Mace operations director Frank Connolly has been crowned overall winner of the 2020 Construction Manager of the Year Awards (CMYA), run by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).
The ceremony was held virtually last night, hosted by TV presenter and architect George Clarke, with CIOB CEO Caroline Gumble and President Mark Beard giving out the gongs.
Connolly wowed the judges with his successful delivery of the 13-storey Centre Building for the London School of Economics (LSE).
He beat 60 other finalists in nine categories, impressing with his ingenuity, problem-solving and goodwill on the LSE project.
Taking just over two years, this home for political sciences costing £82m is the largest building commissioned in the LSE’s 125-year history, and the first building on the campus to achieve a BREAAM ‘outstanding’ sustainability rating.
Caroline Gumble, CIOB chief executive said: “The Construction Manager of the Year competition seeks out the very best of leadership and talent in our sector and this year is no exception. Frank Connolly’s work was outstanding, with judges commending his “leadership, passion and commitment”.
“Construction managers are instinctively problem-solvers, who can juggle conflicting priorities and oversee a huge range of issues, including the maintenance of quality standards, the large investment from a client, the health and wellbeing of their co-workers and the interests of the local community.
“Frank’s efforts are a shining example for what the best of construction can offer. He’s both hugely talented and humble and an inspiration during this particularly challenging time. My heartfelt congratulations to Frank on winning this prestigious honour.”
Following the announcement at the virtual awards event, Connolly said: “What a fantastic honour to have received this prestigious award, something I had dreamt about for many years. Thank you CIOB for your perseverance and determination to ensure these awards took place. This was a special project delivered to exacting standards, and something I am very proud of.”
During the ceremony, awards were handed out across all nine categories, as well as in two new awards, the Rising Stars, and the President’s Award, where CIOB Past President Charles Egbu gave the gong to Sir James Wates in recognition of his services to his company, the institute and the industry.
The full list of winners is on the CMYA website.
A report on Frank Connolly’s Centre Building project and all the CMYA winners will be in the January 2021 issue of CM.
