74
Public Affairs- Scotland
NEW CHAIRMAN ELECTED TO LEAD THE SCOTTISH CICV
IN July, Paul Mitchell, Managing Director of the Scottish Building Federation, was elected as the new Chair of the Construction Industry Collective Voice( CICV), succeeding Alan Wilson following his retirement as Managing Director of Select, the Scottish electrical contractors’ association.
Paul’ s election was confirmed at the CICV summer meeting in Edinburgh on 29 July. Fiona Hodgson, Chief Executive of the Scottish & Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation, was re-elected as the Deputy Chair.
The BMF is a founder member of the Construction Industry Collective Voice that was established in March 2020. It is an industry alliance that comprises 24 trade associations, employers’ federations and professional bodies that represent Scottish companies active today in the construction, housebuilding & property RMI markets. The CICV gathers market intelligence, shares industry expertise and engages with the Scottish Government and others on important issues of the day. We chair the CICV Supply Chain Management Group.
On being elected, Paul Mitchell said:“ It is a great honour to be elected as Chair of the CICV. The group has shown what can be achieved when the construction industry works together”.
“ I look forward to working
closely with Fiona and all
74
Paul Mitchell, Managing Director of the Scottish Building Federation
those around the CICV table to build on that success, strengthen our engagement with government, and collectively address the challenges facing the industry to help deliver tangible benefits for our members”.
“ I would also like to thank Alan for his leadership over the past six years. He has made an enormous contribution to establishing the CICV as a respected and influential voice for Scottish construction, providing a strong foundation for the future.”
Outgoing Chair Alan Wilson said:“ It has been a great privilege to chair the CICV since its formation, and I was humbled by the reception from colleagues. I leave knowing the organisation is in excellent hands with Paul and Fiona going forward, and I am sure that the CICV will go from strength to strength”.
“ It’ s clear to me that working together brings so much benefit to the industry. With many challenges on the horizon, it is more important than ever to maintain that cooperation”.
Deputy Chair Fiona Hodgson added:“ On behalf of everyone involved with CICV, I would like to thank Alan for his outstanding leadership and commitment over the past six years. His vision in bringing everyone together during one of the most challenging periods in recent history created a forum that continues to deliver real value for Scottish construction”.
Origins When Covid-19 struck in March 2020, Alan Wilson led efforts to establish the CICV to coordinate a business-led response to Covid. For that reason, it was originally called the Construction Industry Coronavirus Forum. Industry leaders rallied around to start the CICV as a way to help individual companies get through the worst of the pandemic- but also act a link to / from ministers & officials on public health messaging, the R number and preventative restrictions that were imposed.
The group later evolved into the Construction Industry Collective Voice to reflect its broader role in representing the interests of Scotland’ s construction, house-building & property RMI markets.
Next Steps At this summer’ s meeting, new task & finish groups were established to influence policy and to push for positive action on critical issues for the industry- namely( a) UK legislation on late payments & retentions;( b) mental health & wellbeing; and( c) and apprenticeship funding and delivery.
Brett Amphlett is the BMF’ s CICV representative and he chairs its Supply Chain Management Group that is comparable to the UK CLC Materials Supply Group. He noted:“ In an evolving business landscape, the CICV’ s role has become more crucial than ever. Our founding idea was that you are not operating in isolation. You can turn to others for advice and guidance. Our summer meeting, and the election of Paul Mitchell, reaffirmed our enduring commitment to collective action to lobby for our industry’ s future and for better days ahead”.
( left to right) Fiona Hodgson( SNIPEF), Alan Wilson( Select) and Paul Mitchell( SBF)