Cora Managing Director Luke Simmons said he is ‘honoured’ after the business was shortlisted for two prestigious awards.

Luke has been named among the finalists in the Construction Leader of the Year category at this year’s Construction News Awards, while the business as a whole has been named one of two finalists in the Sustainability category at the SME Northamptonshire Business Awards.

Judges from both organisations were impressed by our commitment towards sustainability, which has played a key role in our rebrand to Cora since 2022.

Luke said: “It is an honour to receive such great recognition for our work – we would not be in this position were it not for our team.

“The entire Cora team has been nothing short of incredible in demonstrating the power we have as housebuilders to influence positive change.

“Together we are tackling some of the industry’s greatest challenges, both environmental and social.”

Under Luke’s leadership we have joined the SME Climate Hub, pledging to halve our carbon emissions by 2030 – and signed up to the wider UN Race to Zero.

We also recycled more than 96% of construction waste last year, diverting almost 37 tonnes away from landfill – the equivalent weight of 31 double decker buses. And we planted more than 9,000 trees and shrubs across our sites.

Judges were also impressed by our commitment to designate more than 50% of homes for affordable housing over the next two years.

Luke has more than 30 years’ experience in the industry, having previously worked at a national housebuilder from school leaving age.

Fellow finalists at the Construction News Awards include the directors of some of the biggest names in the housebuilding industry.

He added: “Moving to a smaller business was all about using my experience to make a real impact – and that’s exactly what we are doing at Cora.

“We have received so much positive feedback from our customers and it makes me feel incredibly proud to see the results of all this hard work starting to blossom.

“There is still so much work for us to do and I am very excited about what the future holds.”

The winners of the SME Northamptonshire Business Awards will be announced at a gala evening on June 15, followed by the Construction News Awards in London on July 13.

More information on our environmental credentials can be found in our Sustainability Report.