 Sir Michael Latham, Michel Virlogeux & ECI Board Members |
John Oliver, ECI Chairman welcomed Sir Michael Latham to the award ceremony attended by the ECI Board members on Monday 20 June.
“Sir Michael Latham is here today to receive special award, Honorary Fellowship of ECI to be presented to him by our President Michel Virlogeux” |
| The decision to make this award was taken by the ECI Executive nearly 3 years ago in July 2008. Sir Michael was identified as the first person to receive the award. Unfortunately, as a consequence of limited diary availability and then Sir Michael suffering ill health for a protracted period of time, it has not been possible until now to present this well deserved award.Honorary Fellow status is awarded to nominated individuals in special circumstances in recognition of the considerable value, service and support they have given to ECI during the time that they have been associated with ECI. It also recognises the outstanding personal contribution that an individual has made in the furtherance of development and dissemination of knowledge of best practice in Engineering and Construction.
The Honorary Fellow class of membership enables ECI to publicly acknowledge the value that has been added by individuals in the development of ECI over a considerable period of time. This could have resulted from the personal involvement, support and contribution given to specific ECI activities or in the way that the individual has continually promoted ECI’s aims and values, and/or the benefits that ECI has brought to the Engineering and Construction Industry through its members. Honorary status applies for the lifetime of the individual irrespective of whether he or she is employed by an ECI Member Company.Messages were sent from representatives of the ECI Italian Regional Unit who were unable to attend the ceremony expressing their deep respect and admiration to Sir Michael and to thank him for his support and service to ECI in his former role as President. |
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 Sir Michael Latham (left) & Michel Virlogeux (right) |
The Award of Honorary Fellowship of ECI to Sir Michael Latham was presented by ECI President Michel Virlogeux
The citation reads: “This is to express ECI’s appreciation for the Outstanding Contribution of Sir Michael Latham in recognition of his dedication and outstanding contribution to the development and dissemination of knowledge of best practice in Engineering and Construction”
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| It is a particular pleasure to present this award of Honorary Fellowship of ECI to Sir Michael Latham, a national and local figure who has developed a towering presence in the Construction Industry. Throughout his career both as a professional in the private sector and for the 18 years in public service as a Member of Parliament, Sir Michael has helped to shape the Construction industry and contributed much towards making it a source of attractive employment for young professionals in which to build their careers.
In 1994 the Latham report ‘Constructing the Team’ a joint industry – was a government report based on the simple concept that through teamwork the construction industry could delight its customers. The report acted as a wake up with all the urgency of an emergency siren. This was a report that had to be listened too, the industry couldn’t but help but hear the cries for reform. The industry was ‘ineffective’, ‘adversarial’, ‘fragmented’, ‘incapable of delivering for its customers’ and ‘lacking respect for its employees’. More than just ringing alarm bells the Latham report set the agenda for reform and gave the industry targets. From this a raft of initiatives flowed.The report led to the establishment of the Construction Industry Board to oversee reform and acted as a springboard for subsequent initiatives such as the Egan report 1998 ‘Re-thinking construction’; the Construction Best Practice Programme’, ‘The Movement for Innovation’ and ‘Constructing Excellence’. All designed to drive the industry forward.Construction is a large sector in the UK economy with an output of over £60bn, representing a significant proportion of GDP. There are few with the temerity to try to reform such a large industry. There are even fewer with the ability to succeed.Sir Michael continues to play a leading role in the industry. However, many will always remember the valuable contributions he made (to name but a few) as Chairman of the Construction Industry Training Board, of Construction Skills, the Sector Skills Council for Construction, Deputy Chairman of Willmott Dixon Limited, Chairman of the Collaborative Working Centre Limited and Non-Executive Deputy Chairman of BIW Technologies. He also chaired Partnership Sourcing, a company established in association with the CBI and the DTI, continues in the role of president of a trade federation and chairman of several committees of national organisations concerned with the construction industry.In 1974, he entered Parliament and served as an MP until 1992. For all of his 18 years as an MP, he was an active and valued member of the Court of Loughborough University. Then, in 2001, he agreed to become the first President of the European Construction Institute. The role of the President was intended to be titular, a figure head, representing the values of ECI. But not for Sir Michael, during his time as ECI President his approach was one of enthusiasm, commitment and dedicated effort. He saw ECI’s strengths in its powerful network and its potential to improve a continent wide industry. He also saw its weaknesses and the need to build a wide profile for ECI throughout Europe and to re-position and re-launch ECI for its second decade. In the same way that Sir Michael had provided leadership for the whole construction industry he provided leadership for ECI revising and reshaping its ambitions and activities. Sir Michael has received many honours, including honorary degrees from a number of Universities including an Honorary Doctor of Science degree awarded by Loughborough University. He is an honorary fellow of nine professional institutions – including the prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering, the others being the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Chartered Institute of Building ,the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply, the Institute of Building Control, the Architects & Surveyors Institute, the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland and the Landscape Institute and is also an honorary member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. He is a Deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire. He was knighted in 1993. The award of Honorary Fellowship of ECI may seem to be relatively minor in comparison to the many honours and awards that Sir Michael has received in the past together with the well deserved accolades and citations. However, the decision to make this particular award was made by a unique group of construction professionals in senior positions representing major companies across Europe who genuinely share Sir Michael’s ideals and aspirations for the continuing improvement, development and dissemination of knowledge of Construction best practice without barriers. The award is being made not just in recognition of Sir Michael’s enduring contribution in that respect but also as a public vote of thanks for his support and leadership as ECI President between 2002 and 2007. Congratulations Sir Michael |
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