Network Rail's programme director will be institute's 104th president and will spearhead 'Female Graduates into Construction'

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has announced that Martin Chambers, Network Rail’s programme director, has been elected as its new President.

Martin Chambers
Martin Chambers: "There are some big challenges for the construction industry"

Chambers will be the 104th President and is currently responsible for Network Rail’s £500m redevelopment of Birmingham’s New Street Station.

Before joining Network Rail he worked for Laing O’Rourke and Bovis Lend Lease.

Chambers said: “It is a great honour to be made president of a body which represents 43,000 people. There are some big challenges for the construction industry.”

The CIOB has also announced that, in conjunction with the Construction Youth Trust, Angila Ruskin University, the University of Central Lancashire and the College of Estate Management, has launched ‘Female Graduates into Construction’.

This is a project to promote the work of female managers in construction and to match graduates to employers for recruitment as graduate trainees.

The project will aim to support 50 female graduates by the end of March 2008.

Chris Hughes, chair of the CIOB’s Graduate Diploma Programme said: “Breaking down the barriers for women with the potential for successful careers in construction must be a high priority for the industry in the 21st century. This project will make a significant contribution to that ambition.”