Reflections on 2025: The Year Iconic Came of Age in Construction Project Management

2025 has been a year of profound change for Iconic Project Management – not in a dramatic, headline-grabbing way, but in the sense of a company growing into its next chapter.

We began the year as a construction project management company based in Wokingham, Berkshire; we end it as a more confident, multi-disciplinary group with a clearer purpose, stronger structure, and a clearer understanding of the value we bring to the construction industry in the South-East and across the UK.

Our mission has always been to make construction a space of pride, purpose, and possibility.

This year, that mission shifted from aspiration to action. We strengthened our client partnerships, expanded our work in property development, launched new parts of the business, welcomed new colleagues, and put in place the systems that will sustain us through the next stage of growth.

It has been a year of bringing the business into alignment with what we have always believed it could be.

Evolving into a Multi-Disciplinary Construction Project Management Company

One of the most significant shifts in 2025 was our evolution from a specialist consultancy into a genuinely multi-disciplinary group. For the first time, we began to operate not only as a construction project management consultancy, but as a business with several distinct capabilities working in concert.

Iconic Build Life Ltd, our property development company, got the keys for 36–38 Rose Street in Wokingham and 7 Cross & Pillory Lane in Alton.

Rose Street is approaching completion and will be ready for listing on Boxing Day; Cross & Pillory Lane will enter the construction phase as soon as planning conditions allow.

These projects mark our shift from advising on development to delivering it ourselves.

Meanwhile, Build With Iconic (our management contracting arm) began trading, secured its first projects, achieved SMAS accreditation, and established itself as a credible part of the Iconic group. This new capability strengthens our ability to offer clients a seamless route from strategic advice to delivery on site.

Alongside this, we began exploratory conversations with several businesses whose values and expertise align with our own. These early discussions are the first steps toward selective acquisitions that will enhance our offering and support long-term growth.

Taken together, these developments signal a quiet but fundamental shift: in 2025, Iconic stopped being a single consultancy and began taking shape as a multi-disciplinary group with a broader, more integrated offer.

Professionalising the Business

2025 was also the year we moved decisively from a founder-led model to a function-led structure.

This was not a cosmetic reorganisation; it was a fundamental shift in how we think, operate, and make decisions.

As the business grew, the demands grew with it, and this year brought the clarity that long-term sustainability required clearer roles, stronger processes, and a leadership structure that did not depend on proximity to the founders.

The impact was immediate:

• greater efficiency and headroom,

• faster and more consistent decisions,

• smoother project delivery,

• stronger visibility of risk, capacity, and opportunity.

For the first time, the business felt built to scale, not simply built to cope.

We now have the organisational clarity and resilience required for the company we intend to become.

In short, 2025 was the year we grew up.

Deepening Client Partnerships

A defining feature of 2025 was the deepening of our client relationships.

Our work expanded beyond project delivery into something more strategic: helping organisations think, plan, and develop with greater clarity.

Across aviation, education, hospitality, leisure, and renewable energy, highlights included:

• Bournemouth Airport, where our expanding portfolio continues to support their operational and development strategy

• St Peter’s College, Oxford, where projects like the Pastry School reflect our commitment to education and community-focused development.

• Hospitality and leisure partners, including work for Boparan Restaurant Group (Slim Chickens and Cinnamon Kitchen) and several independent operators.

• A major solar energy rollout across a national hospitality estate – a forward-looking programme demonstrating how environmental responsibility and commercial strategy increasingly align.

Across all these partnerships, the pattern is the same: our role is no longer simply delivering projects. We help shape the strategies that determine what those projects should be.

Investing in People & Strengthening the Team

2025 was a year defined by people. We welcomed Billy, Travis, and Andy who each bring new strengths and increase our collective capacity across the group.

It was also the year Julie stepped fully into a marketing leadership role.

Her work has transformed our visibility, sharpened our messaging, and opened the door to new clients. Good marketing is not decoration; it is direction, and her contribution is already shaping our business.

Our commitment to apprenticeships and early-career development continued, with mentoring, structured support, and genuine responsibility woven into our approach.

Several team members took meaningful steps in their development – not through titles alone, but through capability, confidence, and contribution.

The truth is that the right people in the right roles make everything else possible.

Becoming a Voice in the Industry

2025 was a year in which Iconic became more visible in the wider construction and property community.

Through events with the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce, UK Property Forums, Association for Project Management (APM), and Action Coach, we found ourselves in conversation with business leaders across the region. sharing ideas, learning from others, and bringing fresh thinking back into the company.

This wasn’t networking for its own sake. It changed how we operate.

We adopted new approaches, refined our internal processes, and sharpened our commercial thinking as a direct result of the people we met and the conversations we had.

We also continued our relationship with APM following our award win at the end of 2024. Filming with them to showcase how we work and why was both a privilege and an opportunity to articulate what makes Iconic distinct. The finished piece will be released in March 2026, but the process itself was a moment of reflection and pride for the whole team.

Strengthening Our Social Purpose

Our mission – to make construction a space of pride, purpose, and possibility – found fuller expression this year.

We deepened our engagement with schools, colleges, and young people across Berkshire, attending careers fairs, participating in CV workshops, delivering mock interviews, and offering work experience placements.

These activities aren’t peripheral; they are central to who we are.

Too many young people still struggle to see construction as a viable path. Our work this year helped widen their horizons and show what the industry can be.

Aligning Today With the Five-Year Vision

This year brought welcome clarity on our direction of travel. We made meaningful progress against our five-year plan, not through dramatic leaps, but through the steady discipline of aligning day-to-day operations with the future we are building.

We strengthened our commercial strategy, developed our property pipeline, improved internal communication, and laid the groundwork for the next phase of group expansion. Much of this work sits behind the scenes, but its impact will be felt long after 2025.

We aren’t growing by accident, we’re growing with intention.

Voices of the Team

No reflection on 2025 would be complete without hearing directly from the people who lived it.

The team’s highlights, from complex infrastructure projects to first wins in new ventures, tell a parallel story of confidence growing, skills deepening, and individuals finding their place within a business that is itself evolving.

Taken together, their reflections give texture to the year. They show where our culture is thriving, where pride is rooted, and where our work genuinely makes a difference.

Iconic is not defined by its projects alone, but by the people who deliver them, and their insights remain one of the clearest markers of how far we have come.

Successful completion of the Bournemouth Cargo Stands and associated infrastructure – Mike

A year of new things: new clients, new projects, new opportunities – Darren

Consistently receiving excellent feedback from our clients and stakeholders, and delivering a high-profile solar programme under significant time pressure – both moments that reflected the strength and resilience of the team. – Tabindah

One of my top highlights of 2025 has been seeing how I’ve grown with and collaborated with every Iconic-ian across projects. The people at Iconic bring such energy, support, and creativity, it has truly made this year feel splendid. I’m excited for 2026 and the new opportunities ahead, and I’m looking forward to growing even further together. – Billy

Taking Build With Iconic live ahead of schedule and winning our first projects – Oscar

Joining Iconic – becoming part of a team where I felt welcomed, supported, and able to grow from the very first day. – Travis

These moments, technical, personal, and organisational, are the real story of how 2025 unfolded: a year in which the team’s growth mirrored the company’s, and in which the foundations for our next chapter were laid by the hands and minds of the people who make Iconic what it is.

Closing: Looking Ahead to 2026

The past year has given us clarity: on who we are, what we offer, and where we are going.

In 2026, we will continue expanding our construction project management and property development capabilities across Berkshire and the South-East.

We will strengthen the Iconic group, develop our property pipeline, and deepen our partnerships with clients, stakeholders, and communities.

We will also explore select acquisitions where they enhance our capabilities and bring greater value to the organisations we support.

Most importantly, we will continue building a business our team can be proud of, that lives its purpose every day and offers real pathways for people to grow.

2025 was a year of building foundations. 2026 will be a year of building momentum.

If you’d like to know more about Iconic Project Management Ltd or our development work in Berkshire, please get in touch.

Author

Lizzie Hewitt

Lizzie is the driving force behind Iconic Project Management. She thrives on crafting creative strategies that set the company apart, ensuring every project delivers maximum value for clients.

Her leadership is built on a people-first approach—empowering the team with the right tools, support, and culture to do what they do best: deliver outstanding projects on time, on budget, and on brief.

Passionate about innovation and continuous improvement, Lizzie is committed to making the construction industry a place where people and projects thrive.