Merger Talks Underway Between Two Industry Trade Groups

The Chartered Institute of Building and the Institute of Roofing discuss folding roofing into a larger CIOB organization

The Chartered Institute of Building is a trade organization that traces its roots back to 1834; the organization has influenced construction standards from the Houses of Parliament in Westminster to the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

— Petronas Towers image courtesy of Pexels

Reports of two British industry trade groups, related by the same building envelope space but one specialized and the other more disparate, first broke on June 23 after a news bulletin was posted on the Chartered Institute of Building’s Global Construction Review website.

The posting states that the Chartered Institute of Building, a United Kingdom-based construction trade organization that traces its roots back to 1834, and the Institute of Roofing are discussing “integrating the roofing industry’s professional institute into CIOB’s diverse membership and global operations.”

In addressing the talks, CIOB’s Chief Executive, Caroline Gumble, said her organization has the broadest membership base of any professional body in the building envelope space and touched upon the synergies of the two groups.

“It is often referred to as the integrated team because our members represent the vast array of disciplines that are needed to produce, maintain and conserve our built world,” Gumble said on the GCR website. “Adding the expertise and talent of the crucial roofing industry would only strengthen our mission to make modern professionalism widely aspired to and increasingly a reality across the industry.”

The Institute of Roofing, a UK-based trade group established in 1980, espouses similar goals to its New World counterpart, the National Roofing Contractors Association, in mission, scope and engagement.

Speaking on behalf of the IoR, Kay Rose, the organization’s CEO, expressed optimism and said her board and the group’s members saw the talks as beneficial.

“This move would benefit our discipline and the industry enormously,” Rose said on the GCR posting. “It would give roofing professionals access to a globally recognised [sic] chartered qualification in a home that is truly a top-tier body with great influence for change.”

CIOB’s Gumbel added that the inclusion of roofers into her organization furthers the group's reach and develops strength in numbers.

“For the CIOB, this enhances the professional community by bringing the expertise and voice of roofing professionals into the mix,” Gumbel said, adding, “[it] and drives forward the need to professionalise [sic] and modernise [sic] every facet of the industry.”

The CIOB said discussions are ongoing and are scheduled to conclude in late autumn 2023.