Hemel Hempstead building site manager secures top industry accolade

A site manager, who is building new homes in Hemel Hempstead, has won a prestigious national awards for his work at a local apartments development.

Chandra Kancham, site manager at Bellway's Apsley Quay, has been named as the winner of a National House-Building Council (NHBC) Pride in the Job Quality award for his 'excellence in site management.'

The 47-year-old has been working as a site manager at Bellway six years ago, has now secured his fifth NHBC award.

Winners of NHBC’s Pride in the Job awards were announced on Friday, June 19, with fewer than 450 site managers out of 11,000 across the UK being honoured with the prestigious industry accolade.

The awards scheme, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, recognises site managers who demonstrate excellence and commitment to producing homes of outstanding quality.

Chandra said: “To win the Pride in the Job award makes me feel that my hard work has paid off and has showed me just how good we work as a team.

“I think to be a successful site manager, you need to be strong, have a clear vision and know what you’re expecting from the build.

"Of course, you need to have good, consistent workmanship and having a great team around me helps with that.

“Over this lockdown period it has been hard because of social distancing, but the main priority is to keep everyone safe and we have had great support from Bellway.”

Over the course of nearly a year, site managers across the UK have been observed and judged by NHBC officials.

The judging process for the Pride in the Job awards takes in a multitude of criteria, including consistency, leadership skills, attention to detail, interpretation, technical skills and health and safety.

Chandra, along with other Quality Award winners, will now be put forward for a Seal of Excellence award.

Rob Sapsford, Construction Director for Bellway North London, said: “Winning an NHBC Pride in the Job award is a huge accomplishment in this industry, and we are very proud of Chandra and his team, as we feel they are truly deserving of this honour.

“It is our mission at Bellway to build high-quality homes which are delivered on time and which withstand the test of time, while also providing exceptional customer service for our buyers, and Chandra exemplifies this commitment to quality.

“His dedication to the job is part of the reason that we’ve consistently retained our five-star status with the Home Builders Federation, based on the fact that more than nine out of ten of our customers say they would recommend Bellway to a friend.

“On behalf of myself and the rest of the team here, we would like to congratulate Chandra and wish him the best of luck in the next stage of judging.”