Associate Members Introduction – Selina Häringer & Aaron Lyons

The second session at our February monthly meeting gave us all the chance to get to know our new Associate Members, Selina Häringer and Aaron Lyons

Selina was introduced to us by acumen7 Member, Birgitta Schock. In October last year Selina moved from Germany to London to complete a Master’s in Business and Organizational Psychology at the University of Westminster. She met Birgitta during her (almost) three years as a Lean Construction Consultant at the Stuttgart, Germany-based refine.

Selina believes that outside of your comfort zone, the only way to grow, make a difference, and move forward is to take on new challenges and develop as a person.

Next up was Aaron who was introduced to us by acumen7 Member and former Chair, John Pilkington, and has a degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship. He initially spent time with a company advising on energy in a very broad sense – a consultancy in the carbon agenda world. Aaron is now working at Carbon8 and is building their capability and credibility in terms of being able to market a, quite deliberately labelled, Carbon8 credit.

It was great to hear (and feel) the enthusiasm they both have, and we are looking forward to equally beneficial relationships over the next year.

Making UK Nuclear Power Competitive

After Tony Roulstone presented to us last year, a group of acumen7 members got together with him with the objective of promoting and supporting the case for small nuclear reactors, a key element of the UK sustainable provision to enable us to meet our Net Zero carbon targets by 2040.

The Focus Group comprising Tony, Peter Dixon, Robert Osborne and Simon Murray have met several times and at our first monthly meeting of 2023, they shared the results of their deliberations in terms of formulating a cohesive approach to developing programmes of development for both SMRs and large reactors to standard designs.

The presentation and subsequent discussions demonstrated the depth and strength of our network in one of our key focus areas.

Thanks go to the Focus Group for their work so far (and the work that’s to come), and to all of our members who attended the session.

Digital Transformation – implementing the next steps

Birgitta Schock is a long-term member and supporter of acumen7. We were lucky to hear from her at our November Monthly Meeting. 
 
Birgitta is currently leading on a digital transformation process for the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich that encompasses and promotes a human centric approach as a crucial element to ensure digital transformation success.

She is a Partner of the new BildDich.ch network – a network of professionals for professionals providing trainee and support to the construction and real estate industry.
 
Birgitta gave us an engaging and interactive talk, and acumen7 members responded well to her request for feedback on implementing the next steps.
 
It was great to see how much discussion the presentation generated. Members are encouraged to contact Birgitta directly to continue discussions.

Insurance Backed Alliancing under the IPI Model

Our thanks goes to Kevin Thomas, Managing Director of IPInitiatives Limited for his presentation to members of acumen7 in the October monthly meeting.

IP Inititatives’ goal is to change the construction industry by implementing a new procurement and delivery model.

Kevin gave us a great talk on what sets apart IP Inititative’s model from the traditional insurance models and current methods of construction delivery. 

Questions came thick and fast from the members of acumen7 to Kevin and he fielded them with expertise, sparking passionate discussions.

For more information on the great work IP Inititives are doing to change the construction industry check their website: https://www.ipinitiatives.co.uk/ 

Edumaker, a 3D print farm with a difference

At our July meeting, Managing Director of Edumaker, Alex Gibson , stepped into the breach at the last minute and gave us an interesting introduction into Edumaker – a 3D print farm with a difference – they can print large sizes, from parts that won’t fit on a desktop 3D printer, to parts over 2 cubic metres in volume. They print using renewable energy – much of which is generated on-site – and use primarily premium recycled materials. 

Alex shared his journey so far and the challenges he faces growing his business, including how to resource a start-up. This sparked some great conversations and feedback from members who have faced, or may face, the same challenges.

What did acumen7 do for me?

Mark Bew is a longstanding member of acumen7 and CEO of Cohesive, an international digital integrator delivering transformational outcomes across the built and natural environment.

Mark gave us a fascinating presentation about the advantages of being a member of acumen7, how that has helped him on his journey from running his own business to the merger with Cohesive, which has developed the first truly integrated approach for the management of critical assets and services.

For more information on The Cohesive Group, visit: https://cohesivegroup.com/