Dr Melanie Robinson was named Digital Construction Champion of the Year at the Digital Construction Awards 2025.
Robinson is an associate at Okana and specialises in information management and leads the consultancy’s strategic advisory service. She is an active champion for digital transformation across industry, working with both clients and industry groups to demonstrate the value of digital innovation.
In June 2024, Okana was launched as the rebrand of BIM Academy. As part of this, Robinson was tasked with developing a new strategic advisory service, Strategy and Intelligence. She has built the service using digital transformation through change management as the foundation for delivery, promoting the idea that digital innovation is accessible to everyone with the right strategy. She is supporting a growing team to deliver these ambitions and has built a comprehensive delivery toolkit to support clients of all sizes and digital maturity.
Since launch, Robinson has grown an extensive portfolio of work, including supporting Muse Places in specifying a standardised approach to digitalisation across their entire portfolio, to support with their duties to create a golden thread as a developer of higher-risk buildings. She has also led on the development of a digital twin strategy for a major automotive plant, a significant digital transformation programme for Northumbrian Water Group, and is supporting NHS Trusts with their digital requirements through the New Hospitals Programme.
Within Okana, she leads internal efficiency and standardisation projects, making improvements where necessary to maximise efficiency, such as developing sister company Ryder’s capability to comply with digital standards. She regularly contributes to internal learning and development sessions, particularly surrounding the Building Safety Act and changes in standards and legislation.
Proactice member of digital community
Robinson is a proactive member of the digital community. She is in her third year as a regional lead for Women in BIM, sits on the Building Safety Alliance Special Interest Group for the golden thread, is on the steering group for BIM4Water, and sat on the steering committee for the inaugural Digital Construction North event. As a thought leader, Robinson has spoken at industry events, reaching more than 1,000 audience members since March 2024.
She is keen about supporting the next generation of built environment professionals. She regularly provides guest lectures for Newcastle University, Northumbria University and Edinburgh Napier University. Robinson also sits on the Industry Advisory Board for the latter university and has contributed to accreditation reviews by the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists and the Institute of Engineering and Technology. She also mentors three Okana colleagues and is co-supervising a PhD student with the University of Strathclyde.
Robinson’s passion lies in making digital transformation accessible by bridging the gap between technical complexity and plain language. By fostering intelligent clients through better information management, she continues to drive meaningful change across the industry.
Robinson said: “[Winning] was a shock! Amazing! Phenomenal! I’m not afraid to say that I cried. I just want to make information equitable for everyone. Everyone should have access to it.”
The Digital Construction Awards are organised by Digital Construction Week, CIOB, Construction Management and Digital Construction Plus. To find out more about the Awards and enquire about sponsorship or entering next year’s event, visit digitalconstructionawards.co.uk.
