ECIA Managing Director, John Simpson, marks three years in the role, a period that has been nothing short of transformative for the association. In that time, he has built a highly collaborative, client‑focused team, strengthened the organisation’s financial resilience and driven a step‑change in how the ECIA represents and supports its members.
Beyond leading the NAECI wage negotiations, John has played a pivotal role across a wide range of external and strategic matters. Under his leadership, the membership has grown, industry visibility has increased and the ECIA’s voice is now firmly established across key national forums. Looking back through our recent archive, several standout contributions deserve recognition:
- Cross‑association collaboration: John drives collaboration with peer associations, such as BCECA, working jointly on shared issues, including skills, pay and project duration.
- Strengthening industry standards: John strengthens the ECIA’s partnership with the ECITB, helping shape industry standards such as the ACE Card and contributing his expertise as a member of the ECITB Council.
- Championing skills: He champions the industry’s skills agenda, continuing to represent the sector on the UK Skills Mission Board.
- Collective bargaining: One of his key objectives is to lead collective bargaining with the trade unions, negotiating pay and conditions under the NAECI agreement.
- Client engagement: Building deep relationships with the client group, he undertakes through Customer Intimacy visits to understand their challenges and ensure that member companies receive clear, actionable insights.
- Industry representation: John raises the industry’s profile through sector events, regularly representing the ECIA at awards dinners and serving as a judge for ECITB awards again in 2026.
The future of the organisation looks extremely positive. Under John’s leadership, the ECIA team is well‑positioned for another period of transformation, supported by new NAECI wage negotiations and an industry undergoing significant change towards net-zero targets.