GGR founder honoured by Queen

Co-founder and Managing Director of the GGR Group Ltd, Gill Riley has been awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for her Services to Construction in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours published this week.

GGR Group is a UK supplier of vacuum handling equipment, compact pick and carry cranes, Unic mini spider cranes and restricted access lifting machinery, along with a variety of complementary products and services. 

Over the past 20 years, Gill has transformed the GGR Group from a small, family run business with a £5000 budget into a £22 million global success. The compact crane and lifting equipment business was founded in 1995 and now employs over one hundred staff across three UK depots in Oldham, Thame and Glasgow.

Riley has been appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for Services to Construction—an honour that has rarely been given to a woman in the industry.  The official appointment will be marked with an investiture ceremony at St James’ Palace later this year.

On receiving the news of her OBE, Riley said, “I am truly honoured and humbled to have been chosen to receive such a prestigious award. It is very exciting to think that the work I have done over the years has had a positive impact on the construction industry as a whole.

“I’m proud that our cranes have helped build and maintain some of the most iconic and prestigious buildings across the UK.  We’ve truly gone from strength to strength thanks to a fantastic team and supportive family around me; this is a proud day for the whole of the GGR family.”

GGR Group is  a leading supplier of Unic mini cranes, compact pick and carry cranes, and vacuum lifting equipment to customers across a wide range of sectors, including glazing, construction, utilities, defence, waterways and rail infrastructure.   The business is the official European distributor of Unic mini cranes, selling thousands of mini spider cranes across its network of 27 European dealers.