Norfolk construction worker wins national award for ‘defying the odds’

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Joanna Szczechowicz, a Buyer for Lovell in East Anglia, has been recognised with a national award for achieving success and shining in the face of adversity.

The annual Institute of Supply Chain Management (IoSCM) Awards were held on Thursday 20th October 2022 at The Copthorne in Newcastle with Joanna beating off strong competition to win the ‘defying the odds’ category.

When Joanna joined Lovell in spring 2021, she had to work from home due to the Covid-19 pandemic, whilst juggling childcare and home learning with training, building vital new relationships for Lovell and dealing with a supply chain crisis.

Tim Young, Regional Procurement Manager at Lovell, said: “Joanna deserves this for all her hard work in the past year, from being a new starter to dealing with a supply chain crisis in construction, caused by Covid/Brexit and now the Ukrainian conflict issues, whilst having to juggle the challenges of a new job, looking after her child, working with the site teams, building relationships with our supply chain remotely and doing her CIPS course. She is an incredible asset to Lovell and has achieved so much, as well as bringing new ideas which are benefitting the business and our supply chain. I am incredibly proud of her.” 

Joanna said: “I am shocked and amazed to win this award. I enjoy the challenges that procurement especially in the construction industry brings. It is the relationships I have built with the supply chain which I am most proud of, so it really is incredible to be recognised externally for my efforts in what has been a really, busy year.”

Lovell is part of the Morgan Sindall Group plc, a leading UK construction and regeneration group.