The founder of the Black Professionals in Construction (BPIC) Network and working group member of the CIOB’s external affairs advisory board, Amos Simbo, has received an OBE for his services to the construction industry and diversity.
Simbo is one of only two figures among the 1,203 people recognised in the 2025 New Year Honours List to receive an award for services to the construction industry. The other is Alexander (Sandy) Adam, founder and chair of Scottish housebuilder Springfield Properties.
“It’s the honour of my life being in construction, promoting inclusion for individuals and small businesses – showcasing how the industry is truly at the heart of community building,” Simbo, who in 2022 was a finalist in the EDI Individual category at the CIOB Awards, wrote in a LinkedIn post. “As always – we are stronger together.”
More construction figures recognised
Although only Simbo and Adam were recognised for contributions to construction, other names across the industry made it to the list for different endeavours.
One of them was Dr Wei Yang, chair of the Construction Industry Council’s chair, who received an OBE for her services to the town planning industry.
“It’s my great privilege to have been honoured with an OBE in the #NewYearsHonours2025 as a planner,” Yang said on LinkedIn. “I can’t think of any profession that suits me better. A heartfelt thank you to my family, friends, and colleagues who have supported me throughout the years.”
Gill Riley, the managing director of GGR Group, a mini-crane supplier company whose clients include HS2 and The Shard, was upgraded from OBE to CBE for her services to the lifting industry.
Sharon Smyth, the chief executive of Construction and Procurement Delivery in Northern Ireland’s civil service, received a CBE for her services to procurement.
Founder of Yorkshire-based contractor Caddick Group, Paul Caddick, was awarded an MBE for his services to sport as co-founder of Leeds Rugby Limited, the parent company of the Leeds Rhinos Rugby League team.
Chandni Vora, chief operating officer at Vascroft Contractors’, received an MBE for services to business and charity. Her volunteering roles include membership in the City of London Corporation’s Skills of Sustainable Skyline taskforce, a three-year project aimed at boosting the supply of skilled workers for sustainable buildings.
Recognition for building safety work
Aman Sharma, chief executive officer of building and fire safety consultancy Totus Digital, was made MBE for services to building and fire safety. Sharma is also a member of the Health and Safety Executive’s Building Advisory Committee (BAC) and was deputy chair of its predecessor, the now-defunct Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ Building Regulations Advisory Committee (BRAC).
At BSI, Sharma led the development and publication of BS 8644, the digital management of fire safety information national standard born from a recommendation in Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review.
He was in the development team of last year’s Digital Construction Awards Product Innovation of the Year winner.
“Throughout my career, I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with individuals tirelessly committed to public safety, who have served as an inspiration to me and many others,” said Sharma on LinkedIn. “The job we have ahead of us in progressing building and fire safety standards is far from over. Whilst we have achieved much, there is so much more still to do.
“So I will be pushing ever harder to drive the lasting cultural change we are all striving for across our built environment.”
Architects and conservators
Architect Peter Clegg, senior partner and co-founder of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, whose firm’s projects include the new Bristol Zoo Project or the renovation of London’s Southbank Centre, was named OBE for services to architecture.
Clegg said: “I regard this honour as one which acknowledges the long history of the practice in promoting environmentally and socially responsible architecture.
“Architecture is a collaborative discipline, and the recognition needs to be shared by the hundreds of people over the years that have been part of the practice and the thousands of consultants contractors and clients that have worked on projects that have allowed us to explore a new approach to architectural design”.
Timothy ‘Beech’ Williamson was awarded a BEM for services to education for his work in the Department for Education’s Design, Operations and Infrastructure group. He recently retired after almost four decades in the department, where he played an essential role in cross-government work around standardisation, modern methods of construction and net zero carbon. Sadly, Williamson died shortly after finding out about his honours nomination.
Arup’s former chair, Alan Belfield, was recognised with an OBE for services to business.
Battersea Power Station Development Company’s former chief executive Simon Murphy was awarded an OBE for his contribution to the community, heritage and real estate through his leadership of the restoration of the Grade II* listed iconic building and surrounding area.
Murphy, who was the company’s chief executive from May 2018 to March 2024, said progress so far at Battersea Power Station is “an incredible effort by everyone involved” and that the “honour is for all of Team Battersea and our Malaysian shareholders without whom none of this would have been achieved.”
In the field of heritage, Sally Strachey and David Odgers received MBEs for services to the repair and conservation of heritage buildings and for services to heritage, respectively.
