Harriet Bower ICIOB won the Project Management category at this year’s Duke of Gloucester Young Achievers’ awards run by the Construction Youth Trust charity.
The 24-year-old assistant bid manager at Balfour Beatty saw off competition from seven other shortlisted finalists, which recognised her resilience in coping with dyslexia through school and then going on to achieve a first class honours degree in Construction Project Management.
The scheme’s overall winner was Gary Fowler, a site agent at J Breheny Contractors, who also came top in the Construction Delivery category.
Winners in the remaining three categories were: Jordan Jones at Aecom for architecture and design, Victoria Martin at consultancy Expedition Engineering in the Engineering category and Jonathon Baylie at Vinci Construction UK for Surveying.
"Harriet has achieved an extraordinary amount given her severe dyslexia and her difficulties with this have only made her more determined to work hard and succeed in a field where her learning difficulties impact directly."
Duke of Gloucester Young Achievers’ award judges
Among the highly commended shortlisted finalists was Victoria Turner ICIOB at United House, also in the Construction Delivery category.
The Duke of Gloucester Young Achievers’ Scheme, now in its third year, celebrates the achievements of young professionals across the industry under the age of 30, who have overcome barriers in life to achieve a great start in their career.
At the awards ceremony, held on Thursday night at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, the shortlisted candidates were joined by more than 200 senior industry figures and HRH The Duke of Gloucester.
This year’s awards were sponsored by CITB, KPMG, Aecom, Byrne Group, EC Harris and John Rowan & Partners.
Each winner received a cash prize and will take part in a one-year mentoring programme to help take their future careers to the next level, as well as receiving a package of support through the CYT.
Cheshire-based Harriet Bower achieved nine GCSEs and three A-levels at school, despite severe dyslexia. Thinking university was beyond her reach, she started work in an admin role, but with the support of Balfour Beatty she completed a part-time degree at the University of Salford, graduating last year. She also completed an NVQ3 in Built Environment Design, and is now part of Balfour Beatty’s graduate management programme and pursuing full MCIOB status.
The judges said: “Harriet has achieved an extraordinary amount given her severe dyslexia and her difficulties with this have clearly only made her more determined to work hard and succeed in a field where her learning difficulties impact directly. Her charming personality also came across in her interview and she talked with genuine care about her roles organising her company’s volunteering programme, delivering a talk to her old school, and mentoring a pupil from that school.”
Footballer turned construction professional
Overall winner, 28-year-old Gary Fowler, started his career as a footballer and played for Suffolk County FA. However, an injury brought his career to an early end.
“This left me unmotivated and with no idea of a career path for my future,” he said. “Thankfully I was offered the chance to join Breheny as a groundworker to earn some money while I decided on a career choice. I soon gained the motivation and found that I really enjoyed working in construction, it didn’t take long to realise that if I worked hard I could have a successful career in construction.”
Fowler has progressed to the role of site agent on one of J Breheny’s major projects. He also won the Student of the Year Award on his National Certificate course and then the CIOB Best Professional Construction Student award last year.
The judges commented: “Gary has an excellent understanding of the diverse skills needed in delivering projects and understands the importance of building relationships with clients and his suppliers to make a project a success. He has demonstrated that it is possible to progress rapidly in construction with the right amount of passion and dedication which he demonstrated.”
Design and Architecture winner Jordan Jones, 24, went through a difficult upbringing and then supported himself through his degree at Northumbria University, graduating with first class honours. He now volunteers with archiGRAD, a group of architecture graduates that donates its time to local arts and community organisations, charities and schools.
Engineering winner, 29-year-old Victoria Martin, embarked on a career in engineering despite attending an all girls school where less than 20 students studied physics A-level.
She combined a gruelling 35-hour weekly lecture schedule and associated independent study with three part-time jobs to support herself during her five-year degree course. In spite of this, she graduated with first class honours and was awarded the Hoare Lea Prize for sustainable design.
Surveying Category winner Jonathon Baylie, 24, gained a scholarship from a major construction contractor to give him the much-needed financial support to help him complete a degree from Loughborough University.
He now works at Vinci Construction and is responsible for the management of several large subcontract packages on site which are valued in excess of £7m. He also volunteers his time to work with the CYT on its Budding Brunels scheme, which introduces school-aged pupils to careers in construction.
