We are delighted to announce that our Executive Director for Data Centres, Catriona Gallagher, has been recognised with the prestigious Legacy Award at the Women in Construction Awards.
This award celebrates individuals whose contribution to the construction industry extends far beyond the projects they deliver. It recognises those whose leadership, influence and commitment have helped shape both the built environment and the people who work within it. Catriona is a truly deserving recipient.
With almost three decades of experience in construction and engineering, Catriona has built an outstanding career founded on technical excellence, strategic leadership and an unwavering commitment to quality, safety and innovation.
Her journey began with a Higher National Diploma in Civil Engineering before progressing to a degree in Building Services Engineering and a Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management. Over the past 28 years, she has advanced through every stage of project delivery, developing expertise across mechanical and electrical engineering, project management, contract management and executive leadership.
Throughout her career, Catriona has played a leading role in delivering some of Ireland’s and Europe’s most complex and high-profile developments. Her portfolio spans commercial, healthcare, retail, residential, infrastructure and mission-critical projects, including Microsoft Headquarters in Sandyford, Facebook’s Grand Canal offices, Dublin Airport’s Air Traffic Control Visual Tower and numerous large-scale data centre for highly confidential clients across Ireland and mainland Europe.
As Executive Director, Catriona has provided strategic leadership across a significant portfolio of data centre infrastructure projects, helping to shape the digital backbone that supports businesses and communities across Europe. Her work has consistently demonstrated the highest standards of safety, sustainability, quality and operational excellence.
Beyond her professional achievements, Catriona is widely respected for her collaborative leadership style, integrity and commitment to developing others. In an industry where women remain underrepresented at senior executive level, she has broken barriers through expertise, determination and professionalism, becoming a trusted mentor and role model for colleagues across the sector.
Her influence can be seen not only in the landmark projects she has helped deliver, but also in the teams she has built, the careers she has supported and the standards of excellence she continues to champion.
The Legacy Award recognises a lifetime of contribution to the construction industry. Through nearly thirty years of leadership and service, Catriona Gallagher has helped shape the future of construction and critical infrastructure while inspiring the next generation of industry professionals.
On behalf of everyone at Designer Group, we extend our warmest congratulations to Catriona on this well-deserved recognition and thank her for the leadership, expertise and inspiration she continues to bring to our business and our industry.
We are delighted to announce that our Executive Director for Data Centres, Catriona Gallagher, has been recognised with the prestigious Legacy Award at the Women in Construction Awards.
This award celebrates individuals whose contribution to the construction industry extends far beyond the projects they deliver. It recognises those whose leadership, influence and commitment have helped shape both the built environment and the people who work within it. Catriona is a truly deserving recipient.
With almost three decades of experience in construction and engineering, Catriona has built an outstanding career founded on technical excellence, strategic leadership and an unwavering commitment to quality, safety and innovation.
Her journey began with a Higher National Diploma in Civil Engineering before progressing to a degree in Building Services Engineering and a Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management. Over the past 28 years, she has advanced through every stage of project delivery, developing expertise across mechanical and electrical engineering, project management, contract management and executive leadership.
Throughout her career, Catriona has played a leading role in delivering some of Ireland’s and Europe’s most complex and high-profile developments. Her portfolio spans commercial, healthcare, retail, residential, infrastructure and mission-critical projects, including Microsoft Headquarters in Sandyford, Facebook’s Grand Canal offices, Dublin Airport’s Air Traffic Control Visual Tower and numerous large-scale data centre for highly confidential clients across Ireland and mainland Europe.
As Executive Director, Catriona has provided strategic leadership across a significant portfolio of data centre infrastructure projects, helping to shape the digital backbone that supports businesses and communities across Europe. Her work has consistently demonstrated the highest standards of safety, sustainability, quality and operational excellence.
Beyond her professional achievements, Catriona is widely respected for her collaborative leadership style, integrity and commitment to developing others. In an industry where women remain underrepresented at senior executive level, she has broken barriers through expertise, determination and professionalism, becoming a trusted mentor and role model for colleagues across the sector.
Her influence can be seen not only in the landmark projects she has helped deliver, but also in the teams she has built, the careers she has supported and the standards of excellence she continues to champion.
The Legacy Award recognises a lifetime of contribution to the construction industry. Through nearly thirty years of leadership and service, Catriona Gallagher has helped shape the future of construction and critical infrastructure while inspiring the next generation of industry professionals.
On behalf of everyone at Designer Group, we extend our warmest congratulations to Catriona on this well-deserved recognition and thank her for the leadership, expertise and inspiration she continues to bring to our business and our industry.
As global demand for digital infrastructure continues to grow, data centres play a critical role in supporting the technologies that power modern businesses, cloud platforms and communication networks. The construction of these facilities requires highly specialised engineering expertise, precise coordination and a strong commitment to safety.
Designer Group is pleased to have contributed to achieving 750,000 Lost Time Injury (LTI)-free work hours on a major 9.6 MW data centre project in Vienna, marking a significant safety milestone for everyone involved in the development of this complex digital infrastructure facility. The project forms part of a hyperscale campus and is based on a standard design that enables rapid growth for large enterprises while following modular design principles for sustainability and efficiency.
Designer Group has delivered the full mechanical and electrical scope on the project and is now progressing through the commissioning phase of all systems supporting the facility’s critical infrastructure. Data centre developments demand exceptionally high standards due to the complexity of their systems, including power distribution, cooling infrastructure and mission-critical services designed to ensure continuous and reliable operations.
Working within a fast-paced construction environment requires careful planning, strong collaboration and rigorous safety management. Maintaining safe working conditions is essential to ensure complex installations can be delivered efficiently while protecting everyone on site.
We thank all project partners working alongside the Designer Group team whose dedication to safety and collaboration made this milestone possible. Reaching 750,000 LTI-free work hours reflects the professionalism, technical expertise, and commitment of everyone involved in this Vienna data centre project.
In today’s interconnected engineering landscape, international experience is a key advantage for early-career engineers. Working abroad helps graduates develop a global mindset, strengthen technical capability and gain exposure to diverse working environments and project standards.
At Designer Group, international mobility is a core part of our Graduate Programme. By placing graduates on major international engineering projects, we support their professional development from the outset, building confidence, capability and a strong foundation for long-term success in engineering.
Currently, two of our graduate engineers, Patryk Ostapczuk, a Graduate Electrical Engineer, and Vytenis Gibas, a Graduate Mechanical Engineer, are undertaking their first international assignments in Austria, working on a data centre project in Vienna. This project represents one of Designer Group’s key developments in the region and offers graduates hands-on experience in a fast-paced, highly technical environment alongside an experienced, multidisciplinary engineering team.
Designer Group is proud to have reached 1,000,000 Lost Time Injury free work hours on a key data centre energy project in Ireland, a significant achievement for our team and partners.
Serving as PSCS and Lead Mechanical, Electrical and Integration contractor, we hold responsibility for SAP (Site Authorised Person), Energy Management and the site-wide Permit to Work system, ensuring safe and coordinated delivery across this technically demanding 200 MW CCGT project.
This milestone represents years of consistent effort and highlights the long-term collaboration and discipline required to maintain such high safety standards across a project of this scale.