Nima outlines early thinking on its long-term strategy

Attendees at nima’s final quarterly forum of 2025 (on 4 December) heard chair Anne Kemp outline the organisation’s early thoughts on its future strategy.

She said nima would use two mutually reinforcing mechanisms to deliver its mission::

• The Information Management Initiative (IMI), led by nima in partnership with the Construction Leadership Council, is a national programme designed to transform how the UK built environment sector manages data and information.
• “Membership” – a long-term aspiration to develop as a membership organisation, build a body of knowledge around IM competency, develop training programmes and certification routes, with the ambition, eventually (and if it is seen as advantageous), of becoming a chartered membership body.

Anne explained it as three-step process spread over a number of years:

“First, we have to establish ourselves as a thriving membership body, providing a home for all information management professionals in the built and managed environment. In parallel, we need to develop a consensus-based IM competency framework (drawing on the IMI – and the supporting IMI Framework – aligned with ISO 19650, incorporating digital twin frameworks, and strong data governance). We also plan to develop training programmes and routes to certification, and then, if and when the time is right, potentially move to become a chartered professional body.”

Early steps

Anne stressed the plans were at a very early stage. The IMI is being developed further with an expanded steering group including senior government sponsors, while resources to support onboarding and the creation of compliant internal organisational IM mandates were also being prepared.

A strategy day with nima’s vice-chairs and non-executive directors had been convened in early November; a provisional strategy paper had been drafted and was now being co-developed with the VCs and NEDs. There would then be further consultation on the proposed strategy with nima members and the wider IM community. As well as creating a roadmep for nima’s future development, the ongoing discussions will also help inform nima’s business plan for 2026-2027.

A recording of the Q4 quarterly forum is available here, along with slides from the event detailing:

• feedback from the 2025 Virtual Conference (news)
• plans for an in-person evening social event for nima patrons in London on 20 January 2026, and
• ongoing and upcoming membership activities, including a members-only networking event in nima’s virtual conference space on 28 January 2026.