Our guest is Tom Willemen, CEO of Willemen Groep, a leading Belgian construction powerhouse spanning infrastructure, real estate, and civil engineering. Under his leadership, the group has become a frontrunner in sustainability and digital transformation. As Chairman of Embuild, Tom is a vocal advocate for industrialising the sector and modernising the construction ecosystem. Today, we discuss the challenges and future of the industry.
Show notes:
Willemen Groep (https://www.willemen.be/en)
Tom Willemen (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomwillemen/)
BuildWise (https://www.buildwise.be/en/)
BuildWise Vision Comittee publication on “Circularity” (https://www.buildwise.be/media/xmtbgbcw/bwi_visiedocument_circularity.pdf)
BuildWise Vision Committee publication “Finance and Affordability of construction in 2031” (https://www.buildwise.be/media/apephizu/bwi-230201-visierapport_1i23-int.pdf)
Time stamps:
00:00 Intro
01:50 Inside Willemen Groep: what “day-to-day” really looks like
2:40 Challenges in the construction industry
5:06 Potential solutions and innovation
10:07 Finding time to think in an industry that never stops
11:11 The BuildWise vision committee
12:23 Zooming in the Circularity report
16:09 The Affordability report
18:03 Leadership in construction
21:13 Lessons and setbacks of Willemen Groep
24:48 Vision for the Future: 2040
31:40 The most difficult ecosystem part to redesign
34:56 Tips and tricks to stay informed and keep learning
38:30 Outro