Last Friday night, in the heart of London and in front of 700 people, Braidwater’s Brian O’Kane and onsite team were acknowledged as Northern Ireland’s top performing site team for a medium sized builder at the NHBC UK Supreme Awards.

Pictured at the NHBC Supreme Awards in London last Friday is the guest of honour, Brian O’Kane (front right) and his wife Mary (centre) and daughter Lauren (front left). Also included (L-r): Joe McGinnis, Ryan Boyle, Mike Stansfield, Vincent Bradley, Finbarr Grogan, Dermot Mullan and Owen Mullan.

Last November, Brian O’Kane scooped the 2019 NHBC Regional Award for a medium-sized builder (up to 1000 units per annum) and was recognised as the best site foreman in Northern Ireland, collecting the NHBC Quality and Seal of Excellence awards and Regional Award.

Ryan Boyle, chief operating officer for the Braidwater Group, was keen to point out the level of achievement: ‘’After winning the NHBC regional award for a medium sized builder last November, Brian was representing Braidwater and the rest of Northern Ireland in what was a hotly contested category including regional winners from throughout the UK. It wasn’t to be on the night but Brian and the team onsite did the Group proud, achieving top marks for the first class management, consistency and quality of the Birch Hill site.

‘’On behalf of the Braidwater Group, we thank Brian and all of the team, suppliers and subcontractors for pushing Birch Hill to the forefront of quality and consistency, throughout the UK.’’

For Brian O’Kane, 2019 brought his second consecutive quality award in recognition of his excellent onsite management at the Birch Hill development in Derry; first Seal of Excellence Award and first Regional Award. 

The Pride in the Job Awards are one of the most highly regarded accolades in the housebuilding industry. They celebrate the exceptional contribution site managers make in creating homes of outstanding quality, with the NHBC judges selecting the winners. Judging for the Awards is rigorous, beginning in July, with each site manager assessed across these six key areas: consistency, attention to detail, leadership, interpretation of drawings and specifications, technical expertise and health and safety.

NHBC regional director, Padraig Venney, added: “Pride in the Job plays a pivotal role in our drive to give consumers confidence in the quality of new build homes. We thank everyone who has supported the awards throughout the year and we congratulate all of the individuals who were recognised at each stage of the competition.”