CIBSE has announced the winners of this year’s Young Engineers Awards which recognise the future stars of the industry and those employers who are committed to developing and encouraging young talent.
Francesca James from FairHeat and Cambridge University was named as Graduate of the Year. Francesca joined FairHeat in 2021 after getting her Masters’ degree in Chemical Engineering and has a keen interest in the sustainability sector. Francesca will receive the first prize of a fully paid trip to the ASHRAE Conference in Chicago.
The two runners-up were Lewis Turner of Arup and Leeds Beckett University and Hiba Talmoust of Waterman Group and Queen Mary University who received cash prizes of £600 and £300 from the CIBSE Patrons and the Manly Trust respectively.
Presented for the first time this year, the CIBSE Undergraduate of the Year Award was scooped by Ruairi Devlin of the University of Nottingham who impressed with his final year research project, ‘Low energy cooling for residential buildings in hot climates.’ The Undergraduate of the Year Award was introduced to recognise those making exceptional starts to their careers in building services engineering. Ruairi will receive a cash prize, as will runners-up Fraser Nicoll of Glasgow Caledonian University and Erin Cullen of Heriot Watt University.
Apprentice of the Year (Level 5-7) went to Jess Sergeant, with Sidney Hargreaves winning the corresponding award for Apprentice of the Year (Level 3-4). These awards recognise the invaluable contribution made by apprentices in building services engineering and related occupations.
Also awarded on the night was the Employer of the Year award, which recognises employers who have done the most to recruit, train and support young engineers. This year’s overall prize was won by AECOM, while in the individual categories, the Large Employer of the Year was AECOM, the Medium Employer of the Year was PM Group and the Small Employer of the Year was Whitecode Consulting.
Adrian Catchpole, President of CIBSE, said: “The Young Engineers Awards play a pivotal role in encouraging outstanding young engineers and challenging them to address some of the industry’s most critical issues.
“These emerging talents, supported by employers that nurture and develop their skills, are poised to drive the innovation required for the industry to fulfill our commitment to reducing global emissions and creating a net zero built environment.”
The awards took place on 12 October 2023 at the Royal College of Physicians, London and were sponsored by ACV, BCIA, Eaton, ideal Heating, Panasonic and Swegon.
See the full list of this year’s CIBSE Young Engineers Award winners and runners-up below:
CIBSE ASHRAE Graduate of the Year 2023: Francesca James, FairHeat and Cambridge University
Second place (£600 prize provide by the CIBSE Patrons): Lewis Turner, Arup and Leeds Beckett University
Third place (£300 prize provided by the Manly Trust): Hiba Talmoust, Waterman Group and Queen Mary University
CIBSE Undergraduate of the Year 2023: Ruairi Devlin, University of Nottingham
Second place: Fraser Nicoll, Glasgow Caledonian University
Third place: Erin Cullen, Heriot Watt University
CIBSE Apprentice of the Year Technician (Levels 3–4) – Sidney Hargreaves, HDR
Second place: Ryan Beary, CPW
Third place: Sean John, University of Warwick
CIBSE Apprentice of the Year Degree (Levels 5–7) – Jess Sergeant, Atkins
Second place: James McLarnon, SCC MEP
Third place: Finley Bowdidge, Venables Associates
CIBSE Employer of the Year – AECOM
Small Company Category (<50 employees) – Whitecode Consulting
Medium Company Category (51-300 employees) – PM Group
Large Company Category (>301 employees) – AECOM
The prestigious annual awards scheme brings together the CIBSE ASHRAE Graduate of the Year Award, the CIBSE Employer of the Year Award, and the CIBSE Apprentice of the Year Award and the CIBSE Undergraduate of the Year Award. These awards aim to recognise and reward the innovative thinking, hard work and skills of graduate and undergraduate engineers and apprentices, whilst also showcasing employers of all sizes who demonstrate commitment to developing and encouraging young talent.