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Four ACE member firms were amongst the winners of the NCE/ACE Consultants of the Year Awards held at Claridge’s in London on 20 March 2009.
The event, which recognises exceptional work in the consultancy and engineering sector which goes above and beyond the norm, also saw BDP’s Laura Bayliss claim the title of Young Consultant of the Year and Lynden Cable of WGP walk away with the gong for Outstanding Achievement. The BBC’s Jim Naughtie presented the awards, which featured speeches from NCE editor Antony Oliver and Association for Consultancy and Engineering vice-chair Michelle McDowell.
Tony Gee & Partners, Mott MacDonald and Arup were named Britain’s best consultants as judges grappled with scores of high calibre entries. Arup took the major consultant of the year title for a consistently high standard of projects including the Beijing Olympic Stadium, Stonecutters Bridge and the commission to help design the 38km Hong Kong-Zuhai-Macau bridge.
The medium sized consultant of the year category was clinched by Tony Gee & Partners, who upgraded the Thameslink Blackfriars station in London and also worked on Stonecutters Bridge in Hong Kong. The ACE member firm was recognised for consistently punching about its weight to land high-profile contracts.
Another ACE member, Mott MacDonald, was rewarded for sterling work in the international market. The Delhi Metro, Dubai’s Arabian Canal and the £1.05bn Macau City of Dreams helped its cause, as did an overseas turnover of £411.34m.
ACE chief executive Nelson Ogunshakin said judges had been presented with a difficult task. “It is not easy to win one of these awards”, he said. “There are so many boxes for the judges to tick in terms of the standard of the projects. Financial results are only one part of the criteria, and the way a company carries itself and represents the consultancy and engineering sector is just as important.”
Ogunshakin added that he had particularly enjoyed following the two individual award winners. “Laura Bayliss is the first lighting engineer to win the Young Consultant of the Year Award in over 20 years of its existence, which is something she can be exceptionally proud of,” he said. “As for Lynden Cable, the progress he has made in educating and invigorating children is there for all to see. But it is striking to witness the sheer pleasure he takes in his work. For me, it is yet more evidence to demonstrate how rewarding consultancy and engineering can be and the significant contribution the UK can offer to the world’s infrastructure.”
-ENDS-
Further information and photos can be obtained from ACE communications
and public affairs director Andy Walker on 020 7227 1889, 07947 558654 (mobile)
or email awalker@acenet.co.uk.
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