John Field, the new president of CIBSE (the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers), has used his inaugural address to urge engineers to ‘talk the talk’ and fight for their place at the heart of modern life.

He was addressing CIBSE members at the Royal Society in London and has made it a priority for his term as president to raise the profile of the vital work the industry does by making buildings perform better and to empower others to raise their game.

In his speech Mr Field called Building Services Engineers some of the most important professionals in the world, whose work affects the lives and health of billions of people every day, and who provide enormous benefits to the general public behind closed doors.

However, he also noted that, despite a central role in modern life and considerable achievements to date, the industry still isn’t as well-known and respected as its work deserves. To correct this, he promised a year of inspiration and empowerment that will spread the work of engineers and encourage young people and other professions to join the work that building services engineers do.

By speaking up as an industry, building services engineers can increase their influence over areas from public policy to best practice in construction, in order to better advance building performance for the benefit of the public. It can also encourage students and professionals in other industries to see building services as an effective means to positively impact energy use and the health of occupants.

John said: “We are at the centre of everyday life, we make it work, and what we do betters the lives and health of billions of people around the world. What we do can be incredibly exciting and inspiring – we lead some incredible initiatives, work in amazing places and make a real difference towards bettering the world.

“What we as engineers need to do is to raise our profile, show off our achievements to politicians, other professions and the media, and make it clear that what we do is of vital importance to the world. I myself was a nuclear engineer before I was inspired to work in building services by the great work being done in the industry – we need to capture that spark of enthusiasm and get others to feel it too – students, other professions, and the public at large.”

John’s address also recognised the vital work of the many CIBSE members who contribute voluntary time and effort to the work of the Institution. He acknowledged the work of the many volunteers who run specialist groups and societies, contribute their knowledge and expertise to publications and run many events for members and the public in the regions, both in the UK and around the world. This is also linked to the public benefit that CIBSE provides as part of its commitments in the royal charter, which it exercises by bettering the performance of buildings and public health and wellbeing through its work.

Mr Field was inaugurated in a ceremony that concluded the CIBSE Annual General Meeting on 5 May 2016, which also saw the presentation of honorary fellowships to CIBSE members and the announcement of the new CIBSE board. He will take over the position which has been held by past-president Nick Mead for the last year.