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Since my election as President in May, I have had the opportunity to meet many members and hear your views on the Institution’s future. I want to thank my predecessor, Clive Hickman, for his leadership over the past year, including his commitment to progressing the Headquarters Programme. 

As the 140th President, I am writing to share an update on this important programme. 

The Trustee Board has now held the first in a series of meetings to review the Outline Business Case (OBC), which evaluates the shortlisted options for the future of our London headquarters. This work, led by the Headquarters Sponsor Board (HQSB), builds on input from previous member-led groups and has been supported by our internal governance committees, independent professional advisers, and external gateway reviewers to ensure thoroughness and transparency at every stage. 

To ensure we have the time needed for further scrutiny and careful consideration, the Trustee Board will continue discussions over the summer and aim to select a preferred option in September 2025. 

The future of our headquarters is an important and complex decision. We are committed to a thorough and transparent process, and to making a choice that best serves the long-term interests of the Institution and our members. 

I look forward to keeping you informed as we move ahead, and I thank you for your continued engagement. 

With best wishes, 
Matt Garside 
140th IMechE President 

Thank you to everyone who joined our HQ Programme shortlisting webinars. The presentation slides and recordings of all sessions are now available. 

Watch the recordings 

If you have any further questions, or feel your question wasn’t addressed, please email the HQ Programme team at hqprogramme@imeche.org and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. 

As part of the work to determine a recommendation to put forward for our members to vote, we have had advice from two independent and professional commercial real estate advisors, who have provided very similar market comparables for our headquarters. The advice we have received is that, rather than taking several options to market, it would be better to use their estimations of headquarters market comparables for our economic analysis. They have further advised that, to maximise any potential offers, it would be preferable to go to market with just one option.

The Trustee Board does not have the authority to do this: we would need the approval from our members before we could progress any option. We want to keep members informed about our work to refine the various options and in early April we held a series of webinars. These sessions offered updates on our progress, outlined how we are refining the options ahead of the next member vote, and provided an opportunity to better understand the change in process.

Watch the process change webinar recordings

IMechE members approved a resolution on the future of the Institution’s headquarters in London. In a vote that closed on 10 February 2025, 82.8% of the 7,853 participating members supported the resolution, surpassing the required 67% majority. This allows the Institution to proceed with marketing the headquarters building.

President Clive Hickman OBE said:

“I would like to thank all members for their participation in the Special Meeting and to our Corporate and Associate Members for taking the time to vote on the future of our headquarters building.  

Your participation has been and will continue to be crucial in determining the best path forward, so we can reach a solution to ensure that our headquarters remains fit for the future.” 

There will be no sale of the freehold, leasehold or taking on a mortgage against the building without a second member vote. 

If you were unable to attend the Special Meeting, you can review the recording, Q&A and presentation slides.

If you have any questions, please contact the HQ Programme at hqprogramme@imeche.org.