CIBSE’s CEO Ruth Carter, President Vince Arnold and Membership Director Richard Goldsbrough will visit Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne in March to meet with members, industry partners and emerging professionals across the region. Their visit comes at a critical time as Australia faces intensifying skills shortages, rising expectations around competence and accelerating demands for decarbonisation and building performance.
Strengthening Global–Local Connections
Across all three cities, CIBSE will convene Executive Leadership Breakfasts designed to bring senior leaders together for strategic conversations about the future of the built environment. These sessions will explore:
- The global state of the engineering profession
- Skills shortages and the changing capability landscape
- The role of professional institutions in supporting competence and accountability
- How leaders can build resilient, future‑ready teams
- The impact of mentoring, volunteering and knowledge‑sharing on long‑term industry health
These breakfasts also create space for open discussion about the challenges facing the sector. While the details vary across states and territories, the themes are global: decarbonisation, digitalisation, regulatory change, performance in use and the urgent need to grow a competent, mobile and future‑ready workforce. One of CIBSE’s greatest strengths is its international reach, enabling members to draw on global best practice and lessons learned from around the world.
Strengthening Collaboration with Australia’s Peak Bodies
A major focus of the visit will be deepening collaboration with key Australian associations. Ruth and Richard will meet with Engineers Australia, NABERS, AIRAH, the International Code Council and other partners to discuss shared priorities such as competence, building performance, regulatory reform and workforce development. These meetings aim to identify opportunities for joint initiatives, align guidance where appropriate and ensure CIBSE’s global expertise continues to support local regulatory and market needs. Strengthening these relationships is essential as Australia moves toward more consistent expectations around accountability, professional registration and performance in use.
Engaging the Next Generation
The delegation will also meet directly with early‑career professionals at the Young Engineers Network panel hosted at Arup in Sydney. The discussion will explore mentorship, career development and the importance of “paying it forward” to strengthen the next generation of building services professionals. In Adelaide, the delegation will participate in a workforce‑focused panel as part of the local Industry Breakfast, examining strategies to attract, develop and retain engineering talent across South Australia.
Addressing Australia’s Unique Challenges
CIBSE’s growth in Australia continues to accelerate, supported by increasing recognition of the value of Chartered status and independent verification of competence. Legislative changes—such as NSW’s Design and Building Practitioners Act—are reinforcing the importance of accountability and professional registration.
At the same time, CIBSE is working to ensure its technical guidance remains globally informed yet locally relevant. Australia’s climate diversity, tall‑building concentration and evolving regulatory frameworks require nuanced, region‑specific interpretation of global best practice. CIBSE is collaborating with local committees, volunteers and industry partners to ensure guidance resonates with local needs while maintaining international standards.
Supporting the Region’s Long‑Term Needs
The visit reinforces CIBSE’s commitment to supporting the ANZ region through stronger professional pathways, deeper industry partnerships and guidance that reflects both global best practice and local conditions. As Australia continues to face skills shortages, climate‑driven design challenges and rising expectations around competence and accountability, these engagements will help shape how CIBSE supports the profession in the years ahead.