L-R: Claire McCollum, host, Stephen Melton, NAPIT (head sponsor), Brian Cunning and Adrian Logan.
WINNER: Lifetime Achievement Award BRIAN CUNNING, DOWDS GROUP KINDLY SPONSORED BY: NAPIT
Brian Cunning has played an integral role in shaping Dowds’ legacy across projects, people, culture and values. A director for the leading building and engineering contractor, Brian always puts his team first and has brought humility and integrity to the role. A natural mentor shaping the careers of countless colleagues, he is described as genuine, young at heart and quick witted. Brian’s impressive resume in the electrical industry dates back to 1978, when he started out as an electrical apprentice alongside his father and brother. He soon progressed into a foreman role and, by the mid- 1980s, had joined Cogan & Shackleton in Coleraine as a design engineer. Moving to JBE M&E in Ballymena in the late 1980s, he was promoted to contracts director in 1992 and worked across the education, healthcare, industrial, commercial, retail and fit-out sectors. Notable contracts included a project director role at the £91m Odyssey, Belfast’s largest-ever civil engineering project, which involved installation of over 30 miles of cable tray and the UK’s first use of the Honeywell integrated management system. Brian joined Dowds, then known as JF&H Dowds, in 2002
and was promoted to contracts director in 2004. He was instrumental in securing major healthcare, educational and industrial projects throughout Northern Ireland including a £20m upgrade programme across Ulster University’s four campuses. Brian played a key role in Dowds’ first large-scale commission in GB, at the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge, as well as a lucrative partnership with Finnebrogue Artisan spanning multiple cutting-edge sites in Downpatrick. A keen hiker, Brian marked Dowds’ 40th anniversary in 2018 by completing Everest Base Camp and, in 2022, he officially launched its Energy Solutions offering from the top of Mont Blanc. Most recently Brian was appointed to his current role as Group Director of Innovation and Strategic Initiatives in 2025. Leading with calm determination, technical expertise and vision which earns the respect and trust of everyone he works with, Brian is a worthy recipient of this award.
T: +44 (0)28 2766 2789 E: info@dowdsgroup.com www.dowdsgroup.com
26 | IRELAND’S ELECTRICAL MAGAZINE
FOLLOW US ON:
www.elecmagazine.com
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online