Profile
The Sustainable Construction Advocate: meet alum Saul Humphrey
Not the typical route: school leaver apprentice to President of the Chartered Institute of Building
Saul Humphrey’s academic journey did not follow the usual path. Leaving school at 16, he joined R G Carter Construction via the Government’s Youth Training Scheme. Starting from an entry level apprentice he has gone on to become a professor, business and industry leader, and a sustainability champion. Most recently, he was appointed President of the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), a Royal Chartered organisation that is almost 200 years old and has more than 52,000 members spread across 100 countries.
But Saul doubts he would have embarked on this journey without the opportunity Heriot-Watt University afforded him. It played a critical role in helping him achieve his ambitions: “I am so grateful to the University,” he comments.
Now, working through his own B-Corp certified consultancy, Saul’s mission is to help transform construction into a force for positive environmental and social change: “I want sustainable building to become the norm rather than the exception, and to demonstrate that environmental responsibility and commercial success can go hand in hand,” he explains.
An unusual campus experience: studying with Heriot-Watt at Heathrow Airport
At R G Carter Construction, Saul steadily worked his way up “undertaking a couple of qualifications and gradually taking on increasing responsibility” but always wondered if his ambition might be hindered by a lack of higher education: “I kept pushing to do more, and reviewed many different options, but to no avail,” he comments. He needed a degree to go further “but I was working full-time and running part of the R G Carter business” and couldn’t see how to achieve it.
It was Heriot-Watt University’s flexible, accessible approach that saw him accepted onto a part-time MSc in Construction Management. “Due to a cohort of students at British Airports Authority (BAA) wanting to study the programme, it was being delivered as a distance learning option at Heathrow Airport,” Saul explains, “and I was allowed to join, despite not having the usual entry qualifications.” Saul studied while working full-time. “I learnt about running a business rather than a building site,” he comments, “and subjects such as economics, strategy, and systems thinking, areas I hadn’t touched on before, were incredibly helpful. In so many ways the MSc was equally as much as an MBA.”
The experience was “a game changer”. Saul graduated with Distinction and continued rising within R G Carter Construction, ultimately leading its business in the East of England, before becoming Managing Director at Morgan Sindall Construction. He went on to undertake a PhD at Loughborough University, “which should have taken five to seven years, but took me nearly ten!” he explains. With two children, and frequently working away, gaining this qualification “was tough”.
Driving change - aligning his approach with the UN Sustainability goals
Saul moved on from senior roles with leading construction companies, to run his own consultancy specialising in sustainable development. He also became a Professor of Sustainable Construction Management at Anglia Ruskin University.
Having spent more than three decades in an industry responsible for a significant proportion of global carbon emissions, he was increasingly aware of its environmental footprint. “The construction industry’s footprint was a real issue for me,” he explains. “I wanted to pivot the industry’s focus to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and align my offer with them. I also wanted to drive my work through authentic purpose, supporting building in a value-added way with a focus on responsibility, resilience, sustainability, dynamism, humility and compassion.”
Through his consultancy, Saul helps clients deliver their projects in the most sustainable way possible. He estimates that client projects to date have saved 82,000 tonnes of CO₂ through higher standards of sustainable construction, while also generating £44 million in added commercial value against peer-reviewed benchmarks.
Excellence in Sustainability Leadership
Saul’s leadership and contribution to sustainable construction have earned him significant recognition. In 2024, he received the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) National Sustainability Award for his work educating future construction professionals and for the impact of his sustainable construction consultancy.
Alongside his work he has a wide range of board, advisory, ambassadorial, trustee and governance roles across construction, education, regeneration and sustainability. As the latest President of the CIOB he intends to focus his tenure on advancing sustainability and climate literacy within the built environment sector: “We have a choice: continue as before and remain part of the problem or become part of the solution,” he says.
“It is incumbent on everyone in the sector to think about the need to commission, design, build and operate buildings in a more responsible manner. I want to see the industry apply systems thinking so we build the right buildings, in the right place, for the right needs, at the right time, with the right resilience,” he explains. “And we've got to move at pace to make the difference that’s needed.”