Screwfix Top Tradesperson 2025 gives his verdict on Scotland's Construction Summit

I'm a builder based in Motherwell and joined the FMB this January. In the spring I decided to put myself forward as a candidate to join the FMB Scotland Board. I was both surprised and delighted to be voted on by fellow members when the results were announced at the Scotland AGM in June.

Running a small, local building company means it can be tough to take the time away from the tools and the business. It’s really important to do this though and very valuable. I was too new a member to enter the 2025 Master Builder Awards, but I came along to the Scotland Awards ceremony in Edinburgh. I was curious to find out what other members build and find some inspiration from the winners. Mission accomplished!

Construction Summit in Glasgow

The FMB’s Scotland Director, Gordon Nelson negotiated a discount for FMB members to attend Scotland’s Construction Summit in Glasgow. This took place in Glasgow on 17 September — and I chose to attend, with the FMB discount keeping my accountant happy.

There was a lot to take in from some big names from the UK Construction industry, include Mark Farmer. The likes of the CITB were there and whilst most attending were from big construction firms, I learned a lot about the challenges and opportunities which impact every size of business- including small businesses like mine and yours as fellow members.

The four themes were the commercial model, recruitment and retention, sustainability, and digitalisation. Now in my 13 years in the trades, plus what I’ve heard from other members on FMB’s Scotland Board — the number one problem for our industry is finding and keeping good tradespeople with the right attitude.

Now the summit may not have been for every FMB member - but it’s the sort of thing I’d expect the FMB to be involved in and speak out at. Gordon spoke with various delegates and introduced me to a few. He chaired one of the sessions and told me he made lots of notes during the day - so if you want to find out more about what was discussed, give him a call. I got a lot out of the event — and yes it was good to get away from the daily routine too.

A personal triumph

On the same day of the Master Builder Awards finals in Manchester, I was in Farnborough for the Screwfix Top Tradesperson 2025 finals. I was hoping that one or more Scotland members would win in Manchester, so I was delighted to read Gordon’s WhatsApp message confirming three from Scotland had won. 26 September was a good day for me too — as I won at the Screwfix finals!

This is still sinking in, but the win gives me a platform to help promote what the FMB and fellow members are all about.

 

Authors

Gordon Nelson

FMB Scotland Hub Director, Federation of Master Builders

Director, Federation of Master Builders Scotland

Gordon has nearly twenty years’ experience of working in membership organisations in Scotland and joined the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) in 2014. Prior to this, he worked at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and for Unilever in business development, membership management and business-to-business marketing roles. Amongst his responsibilities in his role as the Director for FMB Scotland are public affairs, media relations, governance and representing member’s interests to Scottish policy makers and stakeholders within the Scottish construction industry. Gordon is the Secretary of the Cross-Party Group on Construction in the Scottish Parliament, and he is a member of the Scottish Building Standards Futures Board. Gordon represents the FMB on Scotland’s Construction Industry Collective Voice: which is comprised of the leading construction trade and professional bodies. In spring 2023 Gordon was appointed as an industry co-chair of the Construction Leaderships Forum’s (CLF) Transformation Board.

Read lessmore