Mike Banfi is an Associate Director who joined Ove Arup & Partners in 1976. Since 1998 has been based in Arup's Advanced Technology and Research department. Mike advises on analysis and design of structures and his particular interest is steel and steel composite structures but he has experience in concrete and timber. He also contributes to codes of practice at UK, European and International level. Mike has advised on aspects of steel construction for many high-profile projects including Beijing National Stadium, Heathrow Terminal 5 and Gatwick's Pier 6 Footbridge. He is an active member of IStructE and currently chairs the Institution’s Research Panel.

Sarah Buck is the Institution of Structural Engineers' (IStructE) 88th and first female President. Following her inauguration in October 2007, Sarah has also become the first Lady President of any of the construction industry's main international institutions. Director of her own successful West Country-based structural design practice, BSW Consulting, Sarah's particular interests as an engineer lie in historic structures and sustainable construction. She is currently a member of the South West Women in Construction who actively promote construction as a career for girls and she recently won the Award for Outstanding Achiever in the Civil Engineering category at the Atkins Inspire Awards 2007. Previous projects include the new Children's Hospice near Bristol and Mmabtho airport in Southern Africa.

Gordon Clark is Chairman of the independent engineering consultant Gifford. He joined the consultancy in 1976 and was appointed a Director in 1992. Gordon's career as a leading bridge designer included Project Director for the award-winning Gateshead Millennium Bridge. He has been the design engineer and project manager on a wide variety of bridge and road schemes throughout the country over the last 30 years. He has lectured widely and published many papers on bridges and other built structures. Gordon has made a major contribution to the advance of technical knowledge and standards throughout the industry as a member of the UK Concrete Society Design Group, a member of the International Federation for Structural Concrete, as chairman of the British Standards Structural Concrete committee and as a non-executive Board member of CARES, the Certification Authority for Reinforcing Steels.

Michael Cook is a Director of Structural Engineering at Buro Happold. During his career he has led the engineering design of many unique structures around the world, and contributed to the development of a practice of consulting engineers with a global reputation for creativity and innovation. Michael is a Board Director of TRADA and the IStructE Education Trust. He was member of Council for IStructE for 2002 and 2005. He has recently been appointed Adjunct Professor of Creative Design at Imperial College. Recent building projects include cultural centres in Dallas and St Petersburg; exhibition centres in London and Liverpool; Museums in Boston, Washington DC and London, and commercial developments in Amman and Istanbul.

David Dibb-Fuller has over 40 years experience of structural design and has specialist knowledge in structural steel and the restoration of historic buildings. David has worked in contracting, local and central government, nationalised industry and most recently as a partner with Gifford Consulting Engineers. David retired from Gifford in 2006 and now acts as a consultant to the practice, assisting with the implementation of the Eurocodes and undertaking expert witness work. David is currently Chair of the Institution’s Resources Committee and Pension Trustees and serves on a number of task groups, working parties and the Council of IStructE. This year David was honoured to receive the Lewis Kent Award for services to the Institution.

Ian Firth is Partner in Flint & Neill Partnership and is responsible for the designs, checks and structural assessments of bridge projects, large and small, around the world. He is well known as a designer of several innovative and award winning bridges. Ever committed to improving structural awareness through the clear definition of form and function, and with experience in buildings, tension and membrane structures as well as in bridges, he remains a passionate proponent of good design.

David Harvey has been responsible for thousands of bridges of almost every conceivable type over his 38 year career, and has received many industry awards for innovation. His particular interests are in developing improved structural systems and in delivering better value. A resident of Vancouver, Canada, his work embraces bridging in remote locations and major transportation assignments. He has worked for Associated Engineering, for 25 years and is a Principal with the firm. He was elected a Vice President of the Institution of Structural Engineers in 2002, and is currently serving as the Institution's 87th President.

Professor David A Nethercot is Head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London. He was previously on the staff at Cardiff, Sheffield and Nottingham Universities, including 5 years as Head of Department at Nottingham. He was for more than 10 years, chairman of the BSI Committee responsible for BS5950 and for UK input into EC3, is Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Steel Construction Institute and a Vice-President of the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering. David is currently Chairman of the Structural Awards Panel.

Dr Graham Owens has 42 years experience in structural and civil engineering, working in the contracting, consulting, academic and institutional sectors. As Director of The Steel Construction Institute (SCI), he is responsible for the technical quality and commercial viability of an organisation of 50 people with an annual turnover of £5m, which undertakes approximately 100 separate pieces of technical work each year to promote and develop the proper and effective use of steel in construction. He is currently a Vice-President of the Institution of Structural Engineers, Member of Council of the Institution of Structural Engineers, Member of Executive Board of Construction Industry Council and Chairman of Co-Construct.

James Parsons is a Partner with design consultancy Cass Hayward LLP, specialising in the design of bridges for road and rail throughout the UK. His firm has a particular track record with innovative design and construct type bridge projects. James is a committee member of the Wales Branch of IStructE and was its Chairman in 1998. He has since been the Institution’s Benevolent Fund Advisory Member for Wales and in May 2007 was appointed a Trustee of the Fund. James also currently chairs the Institution’s Task Group for the preparation of the EC3 Manual for the design of steel framed buildings.

Sam Price founded Price & Myers with Robert Myers in 1978. A succession of many noteworthy projects included the Sutton Hoo visitor centre for the National Trust with van Heyningen and Haward and a large new office for Capital One in Nottingham with ORMS, two of the largest in a group of Price & Myers projects that won RIBA or Civic Trust awards. Sam is currently chairman of the Steering Committee of the Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment Course at Cambridge; is on the Advisory Committee for the Department of Architecture at Cambridge University; and he is a member of the Architectural Panel of the National Trust.

Claire Thomas has been with Ramboll Whitbybird for over 10 years, in London and Bath and most recently Associate Director in the Bristol office. She is currently leading the structural design for 300 apartments and a 2000 space multi-storey car park as part of the extensive St David's 2 city centre redevelopment in Cardiff. Recently completed buildings include The Genesis Project at Somerset College in Taunton where materials such as straw bales, rammed earth and cob blocks were used to create a sustainable construction teaching centre. Such diverse projects are typical of her portfolio which ranges from a new build Palladian country house, regeneration and remediation, refurbishment, health centres, sports halls and swimming pools, to speculative offices, schools, colleges and universities, most notably the Said Business School in Oxford. Claire's particular interests are working within a multi-disciplinary environment and bringing a holistic sustainable approach into the mainstream.

Dr John Tubman is a Director of Scott Wilson, responsible for its structural engineering and Advanced Technology businesses in the south of the UK. His career has included periods in structural steelwork research, university teaching, design, site supervision and management. John’s design teams are engaged on a wide variety of projects in the nuclear, leisure, retail, commercial, education, airports, ports, rail and energy sectors. He takes particular interest in projects involving high levels of technical complexity and innovation. John has been an active member of IStructE throughout his career and has contributed to the accreditation of undergraduate degree courses, drafting of British Standards, Eurocodes and design guidance, and has authored a number of publications.

Alice Ward graduated in 2002 from Bath University, where a joint department with both architecture and engineering students developed her passion for structural engineering. Since graduation she has worked in a variety of areas of the industry, and is currently a structural engineer at KB² Consulting Civil & Structural Engineers LLP. Her key areas of expertise include modern methods of construction and in particular the design of multi-storey timber frame structures for large scale residential developments. Alice currently chairs the Young members Panel of the IStructE, having run her local graduates and students group for several years. She has also been co-opted to the council of the IStructE for the 2007-2008 session.

Jane M Wernick is a structural engineer with experience of unusual and challenging structures. She worked for Ove Arup and Partners between 1976-1998 and was Principal in Charge of Arup’s Los Angeles office between 1986-88. Her most notable project with Arup was the Millennium Wheel. Jane is now the Director of Jane Wernick Associates Ltd which has developed a wide portfolio of projects including buildings, bridges, sculptures and furniture. She is also Visiting Professor of Design at Oxford Brookes University's architecture department and the Royal Academy of Engineers’ Visiting Professor of Design at Southampton University's civil engineering faculty. Jane recently received the Atkins Inspire Award for ‘Outstanding Achiever’ in the Construction category.

Megan Yates, as a Director of Techniker Ltd she was responsible for a series of high profile projects where the interpretation of the architectural intent has been key to the success of the project : Rivington Place with David Adjaye, Project Lateral with Fosters and Murray Grove, the first 8 storey timber building, with Waugh Thistleton. Megan has recently moved to Switzerland to join Kälin & Cuerel where she continues to explore appropriate sustainable structural engineering solutions with a particular emphasis on timber engineering.