Thom Macleod, managing director of Compass Building & Construction Services and Orbis Services Limited, was presented with the Industry Excellence Award at the Highland Construction and Property Dinner.

The annual event is organised by the Scottish Building Federation, the Chartered Institute of Builders (CIOB) and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). It raised more than £21,000 for charity, bringing the total donated since the dinner began in 2012 to more than £150,000.

The organising committee said of Thom receiving this year’s Industry Excellence Award: “Thom’s contribution to the construction industry is widely recognised and we were delighted to acknowledge his achievements at this year’s dinner.”

Thom added: “I am deeply honoured to receive this award from the industry. It is recognition of the hard-working and dedicated team at Compass who continually deliver exceptional products and value for the people of the Highlands and Islands.

“I am proud of what we achieve in this area and in the way we do it, by training and developing our own workforce and putting people at the forefront of our goals.”

Originally from Gairloch, Thom left school aged 16 and began his career in the construction industry as a building technician with Tulloch Construction in 1990.

He remained with Tulloch (latterly Rok) for 18 years, rising from technician to site manager and then contracts manager and construction manager. He became a director in the business in 2000 at the age of 26.

During his time with Tulloch, Thom trained in all disciplines of the construction industry, specialising in the operational and technical delivery aspects of the construction division.

In March 2009, he was one of the founders of Compass Building, which has since grown to have a consolidated turnover of £50 million and now directly employs 170 staff.

In 2019, sister firm Orbis Services Limited was established, specialising in the main building services disciplines. The company has built up a wide-ranging portfolio of clients, projects and expertise across all types of construction, ranging from minor maintenance and insurance works to major new build construction projects.

In particular, the group has found a niche specialism in discreetly servicing the needs of many of the high-net-worth population who have established a base in the Highlands. It has also developed a reputation for building affordable homes across many sites in the region.

Compass completed its first affordable home in Stornoway in 2010/11 and reached the 1,000 milestone in August this year.

Thom is a keen supporter of skills development particularly through apprenticeships and life-long learning. This helped Compass to be recognised nationally when it became CITB SME Construction Apprentice Employer of the year in 2018/19. Thom is married to Ruth and they have a son, Daniel and daughter, Arriann, and two grandchildren.