In April this year, global infrastructure leaders from across the consultancy and engineering sector will gather in Madrid for two days of talks, debates and discussions with industry leaders and opinion formers on the key challenges and opportunities facing the engineering, construction and infrastructure sector at the third annual Global Leadership Forum Summit.
The summit, which is organised by FIDIC, will see around 100 of the world’s most influential infrastructure leaders gathering to exchange knowledge and discuss solutions and actions to address key industry challenges from 10-11 April 2025 at the Thompson Madrid, by Hyatt in the Spanish capital.
The invitation-only event has been specifically designed to provide a forum for leaders in the global infrastructure sector to connect with peers from around the world to share knowledge and to discuss solutions to major issues facing them, their leadership teams and organisations.
Delegates attending will include CEOs and c-suite executives from the global infrastructure community, including those working in government, finance, consulting engineering, construction, professional services, supply chain, construction products manufacturers, merchants, academia, trade associations, asset owners and clients. Invited guests from other industries will also attend to bring different perspectives and to challenge infrastructure sector conventions.
By attending the event, delegates will have the opportunity to make deep relationships among peers to enable greater collaboration, debate and reflection to solve some of the biggest challenges facing the global infrastructure sector and the organisations within it.
2025 key themes
Some of the key themes being considered at this year’s event include: -
Sustainability - It feels like the industry has been debating sustainability goals and regulations, the skills shortage, digital transformation, cost management and efficiency for many years. Progress is being made, but is it too slow? Is radical culture change needed to speed up and embed progress?
Collaboration - How does the sector collaborate more effectively and work to a common framework for delivering decarbonisation of infrastructure? An update on the continued work on a collaboration programme which started as a result of the very first Global Leadership Summit.
AI update - How does the sector collaborate more effectively and work to a common framework for embedding AI and using this to drive better outcomes for clients, programmes and the industry’s own organisations? This will be the ‘next chapter’ of a report produced as part of the 2024 Global Leadership Forum programme.
Working better together - How does the industry close the gap between the designers, contractors and their supply chain of construction product manufacturers and merchants to ensure the right construction products are specified and delivered to enable the successful decarbonisation of infrastructure projects?
The keynote speaker at the summit (to be confirmed soon) will explore how world events and multi-generational and increasing workplace equality, diversity and inclusion are radically changing the way the industry works and will work in the future. And, what this means for leaders of global organisations.
Looking at the issue of the need for radical culture change in the sector to speed up the pace with which key challenges are addressed, the summit will include a discussion on feedback from the latest research from the American Council of Engineering Companies Research Institute. Other issues to be addressed at the summit include Artificial Intelligence, the next chapter, an update on the GLF’s work on the role of AI in infrastructure and its potential to transform the sector by optimising processes, reducing costs and enhancing safety in infrastructure projects. The event will also include a presentation on the next phase of the work of the Global Leadership Forum’s Carbon Collaboration Initiative, which is being spearheaded by the CEOs from some of the world’s largest consulting engineering firms with the aim of developing a common, replicable and standardised process of calculation and disclosure of embodied and operational CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) emissions related to infrastructure projects.
With additional discussions taking place on how best to ensure greater collaboration between consultants, contractors and their supply chain, there is much to discuss in Madrid summit in April. Advance registration is essential for the invite-only event, so to avoid missing out make sure you reserve your place today.
