Mowlem chief executive John Gains was celebrating this week after being knighted in the Queen’s birthday honours list.
Gains, 56, received the citation in recognition of his services to the construction industry. His career with Mowlem stretches back to 1966.

He said: “I’m hugely honoured. I’ve spent all my working life in

this industry, and clearly this demonstrates what’s achievable.

I hope it will encourage people to recognise the value that our industry delivers to the public at large, and encourage young people to join the industry.”

Gains has been on Mowlem’s board since 1992 and

has been chief executive since 1995. He also succeeded

Sir Martin Laing as president of the Construction Confederation in 2000.

UCATT general secretary George Brumwell received a CBE in the list. Brumwell, who has been UCATT general secretary for 12 years, is a health and safety commissioner and sits on the Construction Industry Training Board. He said he was delighted with the award.

Other construction figures to be honoured in the listings included Alan Cherry, chairman of Countryside Properties and the Greenwich Millennium Village, who received a CBE for his services to urban regeneration.

Canary Wharf chief executive George Iacobescu, Charmaine

Young, regeneration director of residential developer St George, and Sandra Hunt, assistant chief executive of the London Borough of Newham, also picked up CBEs for services to regeneration.

Dickon Robinson, director of development and planning at the Peabody Trust, was awarded the CBE

for services to housing. William Doran, managing director of the Construction Employer’s Federation, gained an OBE for his work in the planning sector, and Denis Mabey of the RICS Rating and Local Taxation Policy Panel received the same honour for services to public taxation and valuation. Architect James Eyre, a director at Wilkinson Eyre, the practice Gateshead Millennium Bridge received an OBE for services to architecture.