Below are the list of recipients of this year’s AGS Awards. We would like to thank all Working Group participants for their hard work over the last year in raising standards across the industry and increasing the profile of the AGS on the whole.

AGS Safety WG Award
Madeleine Bardsley
Madeleine has been a stalwart of the SWG for a number of years and her experience and knowledge of working on contamination sites has been invaluable in producing and reviewing a wide range of publications and guidance documents. Madeleine is a regular attendee at our quarterly meetings and is always keen to be fully involved in the lively and frank discussions.

AGS Safety WG Award
Steve Everton
Steve is a very active member of the SWG and has been a committee member for several years. Steve has been recently involved in providing further input into the updated asbestos risk assessment working in collaboration with the CLWG. Lately, Steve has been instrumental in our current view of the safety of trial pitting from a working at height perspective and is currently working on analysing the questionnaire shared throughout our industry with future magazine articles. Steve also delivered a thought provoking presentation at the recent “Safety in Mind” conference on the subject of trial pitting.

AGS Safety WG Commendation
Roseanna Bloxham
Rosey is a relatively new member of the SWG committee, but has quickly established herself as a key member of the team. Rosey has contributed and worked on new and current safety guidance. Notably, Rosey delivered an excellent workshop using Lego at the recent “Safety in Mind” conference with a follow-up article in the recent e-magazine.

AGS Business Practice WG Award
David Hutchinson
Although David is the newest member of the Business Practice Working Group, joining in 2019, he has already proved to be a very valuable member of the team. He has been prolific in providing analysis key to the endeavours of the group and has produced several documents in a very timely manner for review and publishing. We thank him very much for his continued willing and cheerful assistance to the AGS overall and to the Business Practice Working Group in particular.

AGS Business Practice WG Award
Neil Parry
It goes without saying that Neil, as Past Chair and a long-standing AGS contributor, has provided a great deal of value to the Association over the years and his dedication to the AGS cause has been consistent and diligent since 2007. Neil has previously led the Business Practice Working Group and remains an active member, contributing greatly to AGS governance and marketing and providing valuable insight at meetings.

AGS Business Practice WG Commendation
Ken Marsh
For unfailing support and diligence in participation to Business Practice activities for many years in addition to his responsibilities as AGS Treasurer. Ken has provided invaluable advice and input to the strategy of the AGS through Business Practice contribution.

AGS Loss Prevention WG Award
Jo Strange
This is to reflect Jo’s long standing and active contribution to the LPWG over more than 10 years. Jo has been involved in the research and preparation of the Loss Prevention Guidance, Newsletter articles and some Loss Prevention Alerts. Jo has always been generous with her time and always helpful in reviewing and commenting upon many and various documents published by the LPWG. Her comments are always kind, useful and improve the advice. In particular, Jo was a great Chair of the Loss Prevention conference earlier this year and is repeating her contribution in Manchester this coming January. On the basis of all of this contribution, I would very much like to recognise Jo’s significant contribution to the LPWG with an AGS Award.

AGS Data Management WG Award
Roger Chandler
Roger Chandler joined the AGS Data Management Group in 1999. The group has proposed him for this Award in recognition of his tireless work on behalf of the AGS at conferences and elsewhere in promoting use of the AGS ‘Electronic Transfer of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Data’ format (data transfer format).

Over the last 20 years he also has been very active in promoting the AGS Format throughout the world, including Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong, but especially in the USA. In 2005, Roger was invited to join a group there which was tasked with creating a global geotechnical data exchange format. Their plan was to use AGS 3.1 as the basis for their XML format. Whilst DIGGSml now has a good following in the United States, the UK was unable to make a workable version for its users and in 2010 our paths diverged and AGS 4.0 was created. Roger has maintained his ties to the US project and gives us regular updates on its development.

In his new role as Director Geotechnical Information Management at Bentley Systems, he is no longer able to attend all our meetings, but we still hope to see him occasionally.

AGS Executive Award
Vivien Dent
Viv has led the Contaminated Land Working Group with vigour and enthusiasm and has always been an active member of the Executive Committee. Viv has been instrumental in helping the AGS to develop and deliver extremely high standard conferences and has persuaded high level speakers to be involved. She has also continually encouraged her working group to produce interesting and informative articles for the AGS Magazine helping to keep the members aware of the working group activities, issues and hot topics. She is a great ambassador for the AGS and clearly enjoys her work and long may this continue.