THE AWARD JUDGES

D&Ri will once again be appointing an independent judging committee to assess the competition entries. Judges will be chosen to provide a diverse range of work experience as well as extensive knowledge of the demolition industry.

Those who have confirmed their acceptance to date are:

Howard Button,
Chief executive, National Federation of Demolition Contractors
Howard Button is, perhaps, the best-known and most influential and respected figure in the UK demolition industry today.

A second-generation demolition man with some 30 years on-site experience under his belt, Button has dedicated his entire working life to promoting a greater public awareness of the demolition sector, and to improving the working conditions and safety of everyone associated with his beloved business sector.

Button’s dedication has earned him a well-deserved position among the industry’s elite and he has held senior roles with all of the major demolition trade organisations including:
President of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors /President of the Institute of Demolition Engineers and President of the European Demolition Association.

More recently, Button was named chief executive officer of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors, and has overseen the Federation’s move from its former premises in Staines to a new headquarters with purpose-built training facilities that are operated by the National Demolition Training Group of which Button is also chief executive.

John Woodward,
Vice President, Institute of Demolition Engineers & Consultants for C&D Consultancy, UK
John Woodward currently acts as a consultant to the demolition industry through his company C & D Consultancy, which he established in May 2005 following a career spent in the industry, latterly  with Loxley Dismantling Ltd., an NFDC demolition company.Today he is currently vice president of the UK’s Institute of Demolition Engineers and speaks frequently at industry –related conferences and events.

Walter Werner,
President, German Demolition Association
In 1970 after studying business administration, Walter Werner joined the family demolition company, specialising in demolition by explosives. He eventually became a forensic expert in demolition blasting and served as president of the German Blasters Association for sixteen years, from 1981until 1997. He helped found the European Federation of Explosives Engineers in 1988 and was president of the EDA from 1996 to 1999. Since 2006 has been president of the German Demolition Association.

Henrik Bonnesen,
Environmental Manager, COWI
Mr. Bonnesen is a certified and experienced auditor as well as site inspector and has been EHS Manager on several projects concer­ning planning, design and supervision of projects regarding major construction sites, in­dustry and buildings. Mr. Bonnesen has been heavily involved in developing of audit system and training of staff for the Danish Demolition Association.

William Moore,
Vice-President, Brandenburg Industrial Service Co.
Bill graduated from Indiana State University with a Bachelors Degree in Environmental Safety and Safety Management.  After graduating, he worked for several insurance companies as a construction safety specialist.

Bill has been with Brandenburg for 25 years in a variety of job positions including Safety Director, Risk Manager and Marketing Director.  He was also the President of the National Demolition Association from 2003-2005.

Dan Costello, President, Costello Dismantling Co. Inc
Dan Costello is President and owner of Costello Dismantling Co., Inc. Costello is celebrating their 25th anniversary of serving the demolition, dismantling, and recycling needs of clients throughout the New England region of the US. Dan is a past member of the NDA Board of Directors, and currently serves on the NDA Environmental Committee. He is also a current member of the CMRA (Construction Materials Recycling Association) Board of Directors and serves as Chairman of the Materials Specification Committee.

Giuseppe Panseri, EDA President & Despe S.p.A.
After earning a diploma in land surveying at Alpini Officers' School, Aosta, Giuseppe started working at the age of 14 in the family firm, Scavi Bergamo. In 1975 he took the helm of the company and turned it into a demolition contractor, renaming it Despe, with early operations involving concrete buildings. In 1978 Giuseppe came back from Japan with the idea of building the first Japanese-type hydraulic crushers in Italy.

In 1987, Despe became the first Italian company to join the European Demolition Association. Throughout the 1990s, Despe patented technologies that are still unparalleled today, such as the work platform for chimneys, and the fly demolition and boiler lowering systems.

The company’s major demolition projects include: Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan (1985); Stadio Olimpico, Rome (1988); fly tower, Teatro alla Scala, Milan; the highest chimney in Italy (250 m), Tavazzano/Lodi, and the Military Arsenal for the preparation of the G8 Summit, La Maddalena/Olbia (2008) Currently Giuseppe is the Chairman of Despe S.r.l.

Pilar de la Cruz Romero, EDA Vice President

Pilar de la Cruz Romero, Vice President of the EDA International Committee, is a Mining Engineer who started her career in demolition in 1992, right after graduation at the Madrid Engineering School in Spain.

Since the mid 90’s Pilar has been active in the Spanish and in the European Demolition Association both at organisational level as well as a speaker. Ms de la Cruz is one of the European leading specialists in explosive demolition. She also teaches the TEDAX (Technical Experts in Explosive Deactivation) of the Spanish National Police and Guardia Civil and the EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) of the Spanish Army in the use of explosives in demolition.

If you would like to be considered as a judge, then please contact:

Lindsay Gale, Editor, D&Ri
E-mail: lindsay.gale@khl.com
Tel: +44 (0)1892 786210