Iain Gray: From student to Director

Iain Gray, now Director of Façades at independent fire safety consultants BB7, takes us on a 22-year journey, from student to Director.

In 2004, a fresh-faced, floppy-haired mechanical engineering student named Iain Gray stood outside the IMechE headquarters in London. Snapping a quick photo for posterity, he wondered where his future career would take him.

Would it be planes, trains, automobiles? Would he work on industrial systems, or perhaps the built environment? His future was unknown, but what he was sure of is that he wanted to understand how the world worked and contribute to a better society in some way…

Fast forward to 2026, and a floppy-haired – albeit slightly more grizzled – façade consultant stands in that exact same spot, outside the IMechE headquarters in London.

Again, snapping a quick photo for posterity, he marvelled at where his career had taken him. Not planes, trains or automobiles, but the buildings people live and work in every single day.

Working with steel, terracotta and his personal favourite, glass, he has built on his early curiosity, which has since been shaped by his experience across manufacturing, specialist contracting and finally, consultancy.

Today, he works to bring façade and fire engineering together, helping to create safer spaces, and in doing so, quietly fulfilling that same ambition to contribute towards a better society in some way…

Iain said: “I returned to the IMechE headquarters in London to present at the Building Safety Conference in March 2026, 22 years after my first visit as a student. The same building, the same curiosity, it felt like a full-circle moment, but now with years of experience, challenges, and lessons behind me.

“This time I visited not as a student, but as a speaker. My presentation focused on regulatory compliance and building safety, exploring how a safe approach to façade design doesn’t just end with fire performance, but extends across all aspects of the Building Regulations, including structural and thermal performance, as well as overheating and ventilation.

“Working alongside clients, architects, manufacturers, and contractors, we at BB7 continue to create safe spaces for people to work, live, and play in, a reflection of the same ambition I had all those years ago.”

www.bbseven.com