William George Robertson, founder and executive chairman of Robertson Group, is to be knighted “for services to the construction industry and to charity in Scotland”.
Bill Robertson left school at 16 and founded Robertson in Elgin in 1966 when he was 21. He remains active in the business today. A past president of the Scottish Builders Federation, he is already a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in recognition of his services to UK construction.
Sir Bill said: “I am thrilled, but deeply humbled and honoured, to be included in the 2023 New Year Honours List. This recognition is beyond anything I could have imagined when I founded, what has become, Robertson Group in my hometown of Elgin in 1966. I am proud that we retain a strong presence there and continue to play an active role in the local business community.
“The charity work that I undertake has always been about giving back to those who need support and is usually done quietly and under the radar, so I am deeply touched to be recognised for my contribution to charity as well as the construction industry.”
Joining the ranks of CBEs in the New Year Honours for services to the construction industry is Professor David Mosey, lately director of the Centre of Construction Law & Dispute Resolution at the Dickson Poon School of Law, King's College London.
Andy Hill, founder and group chief executive of house-builder The Hill Group, has been awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for services to affordable housing.
Also getting an OBE is former Crossrail chief executive Mark Wild, who is now chief executive of gas distribution company Scotia Gas Networks (SGN). He is recognised for services to public transport.
Robert Geoffrey Oliver, chief executive of the Construction Equipment Association (CEA) from its formation in 2001 to October 2021, becomes a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) “for services to the construction equipment manufacturing sector”. Rob Oliver also ran the CEA’s predecessor organisation, the Federation of Manufacturers of Construction Equipment & Cranes (FMCEC), before it morphed into the CEA.
As an MBE he joins his wife, Joanne Oliver, who was recognised in 2011 for her work organising the CEA’s presence at international trade shows.
While Rob Oliver’s MBE is specifically for his work with the CEA, he also runs – or has run – several other trades associations through his business, Administrations Services Ltd, including the Fencing Contractors Association and the Perimeter Security Suppliers Association.
Other MBEs in the New Year Honours included Terry Stocks, director of project management firm Faithful & Gould, “for services to construction innovation”. He has been described as one of the UK’s leading experts on building information modelling (BIM) and before joining Faithful & Gould in 2015 was delivery director of the government’s BIM task force, responsible for rolling out BIM Level 2 across government departments.
Janet Wigglesworth, personal assistant to the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers chief executive Ruth Carter, gets a British Empire Medal (BEM) “for services to business”.
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