SME business practice conference 2024

Kate's career in engineering began with a university placement at Curtins in Bristol. In her time there, she worked on some fantastic projects, like Shrewsbury Museum, Bristol Old Vic and the Wales International Convention Centre. In 2016 she moved to AECOM in Cardiff and in 2020 she fouded Static Dynamic.

Kate’s contribution to the IStructE started in 2007 and she has contributed to the work of many panels and committees, including the Young Members Panel, Education Panel and the Membership Committee. She is currently serving on the Business Practice and Structural Futures Committees.

Kate is member of IStructE's Trustee Board, the Institution’s governing body responsible for ensuring compliance with its Royal Charter and Bye-laws, developing its strategy and policy, setting out and maintain a framework of delegation and management of internal processes, and for securing that the Institution's objectives are allocated adequate resources.

Patrick Hayes is Technical Director at the IStructE and leads the technical and engineering policy development of the Institution working closely with the Institution’s Members. Patrick leads the Institution’s Building Safety Act initiative, which involves assessing the needs of members to meet the requirements of The Act and working with other PEI’s to produce guidance.
Patrick has been an engineer since 1988 and chartered since 1993 and has designed structures in both the UK and overseas, with experience covering schools, universities, laboratories, commercial, residential and mixed-use developments.

Nicola is a Partner in the Employment Department at Trowers & Hamlins LLP, and focuses on all aspects of human resources and employment law for public, private and third sector employers. 

Praised in the legal directories for giving "timely, clear and exceptionally perceptive advice under pressure" Nicola is recognised as an expert in employment law for employers in Chambers & Partners 2022 and the Legal 500 2022.

Nicola specialises in supporting businesses to become "Employers of the future". Her expertise includes advising on sustainable workforces, achieving inclusivity, TUPE and business transformation. She also supports employers with difficult employee relations matters, such as changing terms and conditions, managing stress at work, reasonable adjustments, discrimination and harassment investigations, and restructures and redundancies.

Nicola regularly advises and represents clients on Employment Tribunal matters and has recently dealt with complex claims for discrimination and harassment, whistleblowing and breach of TUPE. She is a frequent speaker at seminars and conferences, including the firm's weekly online Q&A "Trowers Tuesday".

Bola is a chartered structural engineer with nearly 20 years’ design and management experience within the construction industry. Bola has particular expertise in timber structure design and offsite manufacturing, and has worked with a number of the country’s leading specialist contractors.
Bola has successfully overseen a range of projects up to the value of £20 million and has brought this collaborative and leadership expertise to Tisserin. Bola is also a visiting lecturer at UCL, Royal College of Arts and University Arts London – Central Saint Martins, teaching both engineering and architectural students.
In 2024, Bola was awarded an honorary Fellowship of the RIBA for his contribution to architecture industry, and became a Fellow of the Institution of Structural Engineers. 

Parag founded The Business Growth Agency in 2007. He has grown two successful businesses of his own, won numerous coaching awards, delivered workshops to more than 1500 business owners and coached more than 50 CEOs on a 1:1 basis.
Before training as a business coach, he gained experience in senior roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers and British Telecom.
Parag is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds a degree from Oxford University.

James has spent over 20 years working in compliance across multiple sectors including Cybersecurity, insurance, HR, health & safety and law.
James excels at simplifying intricate technical subjects, making them easily understandable. By thoroughly grasping his clients’ businesses and challenges, he offers precise advice, guidance, and support, delivering cost-effective solutions.

Serial entrepreneur and investor, Kuldip co-founded Mr. Singhs and grew it from a startup to a global food brand in just 3 years.
He was featured on the BBC; supplied Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Selfridges; attracted millions of viral video views; and even advised 10 Downing Street on business strategy.
Having had his own life transformed by business coaching he decided to train as a coach himself and pass on his hard-won experience to you.
 

John, past Vice President of the Institution, is a Chartered Structural Engineer and BIM advocate, with over thirty years of construction experience gained with clients, consulting and contracting organisations.
John is one of the founding Directors of Michael Aubrey Partnership and leads the business, ensuring that his ethos of putting the client first pervades all the practice does.
John contributes to the wider structural engineering profession through his voluntary work with the Institution, as well as encouraging others to join the profession through school careers events and professional reviews of prospective members. 
John is also a non-executive Director of the Institution’s trading company, helping set strategy to deliver revenues to support the Institution.
John is passionate about BIM and has delivered talks, webinars and has chaired discussions on the subject for several organisations such as: CIOB, RICS, Thames Valley Contractors Group and the BIM Panel at the Institution of Structural Engineers.
In addition, John is also one of the founding members of Thames Valley BIM Hub, which has been created to provide a point of contact within the region for anyone wanting to know more about BIM and aims to help professionals in the regions with their BIM queries, specifically in regards to HM Governments 2016 BIM and GSL Mandate but also the wider advantages and implications of BIM adoption.
John is also Treasurer of the Thames Valley Branch of Constructing Excellence, where the aim is to improve industry performance to produce a better built environment.

Mark Whitby is best known for founding Whitby Bird and Partners with Bryn Bird in 1983. In 2001, the company was renamed Whitbybird and grew to have over 100 employee shareholders and nearly 1,000 staff. Additionally, Mark founded the energy consultancy Element Energy, now part of ERM, served as a non-executive director of the solar company Evo Energy, and co-founded Davies Maguire + Whitby, now Davies Maguire. He also established the Dubai-based consultancy Whitby and Mohajer Engineers, known as WME, which was recently acquired by Egis.

In 2016, Mark and Seb Wood founded Whitby Wood, where Mark focuses on helping engineers, architects, and clients, and where he strives to add value to their projects.

Many of the young staff Mark has mentored throughout his career have gone on to start their own businesses or hold key positions with developers, construction companies, and in the energy sector.

Joining Griffiths & Armour in 2003, Tanya has developed a wealth of experience in professional risks working with our primarily large, complex and/or international clients. As an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute (ACII) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Liverpool, Tanya became a Partner in 2022.

Client management and development responsibilities have seen Tanya involved in many collaborative initiatives on behalf of our clients, utilising her close links with Assurex Global Partners. Tanya has board responsibility for our Approved Inspectors portfolio and continuing evolution of our divisional technology offering, applying her unique insight to many of the legal and negotiation challenges faced by our construction clients.