Haines and Riley lead the way in New Year honours

Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines becomes Sir Andrew Haines in recognition of his services to the transport sector and the economy. He has spent most of his career in the rail industry bar a 10-year stretch as chief executive of the Civil Aviation Authority. He returned to Network Rail as chief executive in 2018.

Gill Riley, co-owner and managing director of mini-crane supplier GGR Group, gets an upgrade from being an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), to which she was appointed in 2013, to a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Gill Riley set up GGR with her brother Graeme to supply vacuum handling attachments for the glazing and cladding sector. They soon diversified into supplying machines to manipulate the attachments by securing European distribution rights for Japanese Unic mini cranes and have since built up a £35m turnover business.

Also becoming a CBE is Sharon Smyth, chief executive of construction procurement delivery within the Northern Ireland Civil Service, who is recognised for services to procurement.

New Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBEs) including Sandy Adam, chair of Springfield Properties, for services to the construction industry in Scotland. Sandy Adam is the grandson of the founder of Springfield and has worked for the company since the 1980s, leading its transition from a market garden business into a house-builder in 1988. He has been chairman of the company since 2004 and overseen acquisitions of Redrow’s Scottish operations, Dawn Homes, Walker Group, Tulloch Homes and Mactaggart & Mickel in 2022.

There are also OBEs for:

• Peter Clegg, senior partner of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, for services to architecture.
• Amos Simbo, founder and owner of inclusion consultancy BPIC Network Ltd, for services to the construction industry and to diversity. BPIC stands for Black Professionals In Construction.
• Wei Yang, chief executive and co-founder of social enterprise Digital Task Force for Planning and chair of Construction Industry Council, for services to the town planning industry. She also has her own town planning practice in London, Wei Yang & Partners. Dr Yang was president of the Royal Town Planning Institute in 2021 and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Highway & Transportation.
• Sally Fenton, lately head of the built environment innovation team within the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero, for services to net zero innovation.

MBEs (Member of the Order of the British Empire) have been awarded to Aman Sharma, chief executive of London-based fire engineering consultancy Totus Digital, for services to building and fire safety, and to Sally Strachey, founder and technical lead of Somerset-based Sally Strachey Historic Conservation, for services to the repair and conservation of heritage buildings.

Last but by no means least, Paul Caddick, founder of civil engineering contractor Caddick Group, is recognised with an MBE but not for his achievements in the construction and property industry but for services to sport, as owner of Leeds Rhinos rugby league club.