President
Robert Knight MCIOB, MRICS, CEnv, MASI, Ffbe -National Construction Director, igloo Regeneration Ltd
Robert has responsibility for procurement strategies and the operational delivery of igloo's direct developments across the UK in conjunction with the Development Directors. Robert is a Chartered Builder, Chartered Surveyor, Chartered Environmentalist and Corporate Construction Surveyor with over 25 years managerial experience in the construction, civil engineering, house building and mixed use development businesses. Following on from his success with Mowlem PLC delivering a large number of complex projects across SW England and Wales, Robert worked as an Executive for developer Crest Nicholson for 8 years establishing and delivering major mixed use developments with a combined development value over £1 billion.
Robert is currently a Board Member of the Construction Clients Group and the President of the Bristol Constructing Excellence Club which he was involved in establishing and running as Chairman for 3 years between 2003 and 2006. During this time, he and the team were responsible for ensuring that the Bristol Club became the premier Constructing Excellence club in the UK.
Robert has regularly commented in the media on urban regeneration and sustainable developments and has spoken on these issues plus community engagement, value management, project delivery, collaborative working and supply chain integration on a number of occasions.
Chairman & Marketing
Rebecca Tregarthen - National Business Development Manager, Capita Architecture
Based in Bristol, Rebecca's role combines strategic marketing analysis, the raising of company profile and the generation of business relationships across the company's ten offices in the UK.
A strong advocate of the benefits of diversity within marketing and business development for knowledge and market understanding, Rebecca has recently been Chairman of the SW Branch of the Association of Women in Property and now Chairman of the Bristol Constructing Excellence Club. She has been involved in the Bristol and South West construction and property market for over 10 years.
Secretary
Martin Lynch - Managing Director of Churngold Building Services Ltd
Martin, a chartered builder & quantity surveyor, is Managing Director of Churngold Building Services, part of the successful Churngold Group.
Churngold Building Services offers a specialist service at all levels of the supply chain, including: concrete, masonry, brickwork & blockwork, general build and carpentry & joinery.
Martin started work as bricklayer and has over 25 years experience in the construction industry, predominantly in specialist contracting. He followed the traditional building management route and has wide experience of general contracting. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Building.
He is continually developing the potential specialists can offer to the industry and firmly believes for Best Practice to truly work it must be developed and encompassed within all levels of the supply chain.
Martin's interests outside of work are his family and rugby. Although his true love is his wife, Tracey, and children, Callum & Erin, Tracey would strongly argue that the real love of his life is rugby! He is chairman of Old Culverhaysians RFC and on the committee of Bath & District Combination. Martin is heavily involved in rugby coaching and the development of young rugby players within the local community.
Treasurer
Gary Fisher - Associate, Davis Langdon
Gary's position on the Committee is that of Treasurer. Gary qualified in 1998 from Loughborough University with a 2:1 in Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying. Since then he has become MRICS qualified and has worked on all sides of the industry (client, contractor and now PQS) giving good all round experience, particularly in retail, residential, commercial and major office development work.
His current role is that of Associate for Davis Langdon, based in the Bristol office, although working on projects in Bristol, London and out in Doha. Two of the larger prestigious projects that he is involved with is the Shard in London and the Heart of Doha.
His previous role was that of running the Bristol office for Franklin+Andrews and is a well known face in both the local Bristol and the London construction market.
Engagement
Andrew Carpenter - Abbey Environmental Services
Andrew is Business Development Director for Abbey Environmental Services based in Glastonbury, having recently left Constructing Excellence's full time employ in London. Andrew is responsible for developing the Abbey business in terms of staff, the customer base and products & services. Before joining Constructing Excellence, Andrew spent 28 years with CRH in a variety of sales, marketing & PR roles. This included the formation of a new off site business involving Ibstock Brick and Forticrete Block. He says that the most interesting part of his CRH career was a two year period, shortly after the Egan Report, when he was responsible for a 'change management' scheme for Forticrete, when the culture of the company was totally and dramatically altered to bring them in line with a customer focussed organisation.
Andrew was the inaugural secretary of the Bristol Constructing Excellence Club and later was asked to sit on the Board of Constructing Excellence between 2003-06 as national chairman of the club network. Andrew is currently a judge on the Construction Marketing Awards and also involved with events and activities for CESW, another organisation he helped to create.
In his spare time Andrew is chairman of the Frome Amateur Operatic Society, a DJ under the name of Andrew St.John, a soccer referee and main sponsor of Frome Cricket Club.
An "infectiously enthusiastic" change agent, Andrew is in constant demand as a speaker and presenter, he draws on his music and drama skills to light up a room and motivate those around him.
Events Coordinator
Bill Kiernan - Faber Maunsell
Bill has a 35 year career within the construction industry evolving from experience within the trades, on site in management with main contractors before joining the NHS in estate management, and finally returning to a business development role with a contractor before entering the challenging consultancy arena.
He has been the Business Development Manager with Faber Maunsell in Bristol for the past three years and is responsible for the identification of opportunities across Buildings, Environment and Transportation Divisions in line with both regional and national strategy. Bill is also responsible for raising the profile of the business through the various media channels, key relationship management with existing clients as well as developing relationships with new contacts across the education, health, commercial, leisure, retail, residential and mixed use sectors of the industry.
Innovation & Research
John Rich - Stubbs Rich Architects
John trained at Bristol University and once in practice quickly developed an interest in construction technology. This was honed during 10 years with Bickerdike Allen Partners, one of the UK's leading technology firms. Since 1992, John has been a Director of Stubbs Rich Architects, based in Bath and working across the UK and beyond. The Practice carries out major new build and refurbishment projects and John undertakes technical audits on all projects to ensure that defects are avoided.
With the advent of Partnering, John's focus is now on working with sophisticated clients to help them achieve, and sometimes exceed, the improvement targets set in the Egan Report. Currently the practice is in Partnering agreements with a major retailer, a business park developer and several universities (mixed projects, though predominately laboratories). With each of these diverse clients, the route to achieving major improvements in reliability of delivery, reduced construction costs and shorter build-time has proved to be the same.
Committee Member
Alun Owen - Head of Property and Finance, Bristol City Council
Committee Member
Steve Griffiths - Kier Western
Steve has 20 years experience within the procurement arena. His knowledge extends across all procurement routes, with projects ranging from £800,000 refurbishment schemes to £110 million PFI projects. Following 12 years with Laing based in their Bristol and Birmingham offices, Steve joined Kier in 2001 and has responsibility for the Work Winning function of the Kier Western Bristol office.
Committee Member
Tom Holbrow - Regional Business Development Manager, NG Bailey
Tom is responsible for Business Development for a number of offices located throughout the South. He has worked in the construction industry for 20 years in a variety of project management, sales and marketing roles. NG Bailey is one of the UK's leading providers of building services, mechanical, electrical and engineering solutions. Tom has a keen interest in all aspects of best practice in the construction industry and welcomes the opportunity to support the Bristol Constructing Excellence Club.
Committee Member
Mike Chapman FRICS - Associate Director, Gleeds
Gleeds are construction consultants with offices in the UK and worldwide. As a Chartered Building Surveyor and team leader, Mike has 30 years experience of consultancy in the UK building industry, latterly acting as Independent Certifier on PFI projects, dealing with quality aspects of new hospital construction, and expert witness advice on construction quality issues.
Committee Member
Karsan Vaghani BEng(Hons), MBA, CEng, MICE, MIOSH, MIHT- University of Bristol, Capital Projects Office
Karsan was born in the northwest state of Gujarat, India, on 6 June 1967. He spent his early childhood in a small village called Sukphur. During the territorial conflicts between India and Pakistan in 1971 Karsan's family decided to emigrate to Britain for a better life. He attended Kitchener Road Junior School in Cardiff and later Fitzahlan High School where he developed the importance of education to progress in life. Karsan then spent five years at the University of Glamorgan, first to obtain a H.N.D. in Civil Engineering then an honours degree.
With his degree in his back pocket he was now ready to face the world and July 1991 he was employed by Mid Glamorgan County Council as a graduate Highway Engineer. After spending seven years in local authority designing new roads and bridges Karsan decided to experience the commercial world and joined Bovis Lend Lease as their Planning Supervisor on the £450 million Railtrack Station Regeneration programme. During this time he achieved his second ambition in life and in 1999 achieved Chartered Civil Engineer status. After a brief spell with a small consultancy in Bristol, Karsan was introduced to the University where he was initially employed as a consultant Planning Supervisor. Soon an opportunity arose in the Capital Projects Office as the Capital Projects Director. As the Capital Projects Director, Karsan manages the University's complete capital programme with the help of his team of Project Officers, Clerk of Works, Commissioning Manager, Planning Supervisor and Secretaries. From conception to handover he ensures projects are delivered within budget, meets the university's requirements and within programme. The University's current annual spend on capital programmes is in excess of £65 million. Karsan completed his MBA in Real Estate and Construction Management in September 2005 and is looking forward to the challenge of delivering the university's ambitious £300 million capital programme over the next few years.
Karsan is married to Kastur; his school time sweet heart and has two boys, aged 16 and 17. Much of his spare time is dedicated to his family and religious activities. He is Chairman of the youth club at his local Hindu temple and his life is dominated by his faith in which non-violence is a core belief.
Membership
Huw Morgan - Veale Wasbrough
Huw Morgan is a construction lawyer and Partner at Veale Wasbrough Lawyers, providing legal advice to funders, building owners, developers, contractors and construction professionals upon their rights and obligations in all aspects of the construction process. He advises upon projects procured through PPP/PFI Design and Build, Bespoke Partnering arrangements and under more traditional forms of contract.
Huw is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Technology and Construction Court Solicitors Association, Society of Construction Law, and is a CEDR registered mediator. His Dispute Resolution work has covered domestic and international arbitration, Technology and Construction Court litigation, adjudication and mediation. He has been involved in a number of reported cases: Thomson -v- Clive Alexander and Partners; North Thames RHA -v- Sheppard Robson and Whiteways Contractors (Sussex) Limited -v- Impresa Castelli Construction UK Limited. Huw regularly lectures upon construction law topics.