Celebrating achievements

Thus far I have gone, tracing a secure way over the pathless seas, the very stars themselves being witnesses and testimonies of my triumph.

It’s that time of of year again, when the thoughts of sandy beaches/soggy campsites/crowded airport lounges/cocktails for breakfast, turn lightly to the post-bank holiday, upcoming Autumn. Season of mist, mellow fruitfulness, chilly early tee-times and awards events.

The shops are full of harassed parents trying to find the last pair of black flat size 5 shoes in a style that offends neither school-rules nor fashion-conscious youngsters, while the desks and in-boxes of the industry’s great and good – this includes me, apparently – are full of awards nomination entries.

It’s always a difficult task, effectively sitting in judgment over your peers and, in some cases, friends. This year seemed harder than ever, down not only to the number of entries but the quality of them. All the judges agreed that it is heartening to see so many people who are not only clearly excellent at the jobs, but who also, equally clearly, love them, love what they do, and where they are going into the industry.

As an aside, this applies just as much to the entries to the Supplier Achiever category as to the Merchant Achiever one: there were some seriously impressive, extremely strong candidates across both categories, and it was a tough call to whittle them down to the top six for discussion amongst my peers on the judging panel. The results of our endeavours will be revealed at the BMF Members’ Day Awards On September 19.

We talk a lot about the pressing need to get new people into the industry, to raise the profile with those who are looking for careers that offer progression and prospects, but who might never have considered the building materials sector. Of course, we have the BMF’s Sector Awareness Campaign, which is ramping up ready for its high profile launch next month to take on this very task. Then, a cause close to my heart, there’s the Maddie Rose Campaign which takes the industry directly into schools and colleges in order to engage with the next generation. There’s some quite exciting news to come on this front imminently, so keep your eyes peeled.

While it is really important to attract newer people into the sector, it’s also vital that we recognise those who are already here. Those people who do their jobs t the best of their ability, who go that extra mile, who think outside their designated boxes, who put their customers’ needs front and centre. That’s why it was so heartening to see so much talent in evidence in the judging packs, and why, – shoehorn alert – I’m so excited about the upcoming BMJ Industry Awards: see finalists listing here

The great and the good don’t get to make the decisions for our awards, it’s the customers, colleagues and suppliers who make the final choices. All about the numbers, and about recognising the massive amount of talent that we have right here, right now, working in building materials.

Getting newer, younger, people in from a wider range of backgrounds and experiences is going to vital for the future health of this sector. But the medium-term looks like it’s pretty positive too.
Advert alert: get your tickets booked for the BMJ Industry Awards lunch 2024, September 27th in London