In this latest Digital Climate podcast episode, host Bola Abisogun OBE talks to Chris Blythe OBE, who not only helped establish the discipline of construction management as a Chartered profession, but was one of the longest-serving chief executives at a professional body in the UK. For almost 20 years, Chris led the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), until his retirement in May 2019.

Chris admits that leading a 184-year-old organisation and keeping it relevant was no easy feat. Chris transformed the CIOB into the modern international institute we see today, able to adapt to the changing needs of its members  in an industry undergoing a digital revolution.

The topic of this podcast series is Building Safety and The Golden Thread: how do we turn these ambitious requirements into a reality for the built environment by October 2023, and during this podcast Bola asked Chris, as Chief Executive of CIOB, what were the major challenges you saw that our industry faced when it came to building safety? And do you believe these challenges are still faced today?

Listen to the full podcast to hear Chris’ response and what other recommendations he has for building owners in relation to the Building Safety Act.