Engineers must get better at speaking the public’s language, says ICE president

Engineers must improve how they communicate with non-technical audiences, said new ICE President David Porter at his inaugural address this morning.

“The engineering is hugely important but it’s actually the service that is provided by infrastructure that the public want to hear about,” David explained.

While in conversation with TV presenter and journalist, Steph McGovern, he shared the moment he learned this lesson as a graduate engineer.

He’d been sent to a government council meeting in Northern Ireland to talk about a bridge replacement. He was prepared with all the technical details: the strength of the concrete, the size of the rebars, and so on.

Instead, “they wanted to talk about how the lady up to the street couldn’t get to play bridge... because the road was going to be closed,” he said.

It became clear to him that people are interested in infrastructure because of the service that it offers.

Watch David Porter's presidential address

Informed client

David is the first infrastructure client to take on the role of ICE president in about a decade.

He’s the chief highway engineer for Northern Ireland and previously served as chief executive of Rivers Agency, the flood defence authority for Northern Ireland.

David has not only seen the importance of good communication first-hand, but also of having the right information at the right times, in what he’s calling being an ‘informed client’.

“An informed client is one that really understands the consequences of their decisions and how the current system actually works,” he said, replacing the often used term, ‘intelligent client’.

It isn’t that an informed client will guarantee project success, but it will ensure that a project has a better probability of a positive outcome, he explained.

It will also help clients take the difficult decisions needed to achieve objectives like net zero.

Bridging the skills gap

Also passionate about closing the skills gap in engineering, McGovern asked David about the role the institution plays in making sure the industry is well informed.

David referred to the ICE’s role as a knowledge-sharer. He pointed to the annual State of the Nation report, which assesses the lay of the land in the coming year, with input from industry professionals.

The 2025 report highlighted that experts worry about the creaking state of ageing infrastructure across the UK.

But the report is one among a wide range of activities the ICE does to keep engineers not just informed, but competent.

McGovern brought up the rise in AI, with Porter stressing that the institution will play a part in guiding the profession in using the technology ethically.

Find your place within the ICE

Above all, Porter invited the audience, in person and online, to find their place within the ICE.

He shared that, in his experience, the more you put into the institution, the more you get back.

In all his years of involvement – as chair of ICE Northern Ireland, council member, trustee, and more – he didn’t set out to be president.

“I would do it again,” he said, even if he knew it wouldn’t lead to the role of president.

Addressing members at all stages in his career, he said: “There’s a place for you here, in the ICE.”

Introducing David Porter’s President’s Future Leaders

Porter has also unveiled the six Future Leaders he has chosen to support him during his presidency.

Each ICE president chooses a group of the brightest graduate and technician members to work on projects that are key to the ICE’s plan.

This year’s President’s Future Leaders are:

• Aman Khandelwal, flood risk and hydraulic engineer at Tetra Tech
• Ellie Carter, civil engineering degree apprentice at AtkinsRéalis
• Hora Behnejad, graduate engineer at WSP
• Inés Cava, assistant structural engineer at AtkinsRéalis
• Jacob Bates, engineering degree apprentice at JBA Consulting
• Sonali Patel, graduate engineer at Tony Gee and Partners