“Civil engineers are creative problem solvers. They work in harmony with the natural environment to keep towns and cities running to build a more sustainable world”

For successful outcomes, we not only need to work in harmony with the natural environment, but also our teams and our communities – and these are changing in the same way the natural environment is. How society will use infrastructure is key to better design. How communities will grow and interact with each other will allow civil engineers to make decisions regarding future use. How we interact, include, collaborate and listen to our teams, today, will foster the diversity we need to create sustainable designs.

Fairness, inclusion and respect (FIR) can be viewed as a methodology. With close synergies to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, FIR will support you to better understand social environments and how to get the best out of people. The Yorkshire & Humber Regional Committee want to elevate this with members and showcase positive action and success when putting FIR in the centre of teams.

We have invited speakers to share their experiences related to Fairness, Inclusion and Respect. Each speaker will bring their own insights as to how we can make changes in our behaviours, and everyday activities, to help navigate the changing social environments that we deal with as civil engineers.

We will also introduce the FIR Impact Award, which is a new category for the ICE Yorkshire & Humber Awards in 2026. Discover who is eligible, who can submit an entry, and pick up some top tips for drafting a winning entry in this award.

This event will include the Yorkshire & Humber Regional Committee Annual General Meeting, where we will reflect on the impact of the regional committee in the past year, and vote in incoming committee members for the coming year.

17:30 – 18:00 Networking & refreshments

18:00 – 18:20 Yorkshire & Humber AGM (20 minutes)

18:20 – 18:30 TQuest scholar presentations (10 minutes)

18:30 – 18:40 Welcome & FIR Impact Award Launch (10 minutes)

18:40 – 19:10 Panel Discussion: Lived Experience of FIR in Practice (30 minutes)

19:10 – 19:20 Q&A (10 minutes)

19:20 – 19:30 Call to Action & Close (10 minutes)

Stronger Together: Inclusion & Fairness in Civil Engineering