New editor’s comment and latest issue of magazine available for download

Infrastructure Intelligence has a new editor, after Andy Walker took over from Denise Chevin who has moved on to pastures new. Andy, who was formerly associate editor, previews the July/August issue of the magazine and calls for industry leadership following the recent Brexit vote.

Andy Walker
11 July 2016

Twitter FacebookLinkedIn

Print

Topics 

Magazine download

It’s hard to overstate the impact of the UK referendum decision to leave the EU. The pace of events, political and economic, since the result was declared has been truly astonishing. Media outlets are running online minute-by-minute updates and still they can’t keep up. The political class is in meltdown, the two leaders of the Remain and Leave sides have exited the stage and the only certain thing about anything at the moment is uncertainty. 

That uncertainty is not good news for the infrastructure sector. Uncertainty never is. The country is facing a real leadership vacuum following the 23 June decision and if there ever was a time for the industry to step up to the plate and make the case for infrastructure investment, then that time is unquestionably now.

There is a positive case to be made to explain how construction boosts growth and is key to the rebalancing of the economy. The Brexit vote highlighted more than ever the disconnect between London and the rest of the UK and the urgent need to invest in transport, energy and social infrastructure to increase economic activity and create jobs.

At a time of uncertainty, it is vital that industry leaders promote infrastructure investment as a way to stabilise and grow the economy and give confidence to the financial markets and those businesses contemplating investment decisions. Our Brexit coverage (pages 3-7) looks at the immediate implications for infrastructure and what happens next.

Continuing the leadership theme, given the plethora of industry and organisations covering the sector, we ask just who is in charge of infrastructure (pages 14-15) and try and make sense of the numerous bodies jostling for position. 

Amidst all the post-Brexit hullabaloo, we still find time to celebrate the brightest and best in the industry by highlighting the winners of ACE’s recent Consultancy and Engineering Awards in a special supplement (pages 21-33), which showcases the galaxy of talent, expertise and leadership the industry has at its disposal.

That industry leadership and expertise will be sorely needed over the coming weeks and months, as the country continues to navigate extremely challenging political and economic waters in the wake of the decision to leave the EU.

Andy Walker
Editor, Infrastructure Intelligence

Click here to download the July/August edition of Infrastructure Intelligence.