Foreword from Future Leaders Committee Chair

Cosmin Tobolcea

Chair FIDIC Future Leaders

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 on10 of September, which for the first time was run as an online event.

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 organizes 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 to explore : 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 learned from other industries? How 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.

Like all good stress tests, it has showcased what is solid and resilient and has exposed clearly whatever was weak and likely broken. The challenge is not only to fix what is broken but to reimagine what the "New Normal" should look like.

Myself and all of those involved in the FL programme and committee hope that you will enjoy reading our e-booklet and find the insights it provides interesting and valuable.

To that end, I would like to leave you with a final thought, that we, as Future Leaders will always have a roll and will continue to be called upon to develop and rebuild our world as the future becomes the present. The opportunity it to this time, grasp the opportunity to build it better and more sustainably!