ICE Strategy Session: Building safeguards

Mark Hansford

Mark has spent over 25 years working as a knowledge and content specialist across the infrastructure sector. He joined New Civil Engineer magazine in 2000, serving as editor for six years and leading its relaunch as a monthly title with daily digital news. He later became Director of Engineering Knowledge at the Institution of Civil Engineers. A qualified civil engineer and Fellow of the ICE, Mark began his career with AtkinsRéalis and now works with organisations driving change across the UK infrastructure sector.

Brendan van Rooyen

Brendan is responsible for ensuring the credibility of ICE’s Specialist Professional Registers and their future development. He has worked extensively with governments and regulators to provide specialist registration for safety critical roles including reservoirs and higher risk buildings and has been involved in the industry response working groups set up after the Grenfell tragedy since 2019.

Chris O'Regan

Chris has worked in structural engineering for nearly 40 years, progressing from apprentice technician to Head of Structural Safety at Frankham Consultancy Group. In his current role, he leads teams of inspecting engineers delivering structural risk assessments across existing higher-risk buildings (HRBs).

A Fellow of both the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), Chris was awarded Fellowship in recognition of his pioneering work in technical knowledge-sharing and his authorship of Structural Use of Glass in Buildings (2nd Edition, 2014). Chris chairs the ICE/IStructE Joint Committee for the HRB Competency Register for structural engineers, established to provide independent verification for practitioners working on higher-risk structures. He was also a principal contributor to the Engineering Council’s UK-SPEC-HRB framework, which underpins the register's assessment standard.

Over his career, Chris’s design and construction portfolio spans a diverse range of landmark and complex projects, from the refurbishment of a South London art gallery to Wembley Stadium and the rebuilt EastEnders set. He regularly provides high-level technical expertise to key industry bodies, including the Engineering Council, HSE, and BSI. The author of over 60 technical guidance notes, Chris received the IStructE Lewis Kent Award in 2021 for outstanding service to the structural engineering profession.