Overview

David’s presentation will set out the future mega- challenges that the world faces using recent events to illustrate likely impacts. He will explore the challenges for civil engineers globally as to what role civil engineers should play as a profession in helping to tackle these challenges. He will go on to demonstrate why business as usual cannot meet the future needs of society in this context and therefore why civil engineers must be a lot more innovative. This will culminate in a more detailed exploration into the truths and myths surrounding innovation. Whilst there are plenty examples of innovation, the profession does not innovate as a general rule on a day to day basis to the extent it should. David will share his ideas on how civil engineers can unlock innovation in the industry, ranging from personal contributions through to the structures of the industry and the way projects are procured and delivered.

About the Speaker

David Balmforth is an Executive Technical Director with the international engineering company MWH, which he joined in 1999. He is an accomplished civil engineer specializing in flood risk management and urban pollution control. Formally an academic, his recent work ranges from the delivery of £multi-million engineering programmes, to flood advisory work for municipalities in the UK and overseas. He has acted as an advisor to governments on infrastructure development, and has recently worked to alleviate flooding in London, Glasgow and Singapore. His novel approaches to managing urban river pollution have been widely adopted and he has exhibited at the Design Centre in London. Formally a non –executive director of the Construction Industry Research and Information Association and Editor of the Journal of Flood Risk Management, David is now a visiting professor at Imperial College and President of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

Registered charity number 210252 Charity registered in Scotland number SC038629

The lecture will start promptly at 11:30am with refreshments served from 11:00am

If you would like to speak at a future ICE Learned event or have topic suggestions, please contact Phil Todd: Philip.Todd@atkinsglobal.com