How do you feel handing over the presidency?

Very happy, mainly because of the engagement and pleasure members have shown as we all re-emerge after the Covid pandemic. Also, I’ve seen many relationships established between the regions and nations with Council and national activities. Our institution thrives on collaboration and is a professional institution with very high standards. I belong to a few other organisations, but there’s a sociability within CIHT which makes it a pleasure to be a member of. We’re a wee bit distinctive in that regard.

Did you achieve what you set out to achieve?

That’s a question I’ve asked myself a few times. Every president comes in and has their theme and mine was all about leadership on climate action. In that area, we’ve made some advances. We have a climate action plan within CIHT and the main thrust of that is raising awareness amongst the membership. We had a membership survey during the year and asked people what the priorities should be for the institution, and I was pleased to see that climate change came out on top, cited by over 70% of members. 

Is the industry doing enough for the climate? 

While I’ve been CIHT president, there have been three Prime Ministers and three Secretaries of State for Transport. In that year, the world’s carbon dioxide levels also went up by 2.73 parts per million. While construction is making progress with low carbon materials, surface transport is making less progress. Electric vehicles are helping to reduce GHG emissions but they won’t achieve net zero on their own; we need more investment in public transport and active travel to ensure modal shift. That just tells us that global warming isn’t a problem that’s going away. There is evidence that the government and various bodies in the transport sector are acknowledging that climate action through individual behaviour is required, so we need to keep the climate topic alive, front and centre!

What are your memorable moments?

Of the many events I did through the year – and there were a few of them – two that stand out are the Emerging Professionals Summit in London and the Emerging Professionals Conference in Birmingham. As I’m in the twilight of my career, meeting young professionals is really inspirational. They have a great commitment to climate action and at both events it was clear that there’s an overwhelming desire for accelerated progress on climate change from our younger members.

On a personal level, what’s given you the most pleasure?

It occurred to me that these past 12 months has been the first year in which people have come out and met face to face again. This is one of the biggest things for me and something that previous presidents missed out on. I enjoy the mingling and love meeting people to get their take on CIHT and the issues of the day.

What will new president Karen McShane bring to the role?

Karen is an amazing person. She’s very much into EDI and a great campaigner. When I became president, I happened to be in Northern Ireland and made a point of meeting Karen to plan how we would support each other through our respective presidencies. She’s a very passionate individual, gives a lot of time to many things in her community, and is someone who wants to spearhead initiatives to improve conditions for people and society.

Neil Johnstone was interviewed by Sam Upton

Simon Callaghan Photography