CIOB opens search for four trustees as 13 January 2027 deadline set

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has opened applications for four voluntary trustee positions on its Board, with Chartered Members given until midday on Wednesday 13 January 2027 to apply.

The seats fall vacant when four trustees step down in June 2027, CIOB said. Three will be filled by election and the fourth will be selected by the Board, for a term of three years.

Candidates must be current Chartered Members of the institute, holding MCIOB or FCIOB. CIOB said every element of the process is overseen by its Nominations Committee, whose final decision is binding.

Elle Smith, a CIOB trustee and assistant director at the House of Commons, appears in a recruitment video on the institute's page explaining why she stood. She said: "I'm passionate about mental health in the construction industry".

The role

CIOB said its trustees have ultimate responsibility for directing the affairs of the institute and delivering its Royal Charter objectives. They set policy, oversee the budget and are legally responsible for the institute, and the chief executive reports to the Board.

The recruitment page puts the Board at 16 Fellows and Members, although CIOB's current trustees page lists 15 named trustees. Steve Nitman FCIOB chairs the Board, with Saul Humphrey FCIOB CEnv as President and Ola Obadara FCIOB as Senior Vice President.

Trustees give their time voluntarily and are supported by governance committees and the CIOB Management Board, according to the institute. The Charity Commission for England and Wales, to whose guidance the recruitment page links, says the trustee role is almost always unpaid and that trustees have independent control over, and legal responsibility for, a charity's management and administration.

CIOB is governed by a Royal Charter and registered as a charity in England, Wales and Scotland. It has more than 50,000 members across 100 countries and traces its origins to The Builders' Society, formed in London in 1834.

Recent rounds

The 2027 round follows two years in which no members' vote was needed. For 2025, CIOB said there was no requirement for a trustee election: Jonathan Payne FCIOB was elected from the close of the AGM on 24 June 2025, and Elizabeth Smith MCIOB and Hadi Kazemi MCIOB were selected to the Board.

In 2026 there were four elected vacancies and, under Bye-Law 65(d), the candidates were deemed elected without a vote. Dayle Bayliss FCIOB, Michael Loizias MCIOB, Duan Van der Merwe FCIOB and Paul Vega FCIOB joined the Board, while Shu-Ling Lu FCIOB was selected from the close of the AGM on 24 June 2026 following a skills audit of the full Board.

The split between elected and selected seats has therefore varied: four elected plus one selected in 2026, against three elected plus one Board-selected for 2027.

The Nominations Committee's remit, according to CIOB's committees page, covers the recruitment, assessment, election and selection of new trustees, the Chair, Vice President and Hubs, as well as reviewing the competence, knowledge and integrity of the Board. Committee members include trustees, co-opted members and representatives from the Members' Forum and Tomorrow's Leaders.

Strategy context

Incoming trustees will join part-way through CIOB's Corporate Plan 2023-28, which the institute said focuses on three areas: environmental sustainability, quality and safety, and skills gaps.

What happens next

CIOB will hold two online drop-in surgeries for prospective candidates: on 24 November from 4.30pm to 5.30pm GMT, and on 10 December from 8.00am to 9.00am GMT.

A 'Guidelines for Candidates 2027' document and 'The Role and Responsibilities of a CIOB Trustee' are available to download from the recruitment page. The application portal closes at 12.00 GMT on 13 January 2027, with the new trustees taking up their seats in June 2027.