The inaugural Constructing Excellence North Conference marked a historic moment for the North’s construction and built environment community
It brought together delegates from across Yorkshire and Humber, the North West and the North East for a day of collaboration, insight and debate, underpinned by a clear call to action.
Held at Aspire, in Leeds, under the theme “The North’s Blueprint: Delivering Action Together”, the conference welcomed representatives from across the construction and built environment supply chain, reflecting a shared ambition to exchange ideas, strengthen connections and help create a more successful and prosperous future for the industry across the North.
The day opened with Alison Nicholl, head of Constructing Excellence, followed by a keynote from Lucy Howard, co-chair of Constructing Excellence and UK Major Bids lead at Turner & Townsend, who provided insight into the current state and outlook for the construction industry.
Delegates then heard from Rob Auld, construction director at McLaren Property, about York Central, one of the UK’s major city centre regeneration schemes, before a panel chaired by Mike Raven, client engagement lead at YORhub and co-chair of the Constructing Excellence Yorkshire and Humber Club, explored the challenge of retrofit and improving the energy efficiency of the UK’s existing building stock.
One of the standout sessions was the Value vs. Cost workshop, led by Kathryn Gardner, director at Avison Young and chair of the Constructing Excellence North East Value Group.
Using LEGO, the interactive exercise gave delegates a memorable and practical way to explore how different priorities can influence project outcomes. It demonstrated the importance of establishing a shared understanding of value and objectives early in a project, while introducing the Value Toolkit as a way of helping teams align their decision-making.
Procurement also featured in the programme, with Kieran McGaughey, consultant solicitor and procurement law trainer, providing an update on procurement law before chairing a panel of Jane Turner, construction lead at NEPO, Ross Markwell, national chair of CECA and director at Esh Construction, and Andrea Leigh, senior associate at Trowers & Hamlin, examining the impact of the Procurement Act, including its implications for SMEs and opportunities to improve engagement across the supply chain.
The afternoon showcased some of the North’s leading projects through presentations on the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease in Leeds, Pilgrim’s Quarter in Newcastle and Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool.
The projects demonstrated different approaches to regeneration, sustainability, innovation and project delivery, highlighting the quality and ambition of work taking place across the region.
The conference also put the spotlight on the people behind the projects.
Following a powerful presentation from Liam Colebrook of Cover3, The Human Blueprint – Breaking the Silence on Mental Health, a panel brought Liam together with Stuart Young, head of Stakeholder Management at the Department for Business and Trade, Henrietta Frater, head of HSE & Wellbeing at The Crown Estate and Board trustee of Mates in Mind and Johnny Lawless, mental fitness consultant, Minds Matter UK, with Alison Nicholl, head of Constructing Excellence, chairing the discussion and also closing the day.
The session explored the importance of supporting mental health across construction and the opportunities for employers and the wider industry to create healthier and more supportive working environments.
Caroline Key, co-chair of the Constructing Excellence Yorkshire & Humber Club, said: “Bringing the three Constructing Excellence networks together has shown the strength of the expertise we have across the North. This inaugural conference has been a really positive starting point and, importantly, it is the first of many. We now have an opportunity to build on that momentum, keep the conversations going and turn the ideas shared into action.
“What was particularly encouraging was the energy in the room throughout the day and the willingness of delegates to share their experience, challenge some of the ways we currently work and think about what we can do differently.”
The event was supported by headline sponsor YORhub, with event partners including Blazetrap, Bradley O’Mahoney, Cidori, Devonshires, Efficiency North and TYR Law.