The 2025 Honours List has seen various industry figures being awarded different honours as the industry finds its footing for the new year
Six industry figures have been awarded honours for services to construction and project delivery.
The list comes at the end of a turbulent year for the construction industry, recognising the strength in the industry and giving credit where it is due.
The construction honours have been awarded to the following individuals:
Dr Paul Chapman, OBE
Dr Chapman has been is a senior fellow in operations management at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. He was also formerly the VP of the Association for Project Management.
It is for Services to Project Delivery that Dr Chapman has been awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Dr Chapman has served a 30-year long career in the industry, working as a researcher, as well as an academic and governmental advisor for project management.
Asked to comment on the award, Dr Chapman said: “There was a genuine sense of ‘wow’. I was surprised but delighted. It all feels very grand.
“I have always been motivated by getting things done. There is an element of that in my role, but I also work with a lot of like-minded individuals who always want to get things done, and to do it better. They have definitely inspired me.
“Thirty years ago, there wasn’t a project profession to speak of. Now there is – one that has its own standards and a chartered professional body in APM. That has been instrumental in raising awareness for project delivery. I’m honoured to receive this OBE and I hope it adds to that recognition for the profession.”
Sharon Smyth, OBE
Sharon Smyth works as chief executive for Construction and Procurement Delivery in the Northern Irish Civil Service, Department of Finance.
She has been awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire for her services to procurement.
In late 2024, she took part in a report on public procurement in Northern Ireland, highlighting issues and suggesting solutions for the system in the country, and has worked tirelessly to improve procurement for years.
Alexander William Adam, OBE
Adam has been awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire for Services to the Construction Industry in Scotland.
Adam serves as part-time executive chairman for the Springfield Group, having taken the company and transformed it into a housebuilding business since 1988. He became chairman in 2004, and has since focused on affordable housing, expanded from Moray in 2010, acquired Redrow’s Scottish assets in 2011, listed Springfield on AIM in 2017, acquired Dawn Homes in 2018, the Walker Group in 2019, Tulloch Homes in 2021, and Mactaggart and Mickel in 2022.
He has also served as chairman for Homes for Scotland in 2014-2015.
Amos Simbo, OBE
Simbo has been awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire for Services to the Construction Industry and to Diversity.
Simbo is the founder of Black Professionals in Construction (BPIC), a network dedicated to improving inclusion in the built environment, as well as operating as a consultancy.
The services of the network include talent acquisition, career advancement, inclusion guidance, social value, and curated networking events, through teams of experts for each field.
Dr Wei Yang, OBE
Dr Yang has been awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire for her Services to the Town Planning Industry, acting as CEO and co-founder of Digital Task Force for Planning, and chair of the Construction Industry Council.
Dr Yang is a proponent for nature-based solutions for climate change in town planning, being awarded Net Zero Hero in 2022 and having a vast amount of experience in large-scale regeneration projects and low-carbon planning projects.
She also served as president of the Royal Town Planning Institute in 2021, and is an independent trustee of the Landscape Institute
Andrew Haines, OBE
Haines, CEO of Network Rail, has been awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire for Services to the Transport Sector and the Economy.
Haines joined Network Rail in 2018, bringing about a critical refocus of the company to passengers and freight users. Since then, 14 new routes have been established along with five new regions, devolving into a more responsive system for operators and passengers alike.
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