Dan Labbad to co-chair Green Construction Board

Lend Lease’s Dan Labbad has been appointed to co-chair the government’s Green Construction Board.

The chief executive for Europe, Middle East and Africa will head the board alongside business minister Mark Prisk.

The board, set up by the department for Business Innovation and Skills, is charged with driving the government’s sustainability agenda and will meet for the first time “later in the autumn”.

Labbad, who is also chairman of the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), said: “This is a unique and important opportunity for the private sector to work in partnership with the government to provide direction for the green transformation of our sector.

“The group will work to create a platform for investment and innovation and to help leverage the commercial opportunity that the green agenda presents. I am looking forward to working alongside Mark to help make this collaboration a success.”

Prisk said: “Greening the property and construction sector is a great challenge and a massive opportunity.

“By greening their own operations, pulling green practices through their supply chains and providing better, greener, buildings and infrastructure, we can not only make the transition to a greener economy but seize an opportunity for growth at the same time.

“I know that Dan’s extensive experience and leadership will mean that the board can make the most of the opportunities over the weeks and months ahead. That way we can push for growth in the sector and make Britain a world leader in green construction.”

Paul King, chief executive of the UKGBC, welcomed the appointment: “UK-GBC has long championed much closer collaboration between industry and government to fully grasp the benefits of green building - for business, for people and for the wider economy - and Dan Labbad is the ideal co-chair for the Green Construction Board to ensure an efficient and constructive way forward.

“The Green Construction Board has the potential to provide some much-needed co-ordination of activity and joining up of policy across government departments, to create the conditions for private sector investment and innovation to deliver the sustainable growth we urgently need.”