RLB building safety consultant Bex Gibson named in Building magazine's 40 Under 40

Bex Gibson, a senior building safety consultant at construction and property consultancy RLB (Rider Levett Bucknall), has been named in Building magazine's 40 Under 40 list of rising stars in construction, the firm said.

RLB said the annual list recognises people from across the built environment, from site managers and architects to sustainability and data consultants.

Gibson did not take a conventional route into the industry. According to RLB, she had an earlier career in performance and venue management, which the firm said taught her how to manage complex operations and work under pressure.

She then retrained, completing an MSc in Construction Management, and now works in RLB's Building Safety advisory team.

Responding to her inclusion, Gibson said the industry should stop treating buildings as something to be handed over and think instead about what it is like to live in them.

"Too many decisions are made without understanding those long-term realities," said Gibson, Senior Building Safety Consultant at RLB.

She said the next generation should care about how buildings perform over time, including how safe they are, how they are maintained and how people experience them day to day.

Sarah Draper, RLB's People & Culture Director, said: "Bex has brought a real passion for building safety to her role and is a fantastic example of the talent helping to shape the future of our industry."

Building safety at RLB

Gibson's remarks on how buildings perform in use reflect the area in which her team works. RLB's building safety management service focuses on post-occupation building management and on safety-critical systems and information, which the firm said goes beyond the statutory requirements of the Building Safety Act.

The service sits within Health & Safety Assurance, one of the service areas RLB lists alongside Built Asset Consultancy, Sustainability, RLB Digital and Specialist Solutions.

RLB said it was one of the first UK consultancies to deliver organisation-wide training in building safety.

According to GOV.UK, the Building Safety Regulator, an executive non-departmental public body, regulates higher-risk buildings and works to improve built environment competence across England and Wales.

The firm

RLB describes itself as a global independent construction, property and management consultancy. It said it operates in 36 countries with more than 4,600 people worldwide.

The firm said its UK business is 100% employee owned, and that it has about 1,500 people in the UK and Europe.