CIC Board

Ian Brant

Ian Brant FCIOB is Director at Brant Construction Quantum Experts, a specialist consultancy focused on dispute avoidance, dispute resolution, and the preparation of expert quantum reports within the UK and international construction sectors.

Ian began his career as a Quantity Surveyor, progressing through commercial leadership roles at major contractors including VolkerFitzpatrick and Vinci Construction. He has successfully led commercial teams on high-value, complex projects across a broad range of sectors including commercial, industrial, education, housing, rail, and utilities. His academic credentials include a BSc (Hons) in Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying from the University of Wolverhampton, and he is professionally qualified as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building (FCIOB).

Ian has been an active contributor to the CIOB for over 15 years, serving on numerous national and international committees and governance boards—including Finance & Risk, Nominations, and External Affairs—as well as many specialist working groups. Elected to the CIOB Board of Trustees in 2018 and again in 2021, Ian has played a significant role in the strategic leadership of the Institute. Following a governance review in 2019, he was invited to establish and chair the newly formed External Affairs Board.

As Chair of the CIOB Nominations Committee in his final year as Trustee, Ian led efforts to ensure the highest standards of governance and member representation. In parallel, he chaired the Institute’s Investigation Panel, upholding professional conduct and the ethical responsibilities of Chartered Construction Managers in line with the Royal Charter.

Graham Watts OBE BA(Hons), HonFRIBA, HonRICS, HonFCIBSE, HonFICWCI, HonFBIID, HonMCIAT, Hon FCABE, HonFFB, HonFCInstCES FRSA, MCMI

Graham has been involved with CIC since 1989. Initially, as a member of the Council, it’s Executive Board and then as a Director. He was appointed Chief Executive and Secretary in October 1991. Prior to joining CIC, Graham was Chief Executive of the British Institute of Architectural Technologists (a member of CIC) from 1983.

Graham is responsible for the general policy and direction of the Council, for maintaining effective communication with Government, other external agencies and with members and for establishing and maintaining the CIC Secretariat and office.

Graham is an Honorary Fellow of RIBA, CIBSE, CABE, ICWCI, BIID, CICES and the Faculty of Building and an Honorary Member of the RICS and CIAT. He was awarded the President’s Medal of the CIOB in 2000 and the Peter Stone Award of the Association of Building Engineers in 1996.

Graham is currently a director of CIC Approved Inspectors Register (CICAIR Ltd); Construction Umbrella Bodies (Holdings) Ltd; the Considerate Constructors’ Scheme; and Constructionarium Ltd. He was a Visiting Professor at the University of Northumbria for twelve years from 2000. He has been Secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Excellence in the Built Environment since 2010.

Graham is a member of the Industry Response Group, set up by the MHCLG in the immediate aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and Chaired the Competence Working Group set up to assist Dame Judith Hackitt’s Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety. Following the report publication he is now Chair of the Steering Group charged with implementing the recommendations on improving competence for all those engaged in designing, construction, managing and maintaining higher-risk residential buildings, this includes oversight of the competence work being carried out in the Fire and Rescue Services.

Graham had a long involvement in the sport of fencing and his competitive career culminated with a Commonwealth Medal in 1990. In 1992, he captained the British Sabre team at the Barcelona Olympic Games. He was the Manager of the British Fencing Team from 1996 and the Performance Director of the British Olympic Fencing Team for 10 years from 2000 to 2010, and Team Leader at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics Games.

Outside of CIC, he is an established international dance writer and critic. He is a member of The Critics’ Circle, the UNESCO Dance Council, Dance UK and the Society of Dance Research. He has been Chairman of the Dance Section of the Critics’ Circle since 2009 and of the National Dance Awards since 2010. In 2012, he was author of Daria Klimentová’s Autobiography “Agony and Ecstasy: My Life in Dance”.

Graham received an OBE in the New Years Honours in 2008 for his services to the construction industry.

Tel: 020 7399 7402

Dr Wei Yang OBE FAcSS, FRTPI, MCIHT, AOU, RIBA CLIENT ADVISER

Dr Wei Yang OBE is an internationally renowned town planner and urban designer who champions a place-based, whole-systems approach to tackle the grand challenges of our time. She is an influential thought leader and a powerful advocate for climate action, nature-based solutions, health and well-being, and social equality. In the 2025 New Year Honours list, she was awarded an OBE for her services to town planning.

Wei has extensive experience in leading multi-disciplinary teams and implementing large-scale regeneration and low carbon master planning projects in Britain and internationally. Her professional strengths lie in combining innovative planning inspirations with feasible implementation solutions. She is also a popular keynote speaker, an author, and a scholar.

Wei was President for 2021 of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). She champions a revival of spirit and a modernised planning profession to tackle the global challenges in a systematic way, and thus to achieve collective wellbeing and fulfilment for all.

Wei is a lead figure in researching, promoting, and implementing 21st Century Garden City and green & low-carbon development approach worldwide. She is co-author of a bestselling book, Humanistic Pure Land and Garden Cities (Shi & Yang, 2021).

Wei is also co-founder and CEO of the Digital Task Force for Planning and co-author of A Digital Future for Planning – Spatial Planning Reimagined (Batty & Yang, 2022) which outlines blueprint for digital transformation of spatial planning and the sector’s future.

Through her leadership in various areas, Wei builds a bridge between research, development and policy via her understanding of and belief in the full potential of spatial panning as a pivotal applied science discipline.

She is a Fellow of Academy of Social Sciences, a Fellow of the RTPI, a Member of Chartered Institute of Highway and Transportation (CHIT), a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Client Advisor, and an Honorary Professor at University College London.

Wei also holds a number of board-level and advisory roles across different sectors. She is a board member of the British Library and Chair of its Capital Portfolio Committee, a Global Planner Networks (GPN) representative at the UN Habitat Professional Forum, and a Professionals Co-Chair of the UN Habitat World Urban Campaign Steering Committee.

Tim Barrett

Tim began a career in construction as a site operative and trainee setting-out engineer. Five years on-site confirmed his passion for the industry, leading to enrolment in a Construction Management course. In 1993, he joined Walter Llewellyn & Sons as a trainee estimator, remaining until relocating to the North East in the late 1990s. There, he progressed from Estimator and Quantity Surveyor to Estimating and Surveying Director by 2002.

Following redundancy in 2006, he co-founded a regional SME construction company, serving as Commercial Director until stepping back in 2024. He continues to provide consultancy services to the business and works with a national QS practice on client-side project management and quantity surveying across preconstruction and construction phases. He also chairs Construction Alliance Northeast, advocating for fair payment, skills development, and procurement reform.

A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building since 2009, he has held regional and national leadership roles, including Trustee (2016–2023), Joint Chair of the Policy Board, Chair of the Remuneration Committee, and member of the Finance and Risk Committee. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Professional Conduct Committee.

With nearly four decades in the industry, he remains passionate about construction’s dynamic and innovative nature.

Les Copeland

Les is an established construction professional, his depth of knowledge of the construction industry is brought together by over 30 years of experience in a wide variety of roles and sectors, ranging from sub-contractor delivery to senior leadership positions within a number of the world’s largest construction and infrastructure companies. He now holds an Executive Director role in an International Engineering business RAMBØLL along with other board-level and advisory roles across the industry.

He has gained a wide range of experience and knowledge in the UK and international construction and infrastructure sectors, managing mainly Multi-Discipline Engineering, however, Les has also led Project Management and Architectural work streams and business units.

He has had the opportunity to work through a diverse career route from managing fast track fit-outs, listed building refurbishments, to successful delivery of award-winning landmark buildings and infrastructure schemes across the globe. Les has delivered in a wide range of sectors with a proven track record for delivering successful outcomes through strong commercial leadership and technical knowledge.

Les is also a Senior Officer of the Chartered Institution of Buildings Services Engineers and has worked with many other industry stakeholders throughout his career to help promote and support the built environment industry.

Kevin Corbett

Kevin is General Counsel & Company Secretary at Galliford Try Holdings Plc. Kevin is a solicitor and chartered civil and structural engineer. He joined the executive board of Galliford Try on 1 February 2012 and was appointed general counsel and company secretary on 1 March 2012.

Kevin was previously chief counsel global for AECOM and an executive member of AECOM Europe from September 2004. Between 2006 and 2012 he was a non-executive director of the Association of Consulting and Engineering, where he chaired the PI Insurance Group.

Between 2008 and 2012 Kevin chaired the Risk & Liability Committee of the International Federation of Consulting Engineers. He was also a member of the Legal Advisory Panel of the Institution of Civil Engineers, 2004 to 2007.

Kevin is a trustee and non-executive director of the charity CRASH.

Lorna Stimpson

Lorna’s career in Public Service Building Control spans over 30 years where she has held roles from building control surveyor up to senior managerial positions. Lorna joined LABC in 2008 as Business Development Director, advancing to Deputy Managing Director in 2015 and Chief Executive in 2019.

As LABC’s Chief Executive, Lorna leads the implementation of LABC’s strategic programmes on quality, standards, competencies and learning, including accredited qualifications and informal continuous professional development programmes.

Lorna is a member of the Joint Regulators’ Group working with MHCLG and HSE, National Fire Chiefs Council and the Local Government Association to define, pilot and test the new regulatory approaches outlined in Dame Judith’s Final Report. She sits on the Building Regulations Advisory Committee (BRAC) and the Interim Industry Competence Committee; the BSI technical committee for competence in the built environment and other professional committees focussed on improving standards and outcomes in the construction industry.

Jessica Taylor

Jessica Taylor is a Consultant at Beale & Co and brings a wealth of construction experience to the firm having spent over 30 years advising UK and international clients on all construction and engineering matters and handling both contentious and non-contentious matters over the years.

Her expertise includes working with consultants, property investors, institutional clients, banks and contractors as well as for housing providers and local authorities on a wide range of projects in a number of sectors including the residential sector as well as in the commercial, hotels and leisure and healthcare sectors.

Her work involves the drafting and negotiation of major strategic and operational commercial and construction contracts including advising on standard JCT, PPC, NEC contracts, international forms of contract including FIDIC and bespoke construction contracts, professional team appointments, collateral warranties, agreements for lease, development agreements, construction related elements of funding agreements and joint ventures, drafting and reviewing parent company guarantees, advance payment and performance bonds, framework agreements, consortium agreements, hub contracts, extensive and short form letters of intent, initial contracts and appointments and specialist sub-contracts.

She is former Deputy Director of the Quantity Surveyors Division of the RICS and served on the JCT Drafting Committee. She is a member of the Society of Construction Law and of the Worshipful Company of Constructors.

Jessica is co-founder and Chair of Diversitas, established as an independent umbrella body under the auspices of CIC to promote and encourage a more diverse leadership and increased representation within CIC and the industry from top black construction professionals.

Dirk Vennix MBA FCIPR

Dirk Vennix is a sector leader with substantial experience in managing major membership organisations. Dirk joined CIRIA as Chief Executive and Company Director of CIRIA and CIRIA Services in 2016 having previously launched the Confederation of Timber Industries which promoted offsite construction to Government and Parliament.

For more than 25 years Dirk has successfully delivered stakeholder engagement campaigns in the not-for-profit and private sectors. He previously worked for Centrica plc and Liverpool John Moores University. Dirk started his career as a journalist and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (FCIPR). Dirk gained an MBA with distinction at the University of Bradford in 2000.

Dirk chairs the Public Affairs Committee of the Construction Industry Council and is also Chairman/Trustee of the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance.