Midlands-based construction firm Willmott Dixon has been recognised for its dedication to the professional development of its people at the Construction Excellence Midlands awards, held last week (4 December).
Assistant environmental manager in the Midlands – Francesca Wilkinson – was awarded the G4C Future Leader Award, with the contractor also picking up the People Development award for its work within the East Midlands.
Construction Excellence Midlands is an organisation that specialises in driving change within the East and West Midlands construction industry through collaborative working.
Francesca, who joined the business as an intern before completing the firms’ management trainee scheme, was recently promoted to a role within the sustainability team. This coincided with the launch of its 2030 sustainable development strategy: ‘Now or Never: our decisive decade.’
Francesca said: “I am delighted to have been recognised for such a significant award within the industry. Since joining Willmott Dixon as a sustainability data analysis intern, my confidence has grown as I’ve been given the opportunity to experience many pivotal learning milestones.
“I have been able to expand my expertise in sustainability; an area that I am particularly passionate about. Thanks to Willmott Dixon’s culture and strong investment in personal development, I have been heavily involved in significant regional projects such as the University of Birmingham’s School of Engineering and the University of Warwick’s Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building and award-winning Sports Hub facility.
“Something I am particularly proud of is my work on the Sports Hub project, which resulted in an energy saving of £40,236 and a carbon saving of 98,520 kgCO2e for the university.”
Peter Owen, managing director of construction in the Midlands, added: “We pride ourselves on the investment we place in our highly skilled team members and believe that having a developed and experienced workforce is at the heart of Wilmott Dixon’s success.
“Since joining the business, Francesca has gone from strength-to-strength and she is now well established as a young leader within the team. Outside of her day-to-day role, Francesca is also heavily involved with wider community support initiatives, including working as a CITB Construction and STEM ambassador, visiting schools and colleges to promote careers in construction, diversity and STEM, as well as acting as a mentor within the Princes Trust.
“We are very proud of Francesca’s achievements in the short time she has been working with us, including her creation of learning modules that are now used across all departments to build awareness of our ten-point sustainability plan.”
This double award win follows the contractor’s success at the Construction Manager of the Year awards in November, which saw it collect a silver medal for its outstanding work in delivering a brand-new school in Water Orton, Warwickshire.
