‘She’s helping to change the whole industry – and is exercising leadership and demonstrating initiative with a knowledge and maturity beyond her years’.

We are thrilled and incredibly proud that Ellen Willis, a Part 1 assistant with our sustainability experts Thrive, was announced last week as a winner of the inaugural AJ100 New Talent Award at the AJ100 Awards. The award recognises Ellen’s exceptional contribution to driving sustainability within the construction sector.

The judges’ comments and AJ’s summary about Ellen say it all:

“Willis has been instrumental in advancing sustainability within Chetwoods since she joined in 2022, and across the wider industry. Her expertise in materials research, the circular economy, embodied carbon and WELL AP certification has contributed to promoting sustainable and regenerative design.

Her work includes facilitating collaborative Material Matters workshops, created to share expertise and experience across the construction industry. Willis has delivered these workshops to more than 500 stakeholders, including colleagues, architects, developers, planners, artists and students – and showcased them at prominent events.

To Willis, architecture is ‘a vehicle for change,’ she explains. ‘There are so many things we just take for granted as “being the way they are”, and this is where the architect in me likes to interrogate things.’

Not only in her role at Chetwoods, but also in her own time, Willis has actively engaged in events such as hosting the UKGBC Climate Resilience Collaboration Café and project managing and running an Enabling Structural Timber in Logistics event. She has been invited to judge the RIBA Regional West Midlands Awards as the sustainability expert.

Within Chetwoods, Willis plays a vital role in supporting project teams by providing sustainability input during meetings and conducting workshops to enhance design processes. She works at UK and European level where she collaborates with key clients to integrate sustainability principles into their developments. She further promotes sustainability with her weekly Materials Mondays posts across social media.”

‘Ellen is approachable and pragmatic,’ said the judges. ‘She is ably communicating with different audiences, exploring solutions and reinventing what a Part 1 role can look like.’

Comments from Emily Booth & Rob Wilson AJ

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