AG employee Catherine Campbell wins top prize at Innovate UK Awards

A Northern Ireland sustainability and quality engineer from Acheson + Glover (AG) has won a top UK award.

Catherine Campbell, who has worked with the specialist building products’ firm as a knowledge transfer partnership associate graduate for three years won the prestigious Future Leader title at the Innovate UK KYT Awards ceremony held in Liverpool.

Catherine from Londonderry was one of 20 other finalists across the UK.

AG, which has manufacturing locations in Fivemiletown, Dungannon, Toome, Ballygawley and Carryduff, has one of the lowest carbon footprints in the industry and is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its operations to an absolute minimum.

Recently appointed to a full-time role, Catherine was tasked with helping to drive the firm’s sustainability agenda through the introduction of new processes and innovative products.

She supported technical manager, Michael Davies in creating Fiamma, the most technologically advanced product produced by AG to date, engineered to replicate the surface of natural flamed granite and to provide high levels of slip resistance. The flagstones are made using AG’s factory applied surface protection technology, delivering a more environmentally friendly product.

Civil engineering graduate Catherine embarked on the knowledge transfer programme after completing her master’s degree in Environmental Engineering at Queens University Belfast.

She said: “I am delighted to have won the ‘Future Leader’ award which recognises the hard work we have been doing at AG and Queens university to drive sustainability in construction.

“I have always championed sustainable practices, even joining an environmental club when I was nine, so this is a fantastic personal achievement. It has been a privilege to be involved in creating pioneering products that are transforming the construction industry. I have now joined the team on a permanent basis and look forward to continuing the work we have started as we seek to push the boundaries of innovation.”

The Future Leader award is given to associates who have shown “exceptional skills in driving and delivering innovation strategy, demonstrating great teamwork and outstanding leadership potential”.AG CEO Stephen Acheson, added: “Catherine’s win is testament to her hard work and dedication to introducing more sustainable practices into the construction industry. She is a champion of innovation, and we are delighted to have her.”