BRE names new chief executive

The Building Research Establishment (BRE) has appointed Ian Shapiro as its new chief executive officer.

He will take over from Gillian Charlesworth, who is stepping down after six years in the role, in September 2025.

Shapiro has been chief executive at Reall, a non-profit organisation focused on affordable housing in urban Africa and Asia, since February 2018.

His previous roles included chief strategy officer at Crown Agents, director at the Centre for Development Results and president of EUNIDA, a pan-European network of international development agencies.

Before then, Shapiro spent 16 years in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

He also sits on the advisory committee for the United Nations Under Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Habitat and holds a non-executive directorship at WHG, a Midlands housing association.

His previous roles include senior positions at Crown Agents and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. He has worked extensively across Africa and Asia.

BRE Trust chair and BRE Group non-executive director Phil Wilbraham said Shapiro had been appointed after a competitive recruitment process and thanked Charlesworth for providing “calm and considered leadership” during her tenure.

Shapiro said in a statement today (11 June): “Our focus must now be on transforming the built environment to create safe, sustainable and inspiring spaces… BRE has a vital role to play in this transformation.”

Charlesworth said she was proud of her time at the organisation and wished Shapiro “every success”.

Source: BRE press release / LinkedIn