Winchester: Lakesmere Group receives Queen’s Award for Enterprise
Specialist construction company the Lakesmere Group, which has its head office in Winchester, has won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise – the UK’s highest accolade for business success.
Lakesmere has received the award for business excellence and international trade in recognition of its outstanding business performance in the overseas construction market, which has resulted in exports rising as a percentage of turnover from 1% to 30%.
Mark Davey, Lakesmere Group’s chief executive officer, commented: “I am so pleased and honoured that we have won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise. This is fantastic recognition for all our people who have put in so much hard work, innovation and teamwork to make the business so successful. I cannot be more proud of this achievement. Thank you to our loyal clients and supply chain partners who have also made this success possible.”
Founded in 1993, Lakesmere is one of the UK’s largest and most successful specialist contractors, employing around 900 people across the group with current turnover in excess of £100 million. The company’s impressive portfolio of projects includes the London Aquatics Centre and Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower.
After establishing a dedicated international division in 2009, Lakesmere has worked on a number of high-profile contracts, particularly in the Middle East and Asia markets. Lakesmere is currently completing the company’s largest-ever contract to date, a US$100m roofing contract for the King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. There, the Lakesmere team is engineering, manufacturing and installing some 350,000m2 of aluminium standing seam roofing, making it the world’s largest single roofing project.
The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are presented annually by HM The Queen and are only given for the highest levels of excellence demonstrated across the three categories of international trade, innovation and sustainable development. Winners will also be invited to attend a special reception at Buckingham Palace later in the year.
