Danny Branson is both a committee member of Norfolk Constructing Excellence and Chair of G4C Norfolk. He has been in the construction industry for around 13 years starting out as a carpenter and working his way up to Senior Manager within Morgan Sindall – working on a range of schemes up to £40million around the UK. He is a firm believer in networking and promoting the industry to the ‘younger generation’ to expose the opportunities within; and prides himself on building and maintaining a diverse working relationship with many within the industry from all walks of life.

I work in sustainability and environmental social governance for Genuit Group, a FTSE 250 construction products manufacturing Group. Working in the head office, I am involved in the sustainability strategy, decarbonisation, product specific environmental impact projects, and reporting across the 20 different companies that make up the Group. My passion for sustainability stems from a lifelong love for the outdoors and nature, coupled with a BSc Geography and an MSc Corporate Sustainability and Environmental Management from the University of York. I am involved in external organisations such as The British Plastics Federation (BPF), and The European Plastic Pipes and Fittings Association (TEPPFA) in which I sit within their sustainability working groups. I joined the construction industry being aware that it accounts for around half of the worlds GHG emissions and is fundamental to us achieving net-zero as a nation, and species.

Being passionate about sustainability, and with the G4C representing the future of the construction industry, and I am keen to help broaden our generations understanding of sustainability, as well as to broaden my own skillset and knowledge within the other elements of construction. It is my aim to connect with more people within our industry and to show them the benefits of coming together as a collective within the G4C.

If you would like to get in touch, my virtual door is always open: [email protected]

Lizzy is an Associate at Royds Withy King, based in Bath. Lizzy specialises in non-contentious construction and engineering matters, and advises a range of clients across the entire supply chain (from procurement and risk management through to delivery and life use of a development).

As a long-time supporter of Constructing Excellence, Lizzy joined the committee of the Generation 4 Change South West in 2019 because she was keen to help encourage the younger generation understand the vast range of opportunities available in the industry.

Lizzy is also active in the local Bath community. She is a committee member for the CESW Bath Club (the local group for the Construction Excellence South West) and the Bath Young Professionals (a networking group who connects junior professionals across various industries and professions in Bath).

Please contact me if you have any questions or would like to get involved with G4C South West – @G4CSW

Hollie Statham is a Design Manager at one of the largest, most successful privately-owned construction and development groups in the UK, Bowmer and Kirkland. Upon graduating from the University of Liverpool in 2018 with a BA Hons degree in Architecture, Hollie joined the construction industry as a Trainee in a mission to not only build on her site experience but bring her creativity and pragmatic thinking to the built environment. Hollie has been involved in several high profile projects throughout her time in the industry so far, such as the National Innovation Centre of Ageing and Data, The Catalyst, part of the Newcastle Helix Development, Bellway Headquarters, Woolsington, Hamptons by Hilton, Stockton and currently Bank House, part of the regeneration of Pilgrim Street. Hollie has led not only on the design coordination of her projects but also focused on the sustainability agenda, notably looking at net-zero carbon solutions and achieving BREEAM Outstanding for the Catalyst. Hollie is an advocate for young professionals in the industry and strives to raise the profile of the industry amongst our future generation by promoting careers within construction, breaking down stereotypes, particularly in encouraging females into the industry, and raising aspirations of the region. As well as being our North East Co-chair, Hollie champions schemes such as Career Ready, NELEP Enterprise Advisors scheme, NAWIC North East (Social Media Coordinator and Mentor), NEUPC Engagement Lead and CITB Construction Ambassadors. Her passion certainly doesn’t go unnoticed, winning G4C New Professional of the Year 2019 and G4C Mentor of the Year 2020.

I joined the industry straight from leaving school when I was 16 and undertook a joinery apprenticeship with F. Parkinson Ltd. After completing my joinery apprenticeship, I continued to work on site while undertaking an HNC in construction. After completing my HNC I was afforded the opportunity, to take on a new role working as a trainee estimator in the Manchester office. After completing an internal training plan, I was successfully promoted to my current role as construction estimator working for the same company I started with back when I was 16. What a journey!

I joined G4C because I feel our industry, especially the apprenticeship route, is undervalued as a whole and I wanted to join the Generation For Change campaign to give the next generation a voice and showcase how wonderful our industry is. In my role as Chair I hope to try and engage with as many people as possible in the North West and showcase how important the next generation is to the future of our industry.

In my spare time I am a massive football and Bolton Wanderers fan and I enjoy attending matches with my Dad. I also love engaging and socialising with friends and the G4C family.

Please contact me anytime if you have any questions or if you would like to get involved with G4C in the North West – @G4CNW & @jcook95

Jack is currently working towards his APC on the Building Surveying pathway with the Faithful+Gould Oxford office. Jack works predominately in the commercial and public sectors and has experience both consultant and client side. In addition to carrying out a variety of surveys on buildings, Jack also works with clients to bring projects through from inception to completion. He is supported on the G4C Oxford committee by Edward Gillibrand, an independent architect, and Danielle Trevail, assistant project manager for a local contractor.

Wajiha(Jia) is an award winning, socially conscious leader within the urban and tech sector. She has more than a decade of professional industry experience, across a range of private and public sector clients. A strong believer in inclusive, community led growth, Jia is an experienced advocate of knowledge sharing through pro-bono volunteering. She facilitates collaborative approaches, utilises lateral thinking and entrepreneurial approaches for solving complex problems within tight timeframes and limited funding.  In all her endeavours, Jia applies a cross-discipline, transparent, systems thinking approach ensuring the needs and requirements of the end users, clients and wider team are well-considered. This ties into her holistic sustainability ethos and vision for the future.

Maria is an Associate at Bevan Brittan in the Leeds office. She advises developers, consultants, investors, and contractors on non-contentious matters across the public and commercial sectors on a wide range of projects, including retail, student accommodation, hotels, and care homes. Maria also provides support to clients on schemes that involve banks and investment funds, which often require security packages with respect to construction documents.

Maria joined the Generation 4 Change Yorkshire & Humber Committee in 2018. G4C helped her not only to understand how diverse the construction industry is but also to meet a lot of interesting people that share the same values and who want to make a change within the industry. Maria is hoping to change the way people see construction and encourage more women to enter the industry.

Mitchell is a Senior Project Manager at Faithful+Gould. He was previously a Project Manager with Newcastle City Council’s Major Projects Team. Mitchell joined the council at the age of 16, intending to pursue a career in architecture. Working within a multi-disciplined team, he worked on some of Newcastle’s most prized assets, such as the Castle Keep. During his time with Architectural Services, he worked on a project to transform a number of the city’s key main primary schools, for which he won national recognition.
Since then, he has been involved in the delivery of Newcastle Helix, a leading site for research and innovation in the heart of Newcastle. Mitchell manages the daily co-ordination between contractors, design teams and clients to ensure the £350 million scheme is a success and achieves its objective to become a 24-acre testbed and collaborative ecosystem for public and private bodies that are unlike anything else in the UK.
Having achieved an ONC, HNC, HND in Construction and the Built Environment at New College Durham and achieving various construction management qualifications, Mitchell is now studying a Quantity Surveying degree part-time at Northumbria University. Mitchell looks to use his knowledge on modern methods of construction and climate change mitigation and adaptation to influence how we approach future large infrastructure projects to ensure sustainability and social values are included wherever possible.
The most prestigious award Mitchell has received to date was in 2015, when he was named the National Apprentice of the Year at the Association of Public Service Excellence awards. This year, Mitchell won the Isaac Berriman Cup for the Best Apprentice of the Year from the Isaac and Alan Berriman Trust, New College Durham’s Overall Apprentice of the Year and Technical & Professional Apprentice of the Year. These accolades came alongside earlier awards – 3rd Year Apprentice of the Year and overall Apprentice of the Year for Newcastle Council 2014.

Nikita Badesha is a Project Manager at Rider Levett Bucknall with experience on Infrastructure and large-scale Logistics schemes such as Very Light Rail, Blythe Valley Park, Peddimore and Mercia Park. Nikita joined the construction industry in 2019 having studied Business at the University of Nottingham. She was Shortlisted for the Young Surveyor of the Year Award 2020 for Project Management and the Constructing Excellence Midlands Future Leader Award 2021.

Nikita is hugely passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion across the construction industry. As a young member of the Construction industry herself, Nikita understands the importance of young people’s voices being acknowledged and understood, but also the difficulties they sometimes face achieving this. Her focus as Chair of G4C Midlands is to provide networking opportunities for the industry’s next generation of leaders where they feel safe and confident meeting new people.

Livvy is a Project Manager at Coreus Group, based in the Exeter office. Her project experience spans across various different sectors, including commercial, conservation and refurbishment, health, public realm, and blue light.

Livvy is proud to be a member of the Generation 4 Change South West committee and is motivated to drive positive change in the industry through attracting young people to work in construction.

As someone who did not take a conventional route into project management, or the construction industry, I am keen to encourage others to consider a career in construction and show young people that it is an exciting and rewarding sector to be part of.