Business

NI construction manager is first woman to win coveted UK industry award

Paddy Connolly, Margaret Conway and Michael Yohanis from Tyrone construction firm McAleer & Rushe celebrate their award wins
Paddy Connolly, Margaret Conway and Michael Yohanis from Tyrone construction firm McAleer & Rushe celebrate their award wins Paddy Connolly, Margaret Conway and Michael Yohanis from Tyrone construction firm McAleer & Rushe celebrate their award wins

A CONSTRUCTION manager at McAleer & Rushe has become the first woman to win a prestigious UK industry award in 40 years.

Margaret Conway, who has worked as a design coordinator at the firm for the past seven years, won the coveted UK Construction Manager of the Year Award (CMYA) at a gala ceremony in London.

The awards, run by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) have been operating for 39 years and the Tyrone construction firm was once again among the big winners on the night.

Mrs Conway won a Gold category medal and came out on top ahead of 84 finalists and eight other gold medallists to take the overall title for her work on the £22 million Clarendon House office development at Adelaide Street in Belfast city centre. The achievement is all the more remarkable given it was her first role as a construction manager. Working with the client Belfast City Council, she helped deliver considerable cost savings of over £1 million by reducing the height of the building and adapting the existing raft foundations. She also ensured the 80-week project was completed two months early and passed all the relevant safety and health checks.

McAleer & Rushe picked up a further two medals with Michael Yohanis and Paddy Connolly winning Gold and Silver respectively within the Leisure and Retail category. Mr Yohanis won the Gold medal for his work on the construction of the £20 million Adagio Royal Mile hotel in Edinburgh with Mr Connolly winning the silver medal for his work on the £25 million Holiday Inn in Manchester.

Martin Magee, managing director at McAleer & Rushe congratulated the three award winners.

“The success of Margaret, Michael and Paddy at this year’s CMYA is truly outstanding. These Awards demonstrate the diversity, inclusivity, commitment and expertise of our employees and our teams and we are immensely proud of their achievements."