SELECT honours Alan Wilson with a lifetime award
Former SELECT managing director Alan Wilson has received the trade association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of more than 40 years of work across Scotland’s construction sector.
The award follows Wilson’s retirement in August after 12 years with SELECT, including seven years as managing director. His career has centred on issues that matter directly to contractors, including payment, regulation, standards, apprenticeships and industry representation.
Founded in 1900 and based at Bush Estate in Midlothian, SELECT is Scotland’s largest construction trade association. It represents around 1,200 member businesses in the electrical contracting industry and trains more than 3,000 electricians each year.
For many smaller contracting firms, trade bodies play an important role in giving businesses a collective voice on policy and regulation. Individual firms often have limited time to engage directly with government on issues such as payment terms, training standards and workforce development. SELECT’s role is to bring those concerns together and represent them at industry and policy level.
A career shaped by standards, payment and skills
Wilson’s period as managing director included one of the most difficult stretches the Scottish construction business sector has faced in recent years. During the COVID pandemic, he helped bring industry organisations together through the Construction Industry Coronavirus Forum, which gave contractors a coordinated route to ministers and officials as guidance changed and sites faced major disruption.
SELECT President Darren Crockett, who presented the award, said:
“At a time of unprecedented uncertainty, Alan brought organisations together to establish the Construction Industry Coronavirus Forum, creating a single voice for the industry and ensuring contractors’ concerns were heard at the highest levels of government.
Beyond the pandemic, SELECT says Wilson helped strengthen the association’s membership, introduce new initiatives and champion apprenticeships as a way to support the long-term future of the electrical trade.
Payment practice has also remained a key issue for specialist contractors, particularly smaller firms working within wider construction supply chains. Delays further up the chain can leave businesses carrying costs for labour, materials and overheads while they wait to be paid.
Wilson, who holds a master’s degree in construction law, has also been recognised for his work around fair payment, improved regulation and greater recognition of the electrical industry’s contribution to the Scottish economy.
Accepting the award, Wilson said:
“I have always believed in the importance of standing up for contractors, improving standards and ensuring our industry has a strong and respected voice.”
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented at the 2026 SELECT President’s Lunch, held at The Balmoral in Edinburgh on Friday 25 September. The award was sponsored by Schneider Electric, while the lunch was sponsored by Luceco Group.
SELECT has shared a video of the award presentation and an interview with Wilson from the President’s Lunch.
Sharon Miller, who succeeded Wilson as managing director, said his influence on SELECT and the wider construction sector would be felt for years to come.
She said: “Alan’s contribution to SELECT has been immense. His leadership, strategic vision and unwavering commitment to members have helped transform the association and strengthen its reputation across government, industry and beyond.”
SELECT’s member businesses collectively have an annual turnover of around £1 billion and employ more than 15,000 people, including 3,500 apprentices.
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