Alex McCallion of York Minster seeks business award entries

Alex McCallion won the Business Personality of the Year category last year and says winning helped put the Minster and its new Centre of Excellence on the Map.

For eight years, Alex has been the Minster’s Director of Works and Precinct, responsible for leading the team who care for the Minster and its 7ha site.

He was also responsible for its Neighbourhood Plan process and delivering the £9million Centre of Excellence for Heritage Craft Skills and Estate Management.

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The centre, which aims to train people to have the skills for conservation and restoration projects was completed at the end of 2024, with an official opening to the public with a heritage fair earlier this month, though training has been underway at the venue for several months.

In addition to this, the Minster has been busy with the Dean dedicating new solar panels on the historic roof in January, which on some July days “outperformed all expectations” and delivered more than 90 per cent of the energy used by the Minster that day.

Alex McCallion (Image: pic supplied)

Alex continued: “We are also well underway with the deep retrofit of 1 Deangate which will become our most sustainable building in the Precinct and we were also delighted to recently get an EPC A for the Heritage Quad as we continue to lead the way in sustainable retrofit in a heritage context.”

The Centre of Excellence has now established the Minster as “a world class campus facility for research, education and training in traditional craft skills. 

Alex explained: “The Centre will continue to nurture the craft of stonemasonry whilst encouraging global learning and knowledge sharing.

“It will also preserve traditional craft skills for future generations, as well as being a shining example of best practice in managing complex heritage estates.

The Centre of Excellence (Image: pic supplied)

“Utilising world-class, cutting-edge technology, it will also support young people in the early stages of their careers and provide dedicated residential facilities for apprentices.”

As a category winner, Alex has joined in with other successful entrants in calling for more entries to the business awards, which began in the early 1990s.

Alex said: “The Business Awards are a great way to recognise and celebrate the collective achievements of people in the city who all work so hard for the good of York and the wider County.  

“York is an incredibly exciting city to live and work with so many fantastic live projects that continue to sustain our heritage, create opportunities for growth and continue to improve the city for residents and our many visitors. 

He added: “It was fantastic that York Minster was recognised for its role in the city and the convening power of the Minster as we welcome the many visitors who come to York to see the incredible Minster and its many treasures and continue to promote the City of York through the delivery of our Neighbourhood Plan.”

The deadline for entries is Friday August 15. For details and to enter, go to: To enter, go to: https://forms.office.com/e/KDff833DiD or use the QR code below:

The QR Code to use (Image: pic supplied)