Meet NZCB's new chief executive Malcolm Fleming

Malcolm Fleming and Gina Jones taking part in the 2021 MG Pre-56 Rally in Cambridge last year. Photo / Supplied

Malcolm Fleming is a self-confessed workaholic.

But he knows how to control the urge to think about work - by racing classic cars.

Fleming is a hard working, busy man. He has recently been appointed chief executive of New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB) and New Zealand Industry Council (NZCIC) chairperson.

He brings more than 25 years of experience in building and related industries to the role, most recently as chief executive of the New Zealand Institute of Building (NZIOB).

When he is not leading the Tauranga-based NZCB, Fleming's big passion outside of work is classic cars. He owns a 1971 MG Midget sports car, and in 2021, won three trophies in the Targa New Zealand rally.

By his own admission - and like many people - Fleming finds it tricky to switch off from work. Driving and even racing classic cars is one way he does just that.

"Why it is really good for me is I need to be focussed on that so if I am driving a car down a road or on a circuit, I am completely focused on the task at hand. I can't think about anything else.

"I love it because it clears your head out and you're truly in the moment. I find that quite therapeutic."

A mid-1990s MG F convertible was a big part of his and wife Gina's early relationship when they got together in the 2000s.

The pair joined an MG car club in 1995 - the year the MG F was launched - and traveled the country with 20 other classic car owners.

"We absolutely loved it."

When he is driving, Fleming is fully concentrated on the road.
Nothing else.

When he is working, he is playing a key role in representing the building sector and advocating for its members.

Fleming entered the construction industry as an architectural representative for Resene Paints in the mid-1990s before becoming co-director of an architectural practice for 12 years.

He then became the chief executive of NZIOB where he was for seven years.

In May this year, Malcolm Fleming started in his role as chief executive of NZCB. Photo / Supplied

In May this year, Fleming started in his role as chief executive of NZCB and he took the role as chairman of NZCIC in late July.

"Having played a key role in advocating for, and raising standards within, the commercial
construction industry at NZIOB, I welcome the opportunity to build the profile and influence of NZCB as a trade association that represents the interests of builders who are owners/operators of small to medium sized building firms," Fleming said.

Fleming said what attracted him to the industry was "that sense of craft".

"To be a member of NZCB you need to have carpentry level 4, you have to have undergone an apprenticeship.

"A benchmark with entry level must be achieved. So they have all got ingrained in them that level of craft, which really resonated with me."

But Fleming said having a qualification did not prepare people for business.

He said they had a real role to play in helping apprentices develop the skills to be able to grow their businesses and become more profitable and productive.

"I can see that as a core area that a trade association as we are can assist our members."

Fleming and the board are focused on playing a lead role in influencing apprenticeship training post the Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE).

The RoVE aimed to create a unified and sustainable vocational education system fit for the future. Learners receive more support while they are training, and vocational education that is more relevant to work.

One of Fleming's five-year goals was taking that one step further with a new NZCB Apprenticeship Support Programme they plan to implement.

"What we are doing is quite bold."

Fleming said he envisaged the programme being something that anyone thinking of a carpentry apprenticeship and employers wanted to be a part of.

"That is going to grow membership in that area and at the same time raise the capability of businesses in terms of training apprenticeships.

"Apprentices will be a member category of NZCB so we will be able to create a cradle-to-grave training for them as they move from apprentice through to senior levels of a business and potentially their own business down the track.

"We are going to give them the tools to carry through."

Fleming also wants more name recognition for NZCB.

"There is going to be a greater level of engagement with the government in the building industry.

"The perception of us from our members (is they) will see us as a high-performance unit that really delivers exceptional service and represents them well on the national stage."

Fleming said it had been a "really positive" two years since Covid-19 hit with more Government commitment to the construction sector.

"That has come through really loud and clear."

But it has been challenging.

"We have gone from a 'high demand low supply' situation in the last 2-3 years.

"We are fast moving to demand softening. So that is the big challenge at the moment."

But a good chief executive, in his opinion, will be able to identify opportunities and identify growth opportunities, and where NZCB can become influential.

"A good CEO takes a stock take of where you are and starts painting a picture of possibility of what the organisation could be and have the means and the team to deliver on that picture.

"If you can get all stakeholders aligned you're in a good space.

"A good CEO needs to be relatable and they need to be authentic. They need to have some vision."

And a good CEO is what Fleming plans to be.

Four things people don't know about you:

1. He grew up in a construction town. Twizel.
2. He didn't go to university until he was in his 30s. He studied accounting, IT, and economics at a Wellington polytechnic. He did building studies and later studied 4-year quantity surveying construction degree when Massey University took over. A "stroke of good fortune" meant he ended up with a blended property construction degree. He completed his masters in his 40s.
3. As a teenager he was "painfully shy".
4. He did my Overseas Experience in his 20s. He spent 4 months going coast to coast in a Chevy station wagon.

Your first ever paid job was...
Working in a dentist shop in Twizel. Delivered prescriptions by bicycle.

Favourite colour?
Red - two of his classic cars are red.

When the lockdown restrictions lifted, where did you travel first and why?
Went to Abel Tasman and did the Abel Tasman Coastal walk.

Favourite food?
Italian. It is more an authentic experience.

How do you drink your coffee?
I can't drink coffee. But I can drink gallons of tea.

How do your family and close friends describe you?
My wife said: big picture thinker, goal-focused, and persistent.

How do your work colleagues describe you?
The same.