President’s Blog - Looking back on a thoroughly exciting year as BCIA President
It’s hard to believe we’re already into March and I’m celebrating the end of my first year as BCIA President. However, as I look back on the past 12 months, it does give me the opportunity to reflect on what has been a year of real growth for the BCIA and one full of significant achievements – not just for the BCIA but me personally, too.
In fact, 2024 was a thoroughly successful year for the BCIA, with 37 new members joining us across the 12 months. This took our total of member companies up to a staggering 190! As an association that prides itself on supporting each and every member and increasing awareness of the importance of building controls, it’s humbling to know that so many businesses look to us for guidance and support.
One of the first key moments in my first year as President was the redesign and launch of the new BCIA website. As well as providing a much-improved user journey, the site also gave members access to an exclusive member’s platform. This not only provided members with vital information on forthcoming meetings and events but also the opportunity to network with others and discuss important building controls and automation issues on exclusive forums.
March 2024 also saw the year’s first Young Engineers Network (YEN) event, hosted by Belimo UK at the Belimo Experience Centre. 25 young engineers from manufacturers and systems integrators attended the day, participating in a number of workshops and activities to give them an understanding of everything from valves and air handling units, to dampers, actuators, sensors and Belimo’s own Sizing and Selection Tool.
Indeed, the YEN had an incredibly noteworthy 2024, hosting a number of other events, including the University of Bradford visit and YEN Talks Leadership discussion, both held in November. The year also saw the appointments of new Chair, Josh Steel, and Vice Chair, Stan Thomas – both of whom are dedicated to supporting and nurturing the talented professionals in our sector to lead us towards a greener and brighter future.
The BCIA Awards evening, held on Thursday 2nd May, saw members of the sector and other industry professionals come together to celebrate the accomplishments of all award entrants and acknowledge the incredible innovation on display across the industry. As is the same every year, each category was hotly contested and both winners and those shortlisted could hold their heads high.
May also saw the completion of the inaugural Inspired Leaders programme. The 16-week programme saw 14 delegates participate in six modules designed to change the way in which individuals in the building controls and automation sector might approach situations – whether that’s how they lead teams and projects or understand the benefits of self-leadership.
Although the summer came to an end and the sun began to set earlier and earlier, the BCIA continued to shine. Starting in September, the BCIA-hosted Members Breakfast series brought together members to discuss the key issues and challenges the sector faced, such as the major skills shortage in the built environment, and the opportunity to network with like-minded professionals. The breakfast series gave everyone a real chance to collaborate on driving the building controls sector forward and was a thoroughly positive experience for all involved.
Throughout 2024, the BCIA also worked closely with policy and sustainability consultants, Gemserv, to develop relationships with the government and help shape policy around building controls and automation. With sustainability and net zero becoming a major focus for the BEMS sector and the built environment as a whole, working collaboratively with the government to increase awareness of the benefits of building controls and automation is hugely important and something the BCIA will continue to prioritise.
I also had the tremendous opportunity to join the Construct Zero Panel at UK Construction Week in October. The panel launched the eighth version of the Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) CZ Performance Framework and gave all involved the chance to discuss key sustainability practices and the UK’s journey towards net zero in 2050. It was a thoroughly informative and insightful discussion and one I took great pride in being a part of.
It’s been a superb year for the BCIA and building controls and automation sector, and 2025 looks set to be even bigger and better. Indeed, the Climate Change Committee’s recent advice to the UK government on the Seventh Carbon Budget suggested building controls are expected to save up to 60% of energy in buildings, increasing the importance of smart buildings and building automation technology.
There are also so many exciting events and programmes to look forward to in the next nine months and I’m keen to see where the industry takes us. In fact, the BCIA is hosting a multitude of informative and educational training courses taking place between now and May, encompassing everything from energy efficiency through building energy management systems (BEMS), to BEMS installation and fault diagnostics.
Of course, there is also the BCIA Awards 2025 to look forward to. With the finalists being announced just last week, anticipation is truly building and I for one cannot wait for what is set to be an incredible evening. We’ve been delighted with the number of people keen to attend the event but we do still have some tickets available, so if you don’t want to miss out, click the link here.
For me personally, it’s been a thoroughly enjoyable year as President and it’s been an honour to see the way the sector has led the drive towards net zero through the incredibly innovative technologies and talented individuals from all corners. There are so many smart and dedicated people in our industry and it’s brilliant to see them finally being recognised and paid attention to by those outside the building controls and automation industry. Long may it continue!