Hello everyone,

I am delighted to have the opportunity to introduce myself to you and share my aspirations for the future of the regulation of the profession.

Let me start by introducing myself – my executive background is in business. Having qualified as an accountant and MBA, I led operations and commercial business for the Royal Mail Group and then a range of businesses in turnaround as an interim Chief Executive.

As a Non-Executive Director and Chair, I have worked with a range of public sector organisations including Chair of the General Osteopathic Council and Lead Non-Executive Director for the Wales Office.

These experiences enable me to blend my strategic and commercial skills with my expertise in Board accountability, proportionate regulation and the transformation of organisational performance.

Since our appointment at the beginning of March, my fellow Board members and I have been immersed in learning more about the ARB and getting to know our executive colleagues so that we are appropriately equipped to take the decisions we need to.

I understand that statutory regulation is not necessarily greeted by its profession with enthusiasm, and I know from having spoken to some architects that from their perspective their regulator could do more to engage with them. To help ensure public trust in the profession is maintained, I believe it is important ARB effectively supports the profession throughout their career by setting out and supporting clear expectations of professional standards and competence.

In June 2017, the worst UK residential fire since the Second World War broke out at Grenfell Tower. The subsequent independent review conducted by Dame Judith Hackitt set out a series of recommendations for fundamental change in the design and construction of high-rise buildings. In my view, Grenfell provides a lens through which the Board needs to consider all its work, and challenge itself moving forward.

As Chair it is my responsibility to integrate and develop the new Board in order that it can carry out its statutory accountabilities in a proportionate, fair and independent manner. It will be my job to build a Board which is capable and competent to carry out its strategic and performance accountabilities in a manner which holds the wider ARB team to account, striking the appropriate balance between rigour and support.

We are exploring ways in which we can better understand your views of the way ARB operates. I very much look forward to hearing your opinions as well as working with my fellow Board members, the ARB team and our stakeholders in tackling the challenges ahead.

Sincerely,

Alison J White

Chair
Architects Registration Board