London’s best site manager has been recognised for his dedication to raising standards in house building after winning a top award in the most highly regarded competition in the house-building industry.
Organised by the National House Building Council (NHBC), the UK’s largest provider of new home warranties and insurance, the prestigious Pride in the Job Awards 2024 crowned one regional winner at Park Plaza London Riverbank on Friday 18 October 2024:
High-rise builder category – Lyam Gunner of St James and St William Group for his work at White City Living (Phase 3) in White City, London
As well as his category win, Mr Gunner was awarded a Pride in the Job Seal of Excellence. A further seven site managers from across London were also awarded this accolade after they gained a Quality Award in the first round of the competition in June. They were:
John Aitkin of Laing O’Rourke in Kings Cross
Fabio Amodio of Berkeley St Edward in Watford
Simon Murphy of Vistry South London in Enfield
Sury Patel of Barratt West London in Hendon
Julian Rae of St George City Limited in Wapping
James Riley of Berkeley Homes (North East London) Ltd in Hackney
Ali Sarlak of Lendlease Development Europe in Elephant & Castle
Now in its 44th year and widely considered the ‘Oscars’ of the house-building industry, Pride in the Job has become the benchmark for exceptional site managers. Judging is rigorous, with assessment across six key areas: consistency, attention to detail, leadership, interpretation of drawings and specifications, technical expertise and health and safety.
Pride in the Job has five categories: small, medium and large builders, plus multi-storey for projects up to seven storeys and high-rise for projects more than seven storeys.
Steve Wood, CEO at NHBC congratulated the winners: “For more than four decades, Pride in the Job has underpinned NHBC’s purpose of raising standards in house building. The competition recognises the UK’s top site managers, showcasing best practice and rewarding excellence.
“Winning site managers demonstrate dedication, passion and leadership to ensure new homes are delivered to exacting construction quality standards. While house building is a team effort, we believe the greatest influence on the quality of a finished home is the calibre of the site manager and the way they inspire their team. Congratulations to all the winners.”
A series of regional events are taking place throughout the UK to announce the Regional and Seal of Excellence Award winners and celebrate the achievements of the Quality Award recipients.
Mr Gunner will now go forward to compete for the ultimate prize in house building, the Pride in the Job Supreme Awards, which will be unveiled at a gala ceremony in London in January 2025.
