OVER FORTY YEARS OF EXCELLENCE PROVES CONSTRUCTION IS NOT SHORT ON TALENT

More than four decades ago our Construction Manager of the Year Awards began its journey to find the very best examples of excellence and professionalism in the industry by pushing the boundaries for what can be achieved.

To put that into context, back in 1978 the Sears Tower in Chicago was the tallest building in the world standing at 442 metres. Now the Burj Khalifa in Dubai stands tallest at 828 metres, almost twice the height. The industry continues to build higher, further, faster and with more complexity than ever before, but the values for what makes a truly expert construction manager are still the same. That sense of pride, the ability to adapt, to meet client and user needs, to lead and to challenge. We can add to those ingredients, resilience, and the tenacity to deliver excellence no matter what the conditions.

There are plenty of lessons to learn from our finalists and each one of their stories qualifies as CPD for the rest of us. By reaching the final, those who are not yet Chartered Construction Managers, or Chartered Builders, are now eligible to apply for it without undergoing our professional review. That says something very positive about the stringent standards of our judging and the quality of the people we celebrate this evening.

Looking back at those who have previously won the title, history tells us it is a launch pad to even bigger and better prospects for them and their employer. Tonight, will be a significant springboard for all our finalists in their individual careers and we look forward to seeing what the next chapters will bring.

In tandem with our prestigious Construction Manager of the Year Awards we also celebrate the very best construction professionals at the
beginning of their careers through our Rising Star Award. I am delighted that we can acknowledge the hard work and dedication of young professionals here tonight, they are our future leaders.

Every sector relies on teams of one sort or another to get work done. But working in a team – and to be more specific, teamwork – is a particularly vital aspect of construction. We have a famously long
tail of SMEs and micro-businesses in our supply chains. We now have teams of specialists in all but the smallest of projects. Getting everybody working
in sync is essential. I am delighted that this year, for the first time, we recognise our clients and entire teams as the critical component that they are. It takes a team to deliver a project in our sector and successful projects happen when clients and project teams work together as
one team.

Congratulations to all of you and best of luck.

We are delighted that this year’s awards ceremony will be hosted by George Clarke.

George Clarke is a renowned Architect, TV
Presenter and Campaigner for both charities and housing organisations alike.
During his extensive career which commenced back in 2003, with one of his earliest programmes being Build a new life; a channel 5 production he has since become a household name and familiar face on our TV screens.

The great success of this programme propelled George to become the ‘face of architecture’ at Channel 4, with the launch of The Home Show. However, his success did not stop there and shortly after he became the presenter of the extremely popular programme that allowed viewers to see the enormous challenges involved in major renovation works in the form of The Restoration Man.

It was no surprise then that his next project was the complete opposite, where George turned his attention towards exploring the extraordinary world of small builds in the form of the Channel 4 series Amazing Spaces, a programme known and loved to this day.

He is a keen lecturer and is passionate about the way architecture can transform our everyday lives, with his main aim being that it becomes accessible and popular with everyone.

This leads onto George’s passion for making a real difference to the lives of people. He works tirelessly with charities, being an ambassador for numerous ones including Shelter, The Maggie Centre’s, The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community and City & Country Group. He is a Trustee for the Foundation of Light and Patron for the Civic Trust Awards and Knights Youth Centre.

Mark Beard FCIOB
CIOB Past President 2020/21

Supporting the construction industry to deliver high quality buildings for its customers is central to the CIOB’s Royal Charter and has been a core part core part of our research, training and qualifications for many generations.

During the last two years we have proudly published our very own quality code and quality guide, which are now widely used across the
industry. I am delighted to have supported during my presidential year the CIOB’s push to improve the quality of output from our industry.

Past President’s Paul Nash and Roger Flanagan have driven this work over many years and I pay tribute to their wonderful contribution to our industry.

However, there is one person, who has done more than anyone else to introduce new ways of working into our industry, with a relentless focus on promoting modern methods of construction,
with all its benefits for our industry’s profile, productivity, long-term profitability and overall product quality.

I will be announcing the winner of this prestigious award during the show.

Ayo Allu FCIOB

Stephen Bradbury MCIOB

John Brennan FCIOB

Michael Butcher MCIOB

Mark Chamberlain FCIOB

Emma Curtis MCIOB

Gareth Davies FCIOB

Simon Davies FCIOB

Mark Day MCIOB

Ian Fletcher FCIOB

Derek Fryer FCIOB

Gavin Heaphy MCIOB

Ian Lumsden FCIOB

Mike May FCIOB

CMYA Consultant

Chris Richards FCIOB

CMYA Administrator

Gordon Harker MCIOB

Stuart Brown FCIOB

Jon Campbell FCIOB

Michael Gallagher FCIOB

Adam Hollis MCIOB

Rachael Keeble MCIOB

Jennifer Makkreel MCIOB