New CEO for STA: competence, dispute and timber design takeaways for engineers
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
The Structural Timber Association has appointed Iain McIlwee as CEO from November, succeeding Andrew Orriss and signalling continuity of sector-focused leadership for structural timber in UK construction. McIlwee previously led the Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS) from 2018, where he grew membership, set up an e-learning academy and expanded research and policy work, and earlier spent seven years as Chief Executive of the British Woodworking Federation. He also sits on the Industry Competence Steering Group, is treasurer of the Conflict Avoidance Coalition and a non-executive director of SKA Rating, linking STA more closely to competence, dispute-avoidance and sustainability frameworks.
Technical Brief
- Appointment date is fixed for November, giving a defined transition window for STA governance and planning.
- McIlwee’s seven-year tenure at the British Woodworking Federation adds direct experience with timber manufacturing supply chains.
- His period at FIS from 2018 involved building structured e-learning, relevant to competency pathways for timber designers.
- Strengthened research and policy capacity at FIS suggests STA members may see more data-led technical guidance and lobbying.
- Ongoing role on the Industry Competence Steering Group links STA into post-Grenfell competence and accreditation frameworks.
- As treasurer of the Conflict Avoidance Coalition, McIlwee brings exposure to dispute-avoidance protocols for timber contracts and specifications.
- Non-executive directorship at SKA Rating connects STA to fit-out sustainability metrics, influencing timber selection and embodied carbon narratives.
- Board chair Brian Skilton explicitly frames the next phase as “development”, signalling potential expansion of STA technical services and standards.
Our Take
The Structural Timber Association already features in our coverage as a key advocate for using structural timber to accelerate UK housebuilding, suggesting that leadership changes there will be closely watched by major housebuilders such as Vistry, Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon mentioned in the Westminster panel piece.
Within our 912 Infrastructure stories, structural timber appears mainly in policy and innovation contexts rather than as a mature default solution, so a more outward-facing STA leadership could signal a push to move timber from ‘pilot’ status into standard practice on mainstream UK housing and public-sector builds.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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