George Bailey

BBA (British Board of Agrément)

Give us a brief description of your background

I have a background in construction products testing and certification with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a MSc in Financial Risk Management.

My current role is Testing Manager at the British Board of Agrément where I oversee the testing of construction products for their structural, thermal and weathertightness performance; and overall durability.

Outside of work, I am a keen reader of business/finance books and have the unfortunate task of being a Stoke City season ticket holder, yet I remain optimistic.

Who/what inspires you?

My main inspiration in life is learning and spending time with people who not only offer insights from their experience but challenge my perspective and views on what I do/think.

What does the word leadership make you think of?

Bringing others with you on the journey to where the group needs to be.

How do you feel about taking part in the Future Leaders programme?

I’m very excited to take part. On a personal level it will be great to learn practical skills on leadership and deeper insights into sustainability, a topic which I have engaged with only at a surface level up to this point. Beyond myself, I’m really looking forward to meeting and collaborating with others on the programme to share ideas and work towards delivering a project with meaningful and lasting impact.

What do you think are the keys to a sustainable future?

The two points I believe are key to a sustainable future are:

Support for new technologies – Despite the frenetic pace of technological development, without suitable support for new technologies, financial realities can be a major blocker to implementation and mass uptake.

Making small changes on a grand scale – There is no doubt major changes need to happen in the way we live, but these will not take hold if there is not momentum to build upon and a collective buy-in from us all as a population.