(L-R) Dominic Lion and Michael Lytrides join TRADA’s Advisory Committee
The United Kingdom’s Timber Research and Development Association (TRADA) has announced the addition of two new members to the TRADA Advisory Committee (AC). The AC aims to represent the vast range of sectors within TRADA membership, as well as provide the necessary expertise and commercial commentary around TRADA’s activities as an association. The addition of Dominic Lion, Associate Director (Real Estate) at Gallagher, and Michael Lytrides, Director of Project Management, Development, for Grosvenor Britain & Ireland, marks a crucial addition of an insurance specialist as well as a passionate developer’s perspective.
Dominic Lion, Associate Director (Real Estate) at Gallagher
Dominic works for the insurance broking and risk management company Gallagher, where he has been since 2015 – firstly as part of the UK Construction team, before more recently switching his focus to Real Estate. Alongside managing a portfolio of his own clients, Dominic heads up the new business development arm of the Real Estate business, looking at how he can design bespoke solutions to meet the needs of his clients, and in doing so add value to their business. Prior to joining Gallagher, Dominic started his career at Zurich Insurance Company as an underwriter.
Dominic has been actively involved in the timber sector since his move to Gallagher in 2015, designing and placing the insurance programmes for a number of the UK’s largest engineered timber buildings, as well as working alongside some of the UK’s biggest house builders who work with timber. His focus is primarily on the improving the lines of communication between the timber industry and the insurance sector, and has arranged and run a number of seminars and roundtables to try and debunk a number of the myths that exist within the insurance sector in relation to timber, as well as trying to educate the timber sector as to insurers’ chief concerns, and how to present a new project in the proper light and to its full merit.
Of his appointment to the AC, Dominic said: “I am delighted to be joining the TRADA Advisory Committee, particularly at a time when there is unprecedented demand for timber in construction. As an insurance sector, we play a crucial role in facilitating this growth, and I am looking forward to working with TRADA and the other members of the committee to help unlock those barriers to accelerate that growth through education and mutual understanding.”
Michael Lytrides, Director of Project Management, Development, for Grosvenor Britain & Ireland
Michael is a chartered project professional and a chartered civil and structural engineer, with 30 years’ experience in the construction industry. He has previously undertaken roles within consultancy, contractor and client-side organisations on major building and infrastructure projects, across a broad range of sectors including commercial offices/retail, residential, railways, sports venues, schools and higher education.
From 2007 to 2012, Michael was part of the Olympic Delivery Authority’s delivery partner team, and led design and construction of the Main Media Centre for the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games. Michael then project managed design and procurement phases for legacy conversion of the Olympic Stadium in 2012–13. He subsequently led the Estates Development & Projects division at Imperial College London over four years, overseeing development of a number of new-build and refurbishment projects at the College’s main South Kensington campus, as well as its new campus at White City.
Since joining Grosvenor as Director of Project Management in 2018, Michael has led the executive project management team on the design of two major mixed-use developments in London, comprising a residential-led ‘build-to-rent’ scheme in south-east London, as well as a commercial office/retail-led scheme in central London.
Michael commented: “I feel very privileged to join TRADA’s Advisory Committee, as I am keen to support the promotion of timber frames within the construction industry, as a key contributor towards reducing embodied carbon intensity. At Grosvenor, we have established clear 2030 and 2050 sustainability targets, and we are committed to working closely with our supply chain to achieve these targets. Joining the Advisory Committee provides a great opportunity to share our learning from the developer’s standpoint and to learn from other Committee members’ experiences.”
