2026 Winners

Allyship Champion of the Year

Winners:

Terri Hudson
Turner & Townsend

Highly commended:

Clare Friel
Women in Construction Anglia

Finalists:

Lana Coromines
AtkinsRéalis

Lauren Curle
South Hampshire College Group

Phebe Mann
Loughborough University

Catherine McQuillan
RSK Ireland

Stefano Quintavalle
Skanska Costain Strabag

Melania Santoro
Arcadis

Contribution to Gender Diversity

Winners:

Melania Santoro
Arcadis

"Passionate and energetic, with meaningful impact across her organisation, the wider sector and globally. Her innovative use of virtual reality builds genuine allyship among colleagues, and her support for charities and initiatives outside work shows an ambition for gender diversity that goes well beyond her role."

Finalists:

Faith Abudu
Diversity and Inclusion In Construction

Laura Bacon
GB Card & Partners

Idil Baykam
Kambeton

Debbie Darling
Jooce Marketing & PR

Sayantani Ghosh
Savills

Jayne Little
Skills 4

Claire Piller
Knights Brown Construction

Carla Queiroz
Arcadis

Sponsored by

Contribution to a Project

Winners:

Helena Stolle
NG Ventures

"A highly capable leader whose technical expertise spans major infrastructure programmes. Helena established the Project Controls function from scratch, built strategic relationships that unlock conflict and keep delivery moving at pace, and created a structured environment that is also a safe space for mentorship and wellbeing."

Finalists:

Amanda Ashton
Balfour Beatty

Khushboo Bansal
Sthapati

Karolina Kuzinska
Caledonia Water Alliance (a joint venture with Aecom & MGroup Water)

Mitu Mathur
GPM Architects & Planners

Beatriz Ramo
STAR Strategies + Architecture

Sagal Rooble
Chetwoods Architects

Ruth Soulier
Gardiner & Theobald

Yasmin Spain
Costain

Emily Waller
Trant Engineering

Inspirational Leader - Consultant

Winners:

Hannah Wooller
Matter of Place Architects

"Hannah sets out to be different in order to make a difference, and has transformed her community and the lives of those who work for her. Structured flexibility and genuine leadership development enable true, transparent succession planning, and her strength of character, strong values and clear vision made her stand out."

Finalists:

Desiree Blamey
Considerate Constructors Scheme

Maliha Haque
LOM Architecture and Design

Thulasi Karunakaran
Arcadis

Tanya Khanna
Epistle Communications

Lenka Petrakova
Zaha Hadid Architects

Annabel Precious
The Transportation Consultancy

Jade Purdy
Agentia

Ashleigh Rastall
Allora Infrastructure

Monique Wintle-Camp
Wintle-Camp Coaching

Inspirational Leader - Contractor

Winners:

Catherine Brookes
McCann

"An extensive and impressive career marked by real success in the face of significant historic challenges, sustained by a clear passion for her work, the industry and her local community. Catherine's support for local colleges to develop apprenticeships keeps industry skills sustainable and relevant, and she coaches and creates opportunities for others to progress — quietly and calmly leading by example."

Highly commended:

Clare Giannini
Willmott Dixon Construction

Finalists:

Noemi Barrington
Skanska Costain Strabag

Freya Chapman
Mainmark

Maria Fernandez Cachafeiro
Multiplex Construction

Tanya Godwin
Morgan Lovell

Lindsay Maartens
Stepnell

Rebecca McAteer
Farrans

Sarita Stevens
Equans Regeneration

Claire Trott
Boring 2 Brilliant

Inspirational Leader – Client

Winners:

Alexis Field
Defence Infrastructure Organisation

"Transformational leadership at national scale, with exceptional evidence of impact on people, performance, culture and the wider industry, supported by the strongest and most credible testimonials in the field. The judges look forward to seeing her initiatives come to life."

Finalists:

Kerry Evans
DBFO A55

Laura Lincoln
Girl's School Day Trust

Katy Robinson
East Riding of Yorkshire Council

Erinn Sapsford
National Grid

Claire Sheridan
UK Power Networks

Rachael Turner
Thames Water Utilities

Katy Vincent
21 Engineer Regiment

Inspirational Leader – Supplier

Winners:

Collette Want
Façade Access Solutions (UK)

"Collette has a strong self-awareness of how she leads and uses it to create real impact, giving her team structure and stability while driving genuine change in a traditional environment."

Finalists:

Pam Bailey
GDS Instruments

Julie Christian
GAP Hire Solutions

Leanne Gill
OBR Group

Emma Kent
Initivo

Louise McCree
Dalkia

Alicia Parfitt
RVT Group

Jo Stiles
Carrier

Georgia Stillwell
Alice Technologies

Vicki Suret
Ramcrete Concrete Pumping Services

Rising Star - Contribution to a Project

Winners:

Lily Robbins
Willmott Dixon Construction

"Lily impressed the panel with maturity, professionalism and leadership well beyond her years, pairing exceptional technical expertise with a calm, measured and confident approach that earns the trust of colleagues and clients alike. Her drive never overshadows her thoughtful decision-making, and excellent client feedback confirms her impact. Already mentoring future managers and contributing to development across the wider industry, she is an outstanding Rising Star."

Highly commended:

Samantha Pickering
Galliford Try

Finalists:

Mariana Botezatu
John F Hunt

Poppy Casson

Willmott Dixon Interiors

April Clark
Multiplex Construction

Francesca Guldemond
CMDP

Megan Jones
Balfour Beatty

Sophie Jones
Costain

Robbie Seal
Winvic Construction

Phillippa Shaw
innDex

Sarah Wardle
McCann

Rising Star - Contribution to Gender Diversity

Winners:

Jessica Percy
Multiplex Construction

"An exceptional demonstration of passion, impact and influence, using lived experience to drive real, practical change for others. Through proactive engagement she identifies overlooked gaps and designs solutions that address them — a vulnerable parent policy now implemented globally at Multiplex and with the charity Gingerbread, extending prison visits to women's prisons with 'No Going Back', and improving return-to-work and retention for those with caring responsibilities through Circle Partnership."

Finalists:

Oluwadolapo (Dolly) Akinde
JRL Midgard

Mia Christopher
Jackson Civil Engineering

Ashly Ellis
Blackwell Earthmoving

Molly Gardner
Multiplex Construction

Lily Gregory
Kier Group

Helen McCrone
Mott MacDonald

Katy Robinson
East Riding of Yorkshire Council

Anna Rzepczynski
We Build Too

Olivia Ward
L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage

Rising Star - Technical Excellence

Winners:

Ee Hooi Lee
Arup

"A clear passion for her field combined with excellent technical skills, used to make a real and tangible difference."

Finalists:

Aimee Blay
Galliford Try

Chloe DaSilva
EKFB

Ayesha Farooq
Dalkia

Giuliana Kyerematen
Costain CEL

Vidoslava Marinova
John F Hunt

Alix Reynolds
Galliford Try

Janani Sangakkara
Frankham Consultancy Group

Georgia Sargent
Galliford Try

Daisy Stevens
Winvic Construction

STEM Champion

Winners:

Phebe Mann
Loughborough University

"In a category of exceptionally high-quality candidates, Phebe stood out for her sustained and wide-ranging commitment to STEM outreach throughout her career. Her passion, mentorship and measurable impact are inspiring, and the judges were hugely impressed by her achievements as a phenomenal role model across generations."

Highly commended:

Cath Waller
Knights Brown Construction

Finalists:

Lilian Ho
Aecom

Helen McCrone
Mott MacDonald

Paula McMahon
Sir Robert McAlpine

Catherine Mcquillan
RSK Ireland

Eleni Price
LinearPoint Consulting Engineers

Aida Yousefabadi
Leeds College of Building

Technical Excellence

Winners:

May Elsamman
Mott MacDonald

"An impressive example of someone who has proactively created opportunities well beyond her formal role, combining technical expertise, innovation and determination to drive meaningful change. May's rapid career progression reflects both her capability and her impact, with her own innovations delivering significant benefits to projects and ways of working. She brings genuine passion and purpose, and is an inspiring role model for early-career professionals, particularly women considering leadership and technical innovation."

Highly commended:

Bianca Gribnitz
Arcadis

Finalists:

Rachel Avraham Katriel
Blank Lehrer Bar

Sara Barsley
Canal & River Trust

Caroline Bradley
NG Ventures

Florence Browning
Webb Yates

Ally Hall
Galliford Try

Eleonora Regni
Webb Yates

Millie Watson
Dalkia

Unsung Hero

Winners:

Sophie Howe
H &MV Engineering

"Sophie stood out for the innovation she has delivered within her organisation, constantly striving to improve operations and create a safe place to work. Her initiatives are benefiting not only UK operations but the wider business across Europe, with clear, demonstrable impact."

Finalists:

Pam Bailey
GDS Instruments

Alicia Burrows
Dalkia UK

Sarah Evans
Multiplex Construction

Marie Joe
Glanua

Lindsay Maartens
Stepnell

Safiyyah Sardar
Alistair Burroughs Design Partnership

Sarah West
Trant Engineering

Meleiha Youngs
Matter of Place Architects

Sponsored by

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative of the Year

Winners:

Morgan Sindall Infrastructure Nuclear
Diversity & Inclusion Steering Group – PLACE initiative

"An authentic and deeply embedded initiative with a practical focus on challenging behaviours. By creating safe spaces for leadership teams to hold difficult ED&I conversations, it has produced meaningful solutions now being implemented at every level of the organisation."

Highly commended:

Graham
Ability not disability

Finalists:

Constructing Change

British Tunnelling Society Young Members
EDI and WiT Sub-committee

Glent Group

National Grid
Women in Construction South

Skills 4
EMPOWER

The Supply Chain Sustainability School
The Fairness, Inclusion & Respect Programme App

University College London
Engineering Foundation Year

Women's Leadership Group
Females in Construction Initiative WEPco & WLG Collaboration

Excellence in Mental Health and Wellbeing

Winners:

Staticus
Speak up. We'll handle it with care

"A commendable, methodical initiative built on excellent joint working between HR and health and saftey. The bottom-up, practical approach is scalable and adaptable across cultures, with 100% of site managers trained in mental health, targeted campaigns, and cross-country retrospective feedback sessions that impressed the judges with a genuinely closed feedback loop."

Finalists:

Balfour Beatty
Regional buildings - Diversity, inclusion & wellbeing committee

Costain
Wellbeing isn't just a value, it's how we work

Caledonia Water Alliance (a joint venture with Aecom & MGroup Water)
CWA Framework – Jana Brady

QTS Group

Spencer Group
Breaking the silence: approaching mental health and wellbeing

Danny Sullivan Group
The health, safety, sustainability and wellbeing team

Sponsored by

Excellence in Outreach

Winners:

Construction Futures
Building the future, one classroom at a time

"Creating significant, measurable achievement in a remarkably short time, transforming the accessibility of construction careers for women. Infectious enthusiasm is already driving strategic change across the industry in Northern Ireland, bringing government and charities on board and engaging 47 delivery partners to increase outreach capacity for an entire sector."

Highly commended:

Kambeton
From classroom to factory floor

Finalists:

Costain
Opening doors into construction careers

EKFB
Skills, employment & education team

McCann
A girl in a man's world

National Grid
National Grid Electricity Transmission

Spencer Group
Ron Dearing UTC

Willmott Dixon
University of Staffordshire Student Village

Excellence in Recruitment and Retention

Winners:

Façade Access Solutions

"An outstanding, well-rounded submission underpinned by strong data and a clear grasp of the industry's workforce challenges. The judges were especially impressed by the focus on retention — job security, progression pathways, talent matching, a health and safety app, and creative routes to attract talent from other industries — alongside bridge roles advancing gender equity and a strong commitment to industry collaboration."

Highly commended:

Matter of Place Architects
Building Careers with Purpose

Finalists:

Balfour Beatty
Regional buildings - Pathway to planning

OBR Group
Engineering team

Simple Works

Trust Electric Heating

Sponsored by

Excellence in Senior Leadership

Winners:

Galliford Try
Engineering's senior leadership hub

"A clear strategy delivering tangible results, with measurable improvements in female promotions and retention. An exemplary example of male allyship creating genuine psychological safety, with a refreshing recognition that the journey continues and firm plans to keep improving."

Highly commended:

Gloucestershire County Council, WSP & Ringway
Gloucestershire Highways

Finalists:

Arcadis
Energy networks & renewables

Dalkia UK
Dalkia UK’s Senior Leadership excellence

External Wall Installation Store

Simple Works

Staticus

Sponsored by

Inspiring Women – Company of the Year

Winners:

Matter of Place Architects

"An inspiring presentation of a people-first culture that includes everyone from researcher to cleaner. Purpose-led with excellent recruitment practices and flexible working as standard, the practice was set up to be different and is demonstrably living that ambition — with clear community benefits from recruiting local teenagers to creating a community darkroom. The judges admired the holistic thinking and community impact, delivering benefits far greater than expected."

Finalists:

Anglian Water Services

Calfordseaden

Leviatan Group

Nottingham Women in Construction

Simple Works

Skills 4

Staticus

Trust Electric Heating

Next Generation Employer of the Year

Winners:

Spencer Group

"A thoroughly impressive submission and presentation, showing a passion for developing the next generation for the whole industry, not just the business. As founding partner of the local UTC, the commitment to local community impact is clear, and the apprenticeship programme creates an environment in which women can excel — with retention rates that prove it. The Talented Women Programme has visibly strengthened women's confidence and self-belief, making them a standout Next Generation Employer."

Finalists:

A&B Engineering

Burroughs

Kambeton

Maintenance and Contracting Services

Morgan Sindall Infrastructure Nuclear

OBR Group

Women’s Network of the Year

Winners:

Institution of Civil Engineers
ICE Connects: Women in Fellowship

"The judges were particularly impressed that the network has doubled female fellowship within five years, with an effect felt by women globally and clear impact at this level of the industry. The presentation focused compellingly on global impact, role models and inspiring others, and dispelling myths about the industry — with a standout event connecting women with sponsors to support their progression."

Highly commended:

Morgan Sindall Infrastructure
Women’s Network

Finalists:

National Grid
Women in Construction South

Construction Inclusion Coalition
Elevate

Commercial Real Estate Women UK

Lucion Group
Circles

Multiplex Construction
Multiplex's UK Women's Network

Female Leaders in Construction 
Perceptive Communicators and The Firefly Consultancy

VINCI Construction UK
Early Careers Woman's Network

Women in Construction Anglia
Championing opportunities, breaking barriers, and building brighter futures for women in the construction industry