ABCB farewells Neil Savery

The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) has thanked Neil Savery for his contributions as he ends his term as CEO.

Savery’s connection with the ABCB began during his time as Executive Director of Planning SA, the Chief Planning Executive of the ACT Planning and Land Authority, and as the Deputy Victorian Building Commissioner. In these roles, he served as a board member on the ABCB across the three jurisdictions, for close to 11 years.

In early 2013, Savery was appointed General Manager of the ABCB, and began work on his vision for making the National Construction Code (NCC) more accessible and usable.

“Neil coined the phrase ‘improved access, awareness and understanding’, making clear that having an excellent code is pointless if no one understands it or has ready access to it,” says the ABCB.

“As such, over the years the ABCB has worked hard to deliver a user-friendly and clear NCC, accompanied by a range of education and guidance materials. Together with a free online NCC, this ensured the Code is now able to be accessed by over 200,000 practitioners nationally.”

As CEO, Savery led five amendment cycles of the NCC, plus two out-of-cycle amendments to incorporate critical improvements to life safety. Under his leadership, the ABCB also produced a suite of new online continuing professional development courses, and a broad range of support, guidance and education materials.

In response to the landmark Building Confidence Report (BCR), Savery worked with the implementation team to deliver the National Building Confidence Framework and produce best-practice model guidance to strengthen building regulations and address the issues identified in the BCR.

The ABCB has highlighted Savery’s work to improve the disability accessibility and energy efficiency requirements, and advance the climate resilience of Australia’s built environment. It has also noted the high regard in which the ABCB is held internationally and the collaborative culture that Savery fostered and which put the national interest at the heart of decision-making.

“It is with great admiration and appreciation for Neil that the ABCB acknowledges his contributions over his nine-year term as CEO and 11 years on the board,” says the ABCB. “We also wanted to thank Neil for his support and sage advice over the years. With your leadership and guidance we, as ‘one team’, have been able to reach our potential.

“Thank you Neil for being our mentor, leader and friend, and wish you all the best for your future.”

To read more, including Savery’s reflections on his time with the ABCB, click here.