Digital Construction Champion of the Year

Well, it’s a day later and I still haven’t come back down to earth after the events of last night where I received the award of ‘Digital Construction Champion of the Year’ at the Digital Construction Awards.

It has been a difficult five years – particularly the last three. To have so many people say they appreciate what I’ve been trying to achieve in that time means so much to me that I am totally overwhelmed. No doubt when they publish the video, you’ll get to see that first hand!

Step outside your comfort zone

Our industry is so diverse, and my work advocating for open communication and plain language, particularly in the field of construction product information is all about helping us understand the value of that diversity. When Cristina Lago interviewed me just minutes after the surprise, she asked me what one thing I would recommend. I said, "step outside your comfort zone", and I really mean that.

Don’t feel you have to know everything or understand everything – you don’t and won't. Get to the boundaries and explore. If you’re one of the big guys, go and talk to the small guys. Venture into another sector. Actively seek out people who disagree with you and see if you can work out why.

Everything I’ve learned has come from this approach. It's the only way we will get to #buildingsafety, #netzero, #digitaltransformation or whatever your cross-sector challenge is, but understanding our differences and finding ways to bridge them. It's not an easy journey, but it’s the one that matters.

Thank You

I’d really like to thank all those people who have supported me in my work, particularly my colleagues on the Plain Language Guide Editorial Board Patricia Massey , Paul S. and the wonderful Rick Hartwig of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) , his Built Environment Panel and the other expert panels the IET runs, Jack Ostrofsky and my BIM for Housing Associations (BIM4HAs) colleagues, Jonathan Eyre , Rab Scott , Neil Thompson and Henry Fenby-Taylor of the #ApolloProtocol initiative and of course my many manufacturing and distributor clients who are so patient putting up with my endless questions.

And for last night, thanks to my number two Trish Massey for a completely successful deceit and reveal! Thanks to the amazing panel of judges – it just blows me away that you think I’m deserving of this award. And thank you so much to Oliver Hughes of Digital Construction Week , Justin Stanton of BIM Plus and Will Mann of The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Construction Management magazine for being such wonderful kind hosts.

Last night was a lovely evening topped off by a complete surprise, and ever since I’ve been inundated by people coming up to me, messaging, posting and commenting on socials and just being so lovely. Thank you.