Foreword from Future Leaders Committee Chair I would like to begin by thanking you for attending the FIDIC online conference on 11 and 14 September 2020, and the FIDIC Future Leaders Symposium on September 10th, which for the first time was run as an online event.
Cosmin Tobolcea Chair FIDIC Future Leaders
As we all know, the world changed dramatically with the emergence of the Covid19 pandemic and things may never be the same. In just ten weeks, FIDIC organized 21 events (18 FIDIC Covid-19 webinars + 3 FIDIC Future Leader webinars) which attracted more than 9,000 attendees from 150 countries across the globe to engage with an international line-up of expert speakers from all parts of the project process and supply chain from promoters and clients to engineering, construction and the wider infrastructure industry. I am pleased that Future Leaders remained very active during the pandemic and recently completed three successful webinars focused on, among other things, expanding their activities to other MAs. We are therefore continuing to develop and ensure that our presence is effective, tangible and provide a real opportunity for FLs, even during these tough times, to unify their voice and to be an active part in FIDIC and the industry. As a leadership committee, the Future Leaders Committee (FLC), is a working Committee of FIDIC appointed by the FIDIC Board that was formed to develop communication and networking opportunities for all FLs involved in the FIDIC community. For the fourth year, FIDIC Future Leaders Committee (FLC) is glad to issue its FLs booklet, which again for the first time will be a fully electronic booklet (ebooklet). The theme ‘New Normal in the World of Infrastructure and Consulting Engineering’’ provides an opportunity for the future of the sector to share their thoughts, ideas, priorities, diversity and efforts, through different articles from all over the world. The booklet reflects and is based on their experience in these new times, first in consulting firms' own internal operations and second on how digital transformation is allowing consulting firms to operate in a more agile manner. The development of this e-booklet has resulted in the authors exploring: How we react and what decisions we make will most likely shape our industry and future of our companies in the new normal? How will this pandemic change our industry? Could this be the time to revise and rethink certain partnerships? What lessons could be learnt from other industries? Covid-19 Impact on Infrastructure Development and Consulting Engineering? Our industry has changed in ways that we cannot even fully comprehend yet. It is difficult to know what the new world will look like after this crisis but we certainly know that it won't be the same as before. Emergencies, such as this one, not only show the world clearly as it is but also highlight its weaknesses and can spur innovation that would otherwise have not taken place. The Covid-19 pandemic is a massive stress test for society and organizations.
2|Page
