Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) select communications specialist as a board member
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) has selected Liz Waugh as a member of the 2019/20 ICE Trustee Board, the group who lead the Institution’s strategic decision making across the UK.
Liz, Managing Director of Cornwall-based Coast Communications, will join the trustee board with 11 other members in November 2019.
It is the first time ICE has appointed a communications specialist onto the board, and reflects a growing recognition of how integrating communications into the civil engineering industry is critical.
ICE’s Trustee Board comprises 12 members – including the ICE president, who chairs the meetings – and this group set the vision and strategy for the ICE and direct activities.
Liz has been secretary and committee member for the ICE South West board since 2016, but has a long history of working with ICE since 2010. She has been a SW judge for the prestigious ICE awards, with notable winners including Jubilee Pool in Penzance and Gloucester Services. She was the first ever Associate Member of ICE specialising in communications.
Her company, Coast Communications, specialises in providing specialist technical communications support in environmental, economic, engineering and educational fields, with particular emphasis on critical infrastructure and the economy.
This has included working for a number of award winning projects and respected clients, including clients ranging from Ørsted, Eon Energy and SSE to National Trails, Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT), and the Peninsula Rail Task Force (PRTF).
Liz is also a member of the Great Western Railway Advisory Board and a member of the South West Infrastructure Panel, which considers potential infrastructure improvements for the region.
Liz said: “Being asked to become a trustee for the ICE is a great honour and I am delighted to be taking up the challenge.
“Most of us are not conscious of the role of civil engineering until it impacts upon you – a road proposed for your town, a train line is closed, or perhaps the street is flooded. Civil engineering keeps the wheels of society moving, and is essential to every day life, yet most of us don’t realise it.
“It’s one of the reasons that communication is so vital to engineering, although it can be an afterthought. From recognising and interpreting the problem that engineers are trying to solve, to understanding and listening to community concerns, effective communication is key to success.
“Ensuring we engage properly with stakeholders from the outset means that engineers are providing a relevant, cost effective solution that people will support, use and may be even enjoy!”
To find out more about the work of ICE, please visit www.ice.org.uk