John Bale left school at 16 to work as a management trainee with a local construction firm in Wolverhampton. He moved from there to the civil engineering department of British Railways, and the estimating department of Alfred McAlpine. Part-time study led to CIOB corporate membership and an employers' federation travelling scholarship.

He became a lecturer and obtained an MSc in construction economics and management at University College London, where he went on to teach postgraduate construction management for more than 10 years.

His academic career led to appointments as Dean at (what is now) Anglia Ruskin and Leeds Metropolitan universities, and a professorship of construction management sponsored by Willmott Dixon Limited.

John's international work was recognised by the award of the gold medal of Cracow University of Technology in 1995, and he served as Chair of the CIC education committee for three years before becoming President of the CIOB in 2000-01. After 'retirement' he was elected to Leeds City Council, where he now chairs the corporate governance and audit committee.