MANIFESTO

It is my complete honour to be standing as a candidate for President-Elect of our unique and forward-thinking institute and discipline.

As the curator of this post, I want to build on the outstanding work of our previous presidents and continue to push the boundaries to expand our professional, personal and social outreach.

Building on our heritage, as the youngest-ever candidate for President-Elect, I hope to bring fresh ideas, innovations and opportunities to the post.

Keeping our organisation at the forefront of architectural technology remains key, but also to be ready to weather any future storms. I believe we must maintain our relevance and support our staff and members to excel. I feel I have the skills and determination to deliver this.

From an early age, I knew a career in design, technology and construction awaited me. It went beyond the Lego obsession. My professional career journey started some years later with an HNC apprenticeship, progressing to university, where I joined CIAT as an associate member and then as a full chartered member upon graduating.

A personal career highlight for me was receiving the Architectural Technologist of the Year award from CIAT in 2021. It is this championing and recognition of emerging talent that makes CIAT of such international importance.

As President-Elect, to serve you best, I feel listening is key. Only through consultation and close collaboration with our staff, delegates, representatives, members, and our wider community can we understand and learn which course of action will deliver the best onward results.

Leading through careful planning with measurable outcomes is my plan. Attracting new members also remains critical. Giving the CIAT brand maximum visibility and exposure is essential through our accredited/affiliated international courses – students who should become the next generation of industry professionals and future custodians of our institute.

My agenda will pivot around four major areas, which are as follows:

1. Education
2. Promoting our profession
3. Serving our community of practice
4. Protecting our planet

To achieve these four goals, communication is vital. I will ensure our members keep abreast of the latest developments within our profession, by expanding on our established modes of interaction and embracing new technology, innovation and creativity.

1. Education is at the core of my agenda, which I believe needs some evolutionary (if not revolutionary) transformation. By approaching and recruiting future generations at much younger ages, we enable better opportunities to educate, inspire and attract them to our profession. Alongside this, we have a responsibility to improve equality, diversity and inclusivity. I propose more outreach programmes for schools in deprived and underprivileged communities.
2. Promoting our Profession involves synergy and collaboration. I believe working alongside other professionals in the AEC industry will empower us. With boundaries and definitions in place, we can collectively move forward stronger – I will always ensure the sovereignty and protected charter of our profession are safeguarded and promoted. With proactive leadership, I believe we can collaborate with other initiatives and disciplines across the wider architectural, built environment, civil and structural engineering, and construction professional communities to create new opportunities. I will commission a working group to collaborate with existing task forces to carry out practical, applied research with direct, measurable, and beneficial outcomes for the institute and all its members. These research streams will lead from some ideas that I have already developed with the help and support of my team. Moving forward, any new themes and topics will be debated and voted on in AGMs.
3. Serving our community is paramount for me, as our staff and members are our biggest asset. I will work with all members, regional committees, council members, vice presidents, our CEO and the headquarters – to ensure we enable our members to deliver the best services in their areas of work. Professional workshops, seminars and short training packages will help improve our personal and interpersonal skills. Alongside this, by providing the best practice examples, guidelines and support documents, we can enable those members who wish to improve these skills. Plus, all these measures will demonstrate the ongoing value of their CIAT membership. Importantly, I will also deliver on a new initiative, to highlight mental health awareness and the wellbeing of our members and the wider construction industry. Having suffered with my own mental health illness in 2017, I am very aware of the isolating experience this creates. Whilst our industry is developing strategies, we need to bolster this further and promote better working lifestyles. I will continue to support the outstanding work of the Architects Benevolent Society, and all they do to support design industry professionals, building on the successes and strides our current president is making with them.
4. Protecting our planet is unescapably important today. With over 40% of greenhouse gas emissions coming from the building and construction industry, it is one of the most significant contributors to climate change. More than any other profession, the influencers to make meaningful change must surely be the architectural technologists. To keep the environment on the top of the agenda, I intend to utilise the environment as a cross-cutting theme throughout my tenure, from education outreach to professional development. Covering topics, from sustainability, environmental impacts, lifestyle assessments, biophilic design and social sustainability to circular economy.

I stand to Professionally Serve you, our membership, and our institute towards a better, greener, and more sustainable future on our one and only planet.

Tom Gray
MCIAT Chartered
Architectural Technologist
CIAT South East Region 10 Chairman