culture.

Richard Owen - Training and Workforce Manager, Jones Bros. Ruthin (Civil Engineering) Co. Ltd
Richard started as an apprentice joiner in 1977 and now has over 42 years of construction industry knowledge, skills and experience. In 1993 he began a career in developing and delivering construction industry training. Richard has worked across the globe developing and delivering training programmes in North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. He now leads and develops award-winning construction industry training and apprenticeship programmes for the Jones Bros Ruthin (Civil Engineering Company Ltd). Richard is a fluent Welsh speaker and is passionate about mentoring and developing young people in the construction industry.

Neal Stephens - Managing Director, Willmott Dixon
Neal has been in the industry for the past 34 years, the last sixteen of which have been with Willmott Dixon Construction. He has worked in most sectors of the construction industry including Retail, Health, Education, Commercial, Leisure, Higher Education and Housing. Collaborative working and Partnering have been the key ingredients in the way that Neal operates. Neal started as a trainee Site Manager back in the mid-1980s and has carried out roles such as Site Engineer, Site Agent, Design Manager, Project Manager, Contracts Manager, Operations Manager, Deputy Managing Director and finally Managing Director. He recently completed a Professional Certificate in Coaching at Henley Business School. He took over as Managing Director in September 2009 and is now responsible for the Find, Win and delivery of the £200M business for Willmott Dixon managing the Cardiff Bristol and Exeter offices.

Paul Tedder - Founder, Atlantic Dwellings
Paul founded Atlantic Dwellings in 2006, creating a building company that delivers high quality houses and extensions, with a team of employees who are proud of their work. All the team are encouraged to learn new skills and apprentices are mentored on site by master craftsmen. Paul is passionate about training and allowing people to develop to their full potential. Prior to setting up Atlantic Dwellings he worked initially in the paper industry and as a senior manager in the fast moving consumer goods sector for Pepsi International. Paul holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and post graduate diploma in Electrical Engineering. He is an active member of the Federation of Master Builders Wales board and Chairman of the Cardiff Branch.