He has been a non-executive director for four years.
At BT Mr Earnshaw was in charge of the £28bn transformation of the UK telecoms network from analogue to digital over a 10-year period.
At BRE, as well as chairing the board, he is expected to drive the digital transformation of BRE’s products, services and operations.
"Chris has a great appreciation of where BRE fits in the world and where its ambitions lie," said BRE chief executive Peter Bonfield.
“He will bring a fresh perspective to the group’s strategic direction, specifically with regard to digital, which is driving significant changes in the way we design, construct, operate and deconstruct buildings over their lifetime. New processes like building information modelling (BIM) will transform everything we do. BRE will be taking advantage of Chris’s knowledge and expertise as we get ready for this new age of construction."
Mr Earnshaw said: "BRE is about building a better world through its significant programme of multidisciplinary research underpinned by engineering knowledge and knowhow. From that it develops products, tools and standards that help the built environment sector to successfully tackle the many challenges it faces with climate change and adaption, resource depletion and mass migration to cities to name but a few. Having been involved with BRE as a non-executive director for the past four years, I'm pleased to take up this role at such a highly respected organisation at a time when its expertise is needed more than ever."
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