As the transforming construction challenge enters its final year, Hannah Gibson highlights the key roles of the core delivery team since 2018.
From founding their own companies, to working across other parts of UKRI, our team was inspired to accelerate a shift away from cheapness and lowest cost, to whole-life value in construction.
Developing competitions and opportunities
In 2018, we started developing competitions and opportunities, involving the construction industry, academia and beyond.
Once our collaborative projects were in place, we helped support them through their projects, investing in their cutting-edge innovations. This ranged from extending and adapting projects due to COVID-19, through to providing businesses with further insight for their research.
From 2020 to 2022, we have been focused on:
- translating the impact of the challenge
- telling compelling stories of our businesses
- transforming a system that was working for no one, to one with a focus on whole-life value.
An external report was undertaken to assess the impact of the challenge (albeit in these early days, as the legacy of the challenge will surpass 2022).
Proud of our impacts
As a team we are proud of the impacts made. From industry investment exceeding original targets. Through to results of projects transforming construction have supported being applied on over £14 billion worth of developments, with a pipeline taking this over £25 billion.
We now want to share these stories with you. Watch our impact video, read the external report, our project brochure, and our stories catalogue. Find out about the story of transforming construction.
Connect with our team
Connect with our team and find out more:
Mat Colmer
Senior Innovation Lead
A deep construction sector expert, Mat manages our technical project portfolio and led our work with the investor community.
Chris Coonick
Innovation Lead
The team’s net zero champion, Chris led on decarbonisation projects and now runs the innovation programme we have with Ofgem.
Henry Dudman
Project Manager
Our planning wizard, Henry has managed our data and kept the team on track through programme cycles.
Hannah Gibson
Innovation Lead
The team’s skills and people person, Hannah has led on:
- equality, diversity, and inclusion (PDF, 1.12MB)
- skills
- competencies
- culture change.
Simon Hart
Head of Construction
Our long tenured construction innovation authority, Simon managed our competitions and now leads on digital twins for Innovate UK.
Natasha Heimers
Project Manager
An energetic project manager, Tash made programmes such as ICURe possible while keeping benefits data on track.
Nicola Mancell
Impact Manager
An impact guru, Nicola developed our benefits measurement system then moved on to do the same job for the whole of UKRI.
Russ Matthews
Programme Manager
Our governance lead, Russ programme managed the challenge and provides the performance reporting.
Dr Mike Pitts
Deputy Challenge Director
Having set up the challenge, Mike then led on storytelling to drive culture change and establishing the Construction Innovation Hub.
Sherrie Rad
Innovation Lead
With a background in the commercial world, Sherrie led on our digital, artificial intelligence, and infrastructure projects and relationship with i3P.
Sam Stacey
Challenge Director
A recognised construction innovation leader, Sam came in to lead the challenge and high-level engagement with industry and government.
Liam Winder
Innovation Lead
Our digital and internet-of-things expert, Liam led on projects with a heavy digital technology element.
Top image: Credit: ipopba, Getty Images
Hannah Gibson is part of UKRI’s transforming construction challenge. As an Innovation Lead, Hannah is focused on the impact of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. She works across the construction sector and with government to translate the change underway, from an industry fixated on lowest cost, to one driven by whole-life value.
Hannah supports challenge investments to:
- utilise digital manufacturing
- utilise data and digital driven processes
- increase productivity
- reduce carbon emissions.
Prior to joining UKRI, Hannah specialised in future skills and innovation policy at Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). Her role involved building relationships with industry stakeholders and understanding the key issues for the construction sector. She worked with industry, parliamentarians and policy makers to effect change in the construction skills arena.
A political science graduate of the University of Birmingham, Hannah has previously worked:
- in public affairs and engagement for Alzheimer’s Society
- at Guide Dogs for the Blind Association
- at Deafblind UK.