Two East Yorkshire project managers have been named winners at a major UK construction industry awards.
The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) held their annual awards in London in April, celebrating the cream of the UK construction industry.
Martin Standley, a project manager at Hull-based Sewell Construction, was a silver winner in the most prestigious category, Construction Manager of the Year for Education.
Martin was nominated for his work on constructing Broadacre Primary School in Hull, a new school which had a purpose-built base for young children with autism spectrum conditions.
Katy Robinson, Senior Project Manager at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, received the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Individual Award for her contribution to a PPE campaign.
Katy was nominated for her work on her campaign to address the inequalities of PPE provision for minority groups in construction. The campaign was launched after research found that nearly 60% of employers were not providing women’s specific PPE to their workforce.
The judges praised the pair’s passion, dedication and hard work, with both of them up against a talented field of nominees.
The awards came after a thorough series of interviews by a panel of respected construction professionals, with winners finally crowned at a glittering awards ceremony in London in April.
Martin said that he was delighted to be selected as a winner against such strong competition.
“I was honoured just to be nominated, and never expected to win an award,” he said.
“It’s especially satisfying that I was nominated for my work on Broadacre School, as that was one of my favourite projects. I’ve worked on lots of projects, but seeing all the pupils celebrating their new school is a very special memory.”
“I’ve been working in the construction industry for almost 40 years, and the one thing I’ve learned is that behind every successful project is a brilliant team, who need to work together to succeed. My award is testament to everyone I’ve ever worked with on a project, as I’ve learned something from each and every one of them.”
Katy said her win validated the importance of the campaign for inclusive PPE:
“It was an honour to win the EDI Individual Award at the CIOB Awards, and be recognised for the hard work I’ve put into the PPE campaign.
“The campaign is helping to make the industry more inclusive for minority groups, but also safer too.”
Caroline Gumble, chief executive officer at CIOB, added:
“There is no doubt that there’s a real depth of talent among the UK’s built environment professionals, with some incredibly impressive projects making the list of finalists.
“It was great to see the awards go to a range of individuals and companies, all of whom are amazing examples of leadership and dedication, all delivering a high-quality built environment. Many congratulations to all our winners.”