Skanska boss appointed Co-Chair cf Green Construction Board
Mr Putnam joins Business Minister Mark Prisk as Co-Chair of the Board, which is taking a unified approach to the problems facing the industry…
Mr Putnam joins Business Minister Mark Prisk as Co-Chair of the Board, which is taking a unified approach to the problems facing the industry, providing strategic leadership on key issues and identifying steps to promote the UK’s excellence in green construction.
The appointment will be formally announced later today at the Government Construction Summit in London by the Minister. He will join Mr Putnam to talk about stimulating growth and the role of the GCB in spearheading the transition towards a low carbon economy.
Business Minister Mark Prisk said:
“I’m pleased to welcome Mike to the role of industry Co-Chair of the Board. Having been committed to the Board since its beginning, he is a valued member of the team who has vast construction experience that makes him ideal for the role.
“We have a busy agenda over the coming months. For example, we will be working to publish the final version of our Routemap, and developing guidance for construction businesses to show the top twenty steps they should take to green their operations.
“I know that Mike will offer both the invaluable insight and strategic direction required to lead the Board through the times ahead.”
Mike Putnam, President and CEO of Skanska UK, said:
“I am honoured to have been asked to take on this role. I strongly believe that the construction industry has a major part to play in the green agenda, the result of which will also be good for the green economy.
“The Green Construction Board provides a unique opportunity for Government and industry to work together in a collaborative approach to deliver the strong leadership that is vital to success. I will personally champion this and work with my fellow trustees to drive change for the longer term benefit.”
Mr Putnam replaces Dan Labbad who has stepped down from the role after becoming Lend Lease Group COO.
The GCB has achieved fundamental milestones since its formation, including:
- Establishing seven working groups, consisting of over 160 leading industry and Government representatives, who will deliver a comprehensive programme of activity;
- Creating an initial Routemap to set out the industry’s direction to 2050;
- Issuing a call for evidence to create a ‘knowledge database’ for low carbon and research development; and
- Successfully integrating the work of the Sustainable Construction Task Force.
Launched in November 2011, the GCB is a consultative forum for Government and the UK design, construction, infrastructure and property industry in order to ensure a sustained high level conversation and to develop and implement a long term strategic framework for the promotion of innovation and sustainable growth.
**Notes to editors:
**1. Green Construction Board
Government and industry is building on the work of the Low Carbon Construction IGT and working collaboratively through the GCB to drive forward the actions set out in the Low Carbon Construction Action Plan. The full Terms of Reference of the group are available for download (PDF, 28 Kb)
To find out more about the Green Construction Board visit www.bis.gov.uk
- The Government’s economic policy objective is to achieve ‘strong, sustainable and balanced growth that is more evenly shared across the country and between industries.’ It set four ambitions in the ‘Plan for Growth’ (PDF 1.7MB), published at Budget 2011:
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To create the most competitive tax system in the G20;
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To make the UK the best place in Europe to start, finance and grow a business;
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To encourage investment and exports as a route to a more balanced economy;
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To create a more educated workforce that is the most flexible in Europe.
Work is underway across Government to achieve these ambitions, including progress on more than 250 measures as part of the Growth Review. Developing an Industrial Strategy gives new impetus to this work by providing businesses, investors and the public with more clarity about the long-term direction in which the Government wants the economy to travel.
- BIS’s online newsroom contains the latest press notices, speeches, as well as video and images for download. It also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom for more information.
Notes to Editors
Contact Information
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Name Andy Aston Job Title
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