Construction Industry Council - Annual Report 2024

ANNUAL REPORT 2024 31 CORPORATE GOVERNANCE REPORT Industry Development Committees In overseeing the performance of the CIC, pursuant to Section 15 of the CICO, the Council has established a number of Boards and Committees to assist the CIC in executing and managing its various core businesses and functions. Upon such division of responsibilities, the Council concentrates on strategic issues, direction planning, policy making, corporate governance and the long-term development of the industry. The five major Industry Development Committees are: • Committee on Building Information Modelling and Construction Digitalisation; • Committee on Construction Business Development and Productivity; • Committee on Construction Safety; • Committee on Environment and Sustainability; and • Committee on Mainland Affairs. In addition to the Boards and Committees, a number of subcommittees, task forces and working groups are also formed to assist the relevant Boards/ Committees to focus on specific issues and carry out respective tasks for better performance of the CIC’s functions. Appointment To ensure connectivity and to strengthen communication, the Chairpersons of Boards/ Committees are, as far as possible, Council Members, while the subcommittees/task forces/working groups are chaired by the respective board/committee members, unless special expertise is required from outside parties. Council Members may indicate their preference to join up to three committees in general. The appointment mechanism of the Industry Development Committees was revamped in 2018. To add in new blood and to rejuvenate the composition of the Industry Development Committees, a new category “Young Member” was introduced in 2021 to appoint suitable personnel under 40 years old when appointed. The appointment mechanism was further enhanced in 2024 by capping the percentage of Council Members on each Industry Development Committee at 50% to ensure a balanced representation with both Council Members being familiar with CIC operations and stakeholders possessing relevant industry knowledge and expertise. Under the established mechanism on selecting and appointing new members to the Committees, the CIC will invite relevant construction industry-related bodies to nominate candidates in order of priority. The candidates’ suitability will be assessed by their expertise, previous contributions to the industry and/or CIC task forces, their willingness to serve, and the needs of the CIC, etc. The Council Chairman, in consultation with the individual Committee Chairpersons, will propose the list of Committee Members for the Council’s approval, with due consideration given to Council Members’ indicated preferences and nominations received. Via mirroring the Council and capping Committees’ members to a maximum of 18, the enhanced appointment mechanism would enable the Committees to be more representative of the industry, allowing an integration of views from representative sectors and enabling more youthful elements to contribute to Committee work while forbidding monopolisation by particular institutions as non-Council members would normally serve a maximum of four years. This mechanism also encourages members to advise from a macro, instead of a sectoral perspective. They enable the CIC to benefit from a wide range of experience and a variety of independent perspectives. In addition to sufficient diversity, wider representation and better integration, it also exemplifies cross sector collaboration. To proactively respond to the fast- moving and dynamic nature of the environment, an in-house rule for adjusting the maximum number of Members on each Industry Development Committee was introduced in 2024, subject to approval by the Council, to enhance flexibility while upholding the principles of the appointment mechanism. In addition, to ensure seamless transition and uninterrupted operation of the Industry Development Committees during the change of term, the normal end date of their Chairpersons and Members’ term of service has been changed from 31 January to 30 April starting from 2024.