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Bola Abisogun and Rebecca Lovelace lead CIC diversity committee

construction diversity — Rebecca Lovelace and Bola Abisogun (Image courtesy of CIC)

The Construction Industry Council (CIC) has appointed Bola Abisogun as chair and Rebecca Lovelace as deputy chair of its diversity and inclusion committee.

The committee is a forum for members of all construction disciplines and professional bodies to identify and promote diversity policy and activities within construction.

Abisogun is a fellow of Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), and a member of the Chartered Institute of Builders (CIOB). He is also chair and founder of DiverseCity Surveyors (DCS), a peer-to-peer network for BAME surveyors, set up in 2006.

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He recently became the digital director for the BIM Academy and (as of September 2022) completed a 32-month secondment at Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) where he co-authored the Gemini Papers and the Digital Twin toolkit.

And he received an OBE for services to Diversity and Young People in construction in 2019.

Rebecca Lovelace is founder and chief dot-joiner at Building People. Building People is a hub for equity, diversity and inclusion in the built environment that brings together a ‘network of networks’ of organisations to improve connections between industry and the diverse and underrepresented people the sector needs.

Lovelace is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and in 2022 won the CIOB’s inaugural award for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (Individual). The National Federation of Builders also named her one of the Top 100 Influential Women in Construction.

‘Vital role to play’

Abisogun said: “The challenge of co-curating a totally inclusive (and representative) built environment sector, where all stakeholders and participants, are afforded the genuine, unconditional opportunity to bring their whole self to the workplace, is something that I have strived to achieve since August 2000, on my return from a trip to Atlanta in the US.

“Although the DEI conversation continues to be a global product, it is patently obvious to myself and others, that if the UK construction sector is to achieve its true potential and mitigate the ‘leaky pipe of retention’ then all protected characteristics should remain of equal importance.”

Lovelace added: “With over 200 professional bodies, trade associations and industry groups operating across our fragmented sector, I believe the CIC has a vital leadership role to play in bringing people and organisations together, and in supporting practical and strategic collaboration to achieve the vision of an equitable, diverse and inclusive built environment sector. I am looking forward to working closely with Bola, CIC members and all those driving change to make this happen together.”

CIC chair Justin Sullivan said: “We are delighted to welcome Bola and Rebecca onto the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Between them they have a massive wealth of experience and expertise that will be invaluable for the Committee and the work it is doing for both our members and the industry as a whole. I look forward to working with them both and supporting the work of the committee.

“I would also like to thank Maria Coulter and Louise Clarke for their time as chair and deputy chair respectively and all the work they carried out during their term.”