13 February 2013

Costain Manager, James Bulleid has capped a remarkable year by winning the New Engineering Foundation (NEF) Innovator of the Year Award.

The Innovation Awards were presented at the NEF’s annual ‘Innovisions’ conference at the Institute of Directors in London. They were established last year to recognise and celebrate the best in UK innovation. 

Winners of the eight categories were decided by a panel of industry experts, opinion-formers and leaders including the award sponsors EMC, BASF and National Grid.

“The winners were chosen due to their clarity of intended purpose, uniqueness of approach, potential impact, and whether they stimulated and galvanised others,” said Professor Sa’ad Medhat, CEO of the NEF.  “The winners will contribute to a culture of innovation which will help promote sustainable growth in the UK.”

James joined Costain as a Graduate Engineer. The main factor behind his accolade was recognition of an overall mindset towards innovation and technology-led solutions.

“The NEF was interested in how I transferred a series of technical solutions into a construction environment, bringing together two industries that don’t often merge,” he commented.

He was put forward for the award by Group Innovation Manager, Tim Embley. It was the latest in a series of prizes in 2012, including Trainee of the Year at the Company’s Achieving Excellence Awards, one of the Sir Albert Costain Memorial Awards, as well as Construction News’s Rising Star of the Year Award.  He also achieved Chartered status in civil engineering.

He is currently Mobilisation Manager for a highway technology maintenance contract. His role also includes strategy and business development for Costain’s Highways sector.

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