Reflecting on 2018
Looking back over 2018 I am pleased that ARB’s relationship with the RIBA, particularly the President Ben Derbyshire and the Chief Executive Alan Vallance, has been productive and engaging. The joint article I wrote with the President marked our ongoing commitment to collaborative working and emphasised the complimentary roles of the two organisations: RIBA to promote the profession and ARB to raise awareness of the Register and help maintain public trust in the profession.

We have worked hard to achieve just this type of alignment through our Criteria and Procedures Review. Our working group has met throughout the process and much progress has been made. With further discussion, we hope to arrive at a mutually agreeable position to put forward for public consultation.

Of course much of this year has involved preparing for Brexit. While the exact implications are still unknown we have conducted extensive scenario planning to ensure we are as prepared as possible and have continued to provide the Government with the information they request to inform their policy considerations. Our latest update on our preparations can be found here.

Embracing the future
Looking forward my hope is that we continue to develop as an innovative regulator equipped to meet the challenges of the future, remaining focused on the public interest and being open to new ways of performing our duties. In 2018 we revitalised the way we coordinate and report on ARB’s activities by developing a three year strategy for 2019-2021 and a high level 2019 business plan.

We know regulation of title is an important area of our work for the profession and we plan to increase our capacity to develop relationships with partners and increase proactive action in this area next year.

Clear communication about our role will be key, both in terms of supporting you through regulation as well as our ongoing work to raise public awareness of the Register. We will be reaching out to you and relevant parties next year for your feedback and insight on what we do well and how we can improve in this area.

As ever, I hope November’s Ebulletin contains interesting information for you. If you have any feedback or comments you can contact us via our Talk To Us page or by phone on +44 (0)20 7580 5861.

With best wishes for a happy Christmas and New Year,

Nabila Zulfiqar

Chair
Architects Registration Board