The CIOB's Construction Manager of the Year awards saw 15 Willmott Dixon people short listed in various categories in recognition of their work delivering over £500m of capital projects.
These awards are important to us as they recognise the quality and expertise of the very best people in the industry, and at Willmott Dixon, we're passionate about providing the best people to our customers to deliver their projects.
We had two gold medal winners, Dave John in the 'Accommodation – High Rise' category for Millwrights Place in Bristol, and Jason Hunt for another project in the city, Bristol Beacon, who won in the 'Renovation & Restoration' category.
And the overall award of 2025 Construction Manager of the Year went to Jason for Bristol Beacon! You can read Jason's own story about this project here.
Top of the pops! CMYA overall winner Jason Hunt, centre, with another winner on the night, Dave John (left), and or customer from Bristol City Council who we built the Bristol Beacon for.
Here is the write-up from the CIOB on why Jason won
Project director Jason Hunt’s solutions-focused leadership, risk insight and determination overcame major historic defects on this ambitious project. These ranged from poorly executed previous alterations to fire-weakened masonry.
Hunt averted financial catastrophe through shrewd technical stewardship, propping and supporting fragile heritage elements while creating new spaces and installing new structures.
He instilled a collaborative mindset across the whole team, which created and drove an engaged project dynamic. This approach delivered for the client, determined to have a world-class facility, exactly what it had envisioned.
Bolts from the blue on this scheme landed with enough force to sink the entire project. Shock setbacks included the discovery that the existing decorative brickwork columns were hollow. It turned out they had been part of a historic hot-air heating system that also included open trenches in the floors.
Yet the design relied on these columns to support a new steel and concrete floor in the auditorium above. Hunt’s solution involved temporarily supporting the columns and filling them with structural concrete.