Morta expands with DfE BIM lead appointment

Smith has joined after more than five years at the DfE. Before that, he spent nearly three years at David Miller Architects. Smith and Morta have a history, as Morta CEO Mo Shana’a explained to DC+: “I’ve known Ben for about five years, since we did a proof of concept around the DfE’s Output Specification 2021. He always struck me as extremely knowledgeable and genuinely humble, which is a combination you don’t often find. He’s also very tech-savvy, so culturally, he felt like a natural fit for Morta.

Shana’a added: “What makes Ben particularly strong is that he’s both a leader and a doer. As BIM/IM lead at the DfE, he was closely involved in the roll-out, adoption and ongoing development of its information requirements, which have influenced supply chain behaviour across a huge part of the industry.

“He has also served as vice-chair of [nima network] Information Management for Public Sector, which brings together public sector clients to improve and share information management practice. So he has experience helping shape the direction of the industry, while also staying close to the detail and working directly with teams to make things happen.

“And while Ben is very well versed in ISO 19650, what sets him apart is that he understands what information management is actually meant to enable: bringing projects together and giving organisations better visibility, efficiency and learning, ultimately leading to better delivery. That’s completely aligned with what we’re trying to do at Morta.”

As well as supporting some of Morta’s major UK clients, Smith will be heavily involved in a new project. Shana’a explained: “It’s something we’re particularly excited about: building an industry demonstrator, starting with what best practice delivery of education projects could look like. Given his background at the DfE, there are very few people better placed to help us do that. There’ll be more to come on the demonstrator soon.”