About the group

CAPSIG works to develop the understanding and impact of effective PR in the construction and property sectors, to promote best practice and to provide a forum for communication.

Industry-related educational and networking events take place throughout the year, across a wide range of topics. Recently, this has included best practice in public consultations, communicating social value and how PR can help address the industry’s skills shortage.

The group often attracts high profile speakers including industry leaders and national and trade press correspondents and has conducted a series of site visits and architectural walks, combining informal networking with relevant sector insight.

Anyone interested in finding out more should email our chair.

Upcoming Events

Wednesday 8 May 3pm-5.30pm

CIPR attendees at UKCW are welcome to join us for networking drinks in the VIP Lounge.

Click here to register
UK Construction Week Networking Drinks
UK Construction Week Networking Drinks
From: May 8 2024 3:00PM
To: May 8 2024 5:30PM
Member: £0.00
Non-Member: £0.00
08/05/2024 15:00:00

Our committee

marie hemming
Marie-Claude Hemming
Chairperson

Marie-Claude is an experienced communications and policy professional. Having started her career in public affairs consultancy, she moved to a policy role at the Federation of Small Businesses in 2009, before joining the Civil Engineering Contractors Association as Industry and Public Affairs Manager. She has undertaken a variety of policy, communications and public affairs roles at CECA , before becoming Director of Operations in 2021.

Marie-Claude is CECA’s media relations and policy lead and has complete oversight of CECA’s communications and public affairs work. She also manages the company annual business plan and helps coordinate the organisation’s long term strategy.

Cathy Barlow
Vice Chairperson

Owner and Managing Director of specialist construction PR Consultancy, Smith Goodfellow.
Cathy has been in this particular role since 2010, but working for far longer than that in this fascinating space, where PR and the built environment meet. She believes that our job as communicators is to make the complex accessible, and to highlight the many ways in which construction can help to meet some of the difficult challenges that the world faces today. 
She works with some her clients to promote the important steps that they are taking to support a safer and more sustainable future for us all.

Ben Monteith

Ben Monteith FCIPR
Secretary

As Account Director at agency SEC Newgate, Ben works with clients in the built environment – including residential and commercial developers, investors, agents and consultants, alongside proptech firms – on expanding their share of voice in the UK and European real estate market.

Before joining SEC Newgate in 2022, Ben delivered media and social content on behalf of housing associations and major London regeneration schemes, as well as behaviour change public relations campaigns for the likes of NHS England, the Department for Education, the National Apprenticeship Service, and Mental Health First Aid England.

Paul Calahan
 Treasurer

As the Head of Communications at chapmanbdsp, a leading engineering consultancy, Paul leverages his  journalism background to position, protect, and promote the company brand, profile and culture. He helps companies communicate effectively and authentically with stakeholders and audiences and has a proven track record of aligning business goals with marketing and communications plans, both internally and externally.

Sally Hooker
Web Administrator

Sally has worked across both commercial and residential property during her 20+ years in the sector. From the dark corridors of the House of Commons to multi national property consultancies, she's now following her heart as Communications Business Partner for Peabody Housing, where she advises senior leadership on communications strategy and resident engagement.

Sophie Everett

As Director at boutique agency Pavement Radio, Sophie has expertise across the board from content marketing to PR, creating strategies and integrated campaigns to help her clients connect with their audiences and generate new leads.

Michael Tarrega

As Head of Communications for Skanska Costain, Michael is a communications, public affairs and stakeholder engagement leader with 15 years’ experience in the UK and Australia, across both the private and public sector. He specialises in working on highly sensitive, multi billion pound, infrastructure programmes that generate high levels of public and political interest. He has proven expertise in developing and leading integrated communications teams from scratch, covering internal and external communications, media relations and public affairs.

Paul Wilkinson

As Managing Director of pwcom.co.uk, Paul is an experienced marketing, PR and communications professional with specific expertise in Business-to-Business work in the UK architectural, engineering and construction industry and, latterly, the ICT sector, particularly Software-as-a-Service, social media and BIM. A public speaker, lecturer, and a successful author of industry guidance, contributing chapters to industry textbooks as well as writing the first comprehensive guide to construction collaboration technologies, and an interoperability code of practice for technologies in the built environment.

 

Nicola Palin

As Group Head of Communications for the second largest housebuilder in the UK, Nicola is a creative problem-solver and strategic thinker, with a broad range of experience in corporate communications, internal relations, and PR.  Prior to this she worked for City & Guilds, a Royal Chartered skills education and assessment charity with over 1200 employees and operations in 80 countries.

CAPSIG Group Webinar

Watch our informal lunchtime session with CECA, the Department for Business & Trade and the Construction Leadership Council.

Watch here

going to UKCW London?

Let us know, and come and meet your comms colleagues for a chat about the important issues.

Contact us

Event: Coming soon

How social housing is the building block of society

Register your interest