Two Ascot site managers say their focus on quality and teamwork is what led to their being named among the very best in their industry.
Jacob Slade and Martin Cooper oversee construction at Taylor Wimpey’s Heatherwood Royal development. This month they both received Pride in the Job Seal of Excellence Awards from the National House-Building Council (NHBC). Jacob was also named as the best site manager in the Central region within the multi-storey category.
Pride in the Job celebrates site managers’ dedication to raising standards, showcasing best practice and rewarding excellence. Judging is rigorous, with thousands of assessments taking place across 7,500 sites. The scheme has four tiers: the Quality Award, the Seal of Excellence, the Regional Award and, finally, the Supreme Award.
Only 450 people were selected as Quality Award winners this year – with 47 of those working for Taylor Wimpey – and only the very best are then awarded the Seal of Excellence and Regional Awards.
For Martin the award is a continuation of a run of success in the competition. This year marks his fourth Quality Award and his third Seal of Excellence. But for Jacob, this is his first Pride in the Job win, making his Regional Award all the more impressive.
Jacob admits he was not expecting to win the Seal of Excellence and was in the process of messaging his partner to tell her the good news when his name was called for the Regional Award.
“I was in utter shock,” he said. “It still hasn’t really sunk in.”
Jacob came to Taylor Wimpey from a sporting background, seeking a career where he could develop quickly. He started as a Trainee Assistant Site manager in 2016, and within four years had been promoted to Site Manager.
He said: “The project management side of things really appealed to me – working with people and moving things forward. I really wanted to forge a career, and coming from a sporting background, the teamwork aspect of it really appealed.”
Jacob gives a lot of the credit for his success to his team and contractors, but also to his fellow award winner Martin, with whom he works closely at Heatherwood Royal.
“Martin has 100% made me a better site manager,” he said. “Seeing the quality in his work has really inspired me to reach those levels.”
As a seasoned Pride in the Job winner, Martin knows exactly what it takes to maintain high standards.
He said: “When you’ve been doing the job as long as I have, you know what’s important and it’s just a matter of maintaining it. I work hard to instill that in my team, and I think that comes across to our customers. We often get people asking about the award, and it means a lot to them to know that their home is top quality.”
Cassandra Codling, Senior Regional Director at NHBC said: “Congratulations to Jacob and Martin on their win. They have demonstrated incredible dedication, passion, commitment and leadership to produce homes of exceptional quality.
“The Pride in the Job competition is at the heart of NHBC’s core purpose to raise standards in house building. It inspires site managers to make their mark on the industry, earning the respect of their peers and leaving a legacy of homes built to the highest quality standards.”
Jacob and Martin are among five Quality Award winners from Taylor Wimpey West London. Ioan Martin was recognised for his work at Arborfield Heights in Arborfield, Karl Von Gordon for Willow Green in Bracknell and Tristan Bareford for Mindenhurst in Deepcut.
Jacob will now go forward to compete for the ultimate prize in house building, the national Pride in the Job Supreme Awards, which will be unveiled at a gala ceremony in London in January 2027.
Taylor Wimpey is an industry leader in build quality and has been awarded a 5-star rating for customer satisfaction from the Home Builders Federation (HBF). Find out more at https://www.taylorwimpey.co.uk/why-choose-us/our-quality-assurance
For more information about the homes at Heatherwood Royal, visit www.taylorwimpey.co.uk/new-homes/ascot/heatherwood-royal.
