GS1 UK has announced the appointment of Shervin Yousefzadeh as its first ever head of construction.

An experienced digital construction leader with a background in civil engineering, Shervin will spearhead GS1 UK’s strategic approach and lead on driving collaboration and influence across industry.

UK construction currently faces significant challenges in becoming more efficient, safer, more productive and reducing costs. With new digital initiatives emerging all over the world, many of these challenges are now being addressed by GS1’s standards.

As GS1 UK’s head of construction, Shervin will build relationships with key industry figures to champion GS1 standards, facilitate greater collaboration and identify new opportunities for data sharing.

His appointment marks the latest milestone in GS1 UK’s drive to promote wider adoption of Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) and the use of GS1 standards to enhance building safety, supply chain efficiency and inventory management.

The role of interoperable data is becoming ever more relevant, especially in areas where consumer need, legislation and industry efficiencies intersect, and as many of the requirements set out by Building Safety Act 2022 and the ‘golden thread of data’ come into force.

The golden thread of data starts with the ability for everyone, at any stage in the manufacture or usage of construction materials, to easily identify a product using a ‘common product language’.

Use of GS1 standards and the GTIN as the unique product identifier will provide the first critical piece of the thread. This product data can then be used to build data sets that will enable stakeholders to make more informed decisions and meet new regulatory requirements for traceability, interoperability, accessibility, verifiable and secure data.

Since expanding into the construction sector in 2021, GS1 UK has made pivotal strides in raising their visibility among stakeholders, adding their voice to key policy conversations and developing use cases to promote wider adoption.

This includes establishing a construction user group, drawing on the expertise from GS1’s global centre of excellence, to raise awareness of how standards can be used to address the key issues of today and the regulatory challenges of tomorrow.

Prior to joining GS1 UK, Shervin was head of digital construction for BAM UK & Ireland’s TransPennine Route Upgrade Project. Working closely with a diverse array of stakeholders, he was responsible for implementing digital construction solutions to optimise efficiency, productivity, and quality while minimising risk and waste.

Commenting on his appointment, Shervin said: “Easing links to product data, finding ways to improve how that data is captured, shared, and used, will lead to direct change and I look forward to being a part of the innovative, standards-based solutions that will make this a reality.

“Based on my experience of developing and implementing BIM solutions, I am keen to explore how GS1 standards can bring a new dimension to this transformative technology, enabling the capture and use of rich product data throughout the construction process.

“Interoperable product identifiers encoded into scannable barcodes, or RFID tags, offer consistent and accurate data for every building product at every stage of the supply chain, bolstering visibility, traceability, building trust in materials management.”

Anne Godfrey, CEO of GS1 UK said: “Shervin’s appointment reflects our commitment to helping UK construction achieve digital transformation. The industry has a real opportunity to embrace data standardisation and learn from more digitally mature sectors.

“GS1 standards are already supporting businesses, government bodies and organisations around the world and their use in construction continues to gain momentum. I look forward to working with Shervin to establish a more targeted presence, focused on the importance of interoperability and data visibility.”