Judges

Chair of the Higher Education sector - National Responsible Procurement Group

For over two decades Dr Nick Bell has worked with architects, engineers and construction clients (such as Universities, a FTSE 100 developer, global energy companies and real estate services firms), helping them to design, manage and deliver healthy and safe construction projects. His articles on topics such as CDM, wellbeing and leadership have been widely published and he has spoken at numerous conferences and events on these subjects. He is a Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society and a Chartered Fellow with the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health.

Mike has been leading the Apprenticeship and Employer Engagement directorate at Exeter College for the last 10 years. His role also includes Partnerships and Future Skills, addressing the skills needs of the future. In November 2022, Mike was thrilled to be leading the apprenticeship team when Exeter College sustained its Outstanding status with Ofsted.

During his tenure Apprenticeships have more than doubled, with more than 1800 Apprentices in learning at any one time, and the college business network extending to over 1010 businesses. Exeter College has been voted as the top-rated further education college in the South-West for employer satisfaction for two years. Mike is the face of the college with employer and industry partners, working together to seek out their skills challenges of the future.

Mike has worked overseas supporting the educational development of developing countries. This has included Nepal, Morrocco and is soon to visit Malawi to support the development of green skills with colleges and employers.

As the Vice Chair of GCAP (Green Construction Advisory Panel), he is the voice for educational opportunities to fulfil the skills gap requirements for a Green future. He also influences and represents the education sector by having the place of chair on the Constructing Excellence SW Skills Panel and he is on the board of Constructing Futures. Mike was also the chair of the Devon and Cornwall Training Provider Network for 8 years, having stood down in Jan 2024.

Mike chaired the Testimonial year for Exeter Chiefs rugby player, Phil Dolman, having supported Gareth Steenson's Testimonial the previous year. They raised over £150,000 for good causes. Mike is a keen follower of rugby and spends most weekends coaching and chaperoning his under 16s team (they are very good!)

Matt is a Chartered Surveyor and has been with Ward Williams for over 13 years, bringing a wealth of experience in the retail, leisure, and more recently the legal and contract advisory sectors. His extensive knowledge and expertise have been instrumental in delivering high-quality results across various projects and initiatives.

Following on from a successful period delivering high street food and national supermarket developments, Matt then developed a bespoke project and cost management service for the pre-development phase of hotel and food and beverage leisure facilities that has been adopted by National providers.

Kingsley heads the SCF team in the South west region is the Vice Chair of CESW, a regional representative of the National Association of Construction Frameworks and a Director of the JCT Board (representing the Local Government Association). In his role with SCF He’s accountable for generating and overseeing the successful delivery of the South West pipeline of work helping clients to deliver projects ranging from £1m to £256million. Having supported over £2billion of construction procurement Kingsley has industry leading experience delivering capital construction and maintenance projects for the public sector including central Government, local authorities and higher education institutions.

Elizabeth (known as Lizzy) is an Associate Solicitor in the construction and engineering team at RWK Goodman LLP. Lizzy advises clients across the entire supply chain to deliver construction and engineering projects, such as employers/developers, funders, contractors/consultants and specialist sub-contractors/consultants. Lizzy is always enthusiastic to hear about upcoming projects, innovative practices and the inspiring individuals who make up the industry.

Matthew joined the SCF team in September 2020. Previously he worked in senior FM roles within both the private and public sectors, with a bias for managing capital projects and significant revenue budgets.

Matthew’s most recent role in the education sector, saw him deliver a large number of capital improvements on the campus he managed. Matthew champions getting the best possible outcomes and delivering value for money within projects.

Kevin is CEO of Constructing Excellence South West, and brings over 40 years of operational board experience. With a strong track record in achieving business success, he is a highly respected leader in the industry.

Kevin’s previous roles as Chairman of CE Gloucestershire Club and Chair of CESW Leadership Council highlight his commitment to Constructing Excellence.

He is also an Experienced Business Mentor and Board Advisor, supporting businesses to drive operational excellence, challenge perceptions, and empower their executives. With expertise in people development, business change, and simplifying challenges, Kevin is helping to shape a brighter future for Constructing Excellence South West.

Jamie oversees our Swindon office and leads overall company safety strategy. He has an open & honest approach with a focus on delivering high quality outcomes for our customers and engaging meaningfully in the communities where we work and live. He places emphasis on developing the wider team & future talent, recognising that it's as important for our business as it is for the industry.

Jamie started his career in 1997 with a small groundworks company before moving into a Graduate Trainee position at Cowlin Construction. Working his way through the ranks, delivering large, complex, multi-million-pound schemes over 16 years, Jamie spent a further five years as Operations Director at Midas before joining Beard.

Jamie is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building and an active member of the Constructing Excellence South West Bath committee, which he currently chairs.

A family man outside of work, Jamie enjoys keeping fit, holidays & DIY (actual building at home is a welcome release from the day job). He's also an avid football supporter.

Paloma is a multi-disciplinary Chartered Project Manager with over 20 years of experience working for various industries including Highways, Higher Education, Pharmaceutical, Public Sector and Telecoms. Since completing her degree in Business Psychology with first class honours, Master Degree in Communication and Stakeholder Engagement and Advanced Professional Diploma in Social Corporate Responsibility, Paloma has worked as a project manager delivering high profile projects for various blue-chip companies around the world.

Passionate about triple bottom line, circular economy, sustainability and digital transformation, Paloma’s unique skillset is a direct result of the variety of projects and countries she has worked on. Paloma easily adapts to the unique challenges of each project, putting clients first and continually challenging the status quo, striving to develop innovative solutions that create opportunities.

Tanya joined the company as a trainee recruiter in 2004 when the business was celebrating its second birthday. Now Managing Director, Tanya plays a pivotal role in the strategic direction of the company.

Having worked in most areas of the business during her career, Tanya has a firm knowledge and understanding of each sector and applies this wealth of experience for the benefit of her colleagues and clients alike.

A key contributor to the sector through her various roles with industry organisations, in particular as Chair of Constructing Excellence Exeter & Devon, Tanya has earned the respect from her peers through her consistent and ongoing support for the property and construction industry.

Livvy is a Chartered Senior Project Manager at Coreus Group, based in the Exeter office. Her project experience spans across various different sectors, including public estates, commercial, and education. 

Livvy is proud to be the  Chair of the Generation 4 Change South West committee and is motivated to drive positive change in the industry through attracting young people to work in construction. As part of her role, she has produced and hosted podcasts, organised networking events and leadership dinners, and presented at various schools and colleges.

‘As someone who did not take a conventional route into project management, or construction, I am keen to encourage others to consider a career in construction and show young people that it is an exciting and rewarding industry to be part of.’

I am an Associate in Michelmores’ Construction and Engineering team. I have a mixed caseload of both contentious and non-contentious work, dealing with development projects and dispute resolution.

I am experienced in the negotiation and drafting of building contracts, consultant appointments, collateral warranties, deeds of novation and various other important project documents.

As well as the transactional experience mentioned above, I am experienced in providing advice to clients in respect of dispute resolution and litigation.

I am Club Secretary for the Constructing Excellence Gloucestershire Club and a Committee Member of the Generation for Change.

I am a Chartered Civil and Structural Engineer and Managing Partner of CampbellReith's Bristol office with extensive experience of managing teams of all engineering disciplines to provide a coordinated response to a design brief.

I have excellent communication skills, which enable and maintain reliable relationships with Clients and team members leading to value gained throughout the design and construction process.

My experience covers every stage of development including site searches, due diligence, vision and strategy forming, feasibility studies, and pre-planning through to post-occupation works. This experience covers projects ranging from £1,000's to over £1bn in value, including site infrastructure and masterplanning, new build, refurbishment and re-purposing across many sectors including residential, mixed-use, commercial, retail, education, health, sports and leisure, stadia and tall buildings.

I have a particular interest in Sustainability and act as Partner responsible for CampbellReith's sustainability strategy and implementation of various initiatives. My own experience includes sustainable drainage, embodied carbon analysis and footprinting, nutrient neutrality and biodiversity impacts.

My initial structural engineering training included significant experience in timber engineering, heritage building conservation and sustainable building design, which I have applied to my total eco-refurbishment of our Victorian townhouse to modern energy and water saving standards.

Gabby was appointed in June 2023 to the role of Assistant Framework Manager in the Exeter Office, where her role is to help ensure successful project outcomes. She has worked with SCF since 2016 previously in the role of an apprentice and Framework Co-ordinator. Prior to this, Gabby attended Exeter College where she studied for a Business Diploma. Her journey has been fuelled by a passion for the industry and delivering high-quality projects that benefit communities. 

Based in the Exeter office, Eleanor has supported the operation of SCF for over ten years. Along with scheduling much of the office activity, she is involved with a number of framework initiatives and has a particular interest in the SCF Health & Safety Forum. Eleanor is the first point of contact for enquiries relating to the South West Lot of SCF and will ensure that your queries are dealt with quickly and effectively.

I began my career in 1980 training as a professional Quantity Surveyor with Gleeds before moving into Business Development and Marketing; I have been involved in a wide variety of projects across all sectors, working for a number of leading construction companies at a senior level including Ballast Nedam, ISG Pearce, Britannia and Kier.

As a qualified building professional (MCIOB), I bring a wealth of practical experience to the role and bridge the credibility gap that often appears between business development and operational functions.

Providing critical business development support across all disciplines within the organisation, I am responsible for managing our key clients and undertaking regular performance reviews to ensure that we understand exactly how our client’s business operates and where we can add value.