CIBSE 30 Under 30 Awards

CIBSE YEN Global is proud to announce the CIBSE 30 Under 30 class of 2026!

These young professionals are redefining the future of building services engineering across the globe. They're pushing boundaries in innovation, leading with purpose and driving real progress in sustainability. Congratulations to all!

"This is the second year we have supported the CIBSE 30 Under 30 awards, and judging doesn’t get any easier! The quality of each submission was incredibly high and their commitment to sustainable engineering shone through. It was encouraging to see each entrant demonstrate how they are pushing the boundaries in sustainable design. With talent such as this in our industry, I am certain we will continue to drive down carbon emissions in the built environment."

Richard Brown, Ideal Heating - Commercial Products

Emerging Leaders

This category recognises the future leaders of building services. Leadership can take many forms, whether demonstrated through innovative projects, team inspiration, mentorship, or wider industry impact.

This category is kindly sponsored by Swegon.

Matt Dickenson

Atelier Ten

Matt leads multidisciplinary teams at Atelier Ten, delivering complex projects while fostering a culture of transparency, collaboration and growth. Known for stepping into challenging situations, he has successfully turned around underperforming projects through pragmatic decision-making and strong stakeholder engagement. A mentor and advocate for professional development, Matt supports colleagues through Chartership and founded internal forums to nurture early-career engineers. Externally, he plays a key role in industry engagement—serving as Treasurer of CIBSE YEN London and Vice-Chair of the CIBSE HVAC Special Interest Group, driving knowledge sharing across the profession. With a strong focus on people, sustainability and continuous improvement, Matt combines technical expertise with leadership that empowers others and strengthens the industry.

Alice Jackson

Hoare Lea

Alice is a Principal Sustainability Consultant specialising in whole-life carbon and leading sustainability strategies across major developments. She combines technical expertise with strong collaboration skills, influencing design teams to reduce embodied carbon and improve environmental performance. Alice is also deeply committed to mentoring and outreach, supporting over 50 students through STEAM initiatives. Her work extends beyond projects to shaping industry standards and research in net-zero design.

Alexis Ciunek

Sustainable Energy Ltd

Alexis is a Senior Consulting Engineer delivering low-carbon heat infrastructure projects that support over 21,000 homes. She leads project teams, client engagement and strategic decarbonisation studies, while mentoring junior engineers and contributing to industry groups. Her rapid career progression reflects her technical expertise and leadership capability. Alexis is passionate about enabling others to succeed and simplifying complex challenges to drive meaningful progress in heat decarbonisation.

Caryn Yeow

Introba

Caryn leads mechanical engineering delivery while championing knowledge-sharing and training across her organisation. She founded a junior knowledge-sharing forum that has become integral to staff development, empowering engineers to build confidence and technical expertise. Her work in embodied carbon and sustainability has influenced both projects and industry discussions. Known for her approachable leadership style, Caryn is dedicated to fostering collaboration and supporting others to grow.

Aretha Ahunanya

Savills UK

Aretha is a Graduate Sustainable Design Consultant delivering complex decarbonisation strategies at both building and portfolio scale, including a net-zero strategy covering over 2,800 assets. Despite being early in her career, she has taken on leadership roles in knowledge sharing, project delivery and outreach, leading an internal ‘Show & Tell’ series to upskill colleagues on emerging sustainability topics.

As a trustee of Open City and a speaker at major industry events, she is committed to making the built environment more inclusive and accessible. Her technical capability, combined with strong communication skills and a track record of early responsibility, positions her as a future leader shaping sustainable development.

Henry Metcalfe

Etch Associates

Henry is a Senior Associate Electrical Engineer leading high-value, multi-sector projects while driving innovation in electrical design and load modelling. He is developing data-driven approaches to demand prediction, incorporating real operational data to reduce overdesign and embodied carbon. Within his organisation, Henry plays a key leadership role in strategy, QA and team development, while also contributing to industry discussions on electrification and grid constraints. His work reflects a commitment to raising standards and modernising engineering practice.

Kieran Smart

WSP

Kieran is an engineer and mentor driving both technical innovation and professional development. He has led young engineers’ forums across organisations, organising study tours and knowledge-sharing initiatives that inspire early-career professionals. His work in digital design tools has improved design efficiency and quality, while his project portfolio spans complex developments across multiple sectors. Recognised with the BCO NextGen Rising Star Award, Kieran combines delivery excellence with a strong commitment to mentoring and STEM outreach, shaping the next generation of engineers.

Jordan Clarke

CPW

Jordan is a people-focused leader committed to empowering apprentices and early-career engineers. He has introduced structured training programmes that have influenced company-wide development approaches and actively represents the profession through outreach in schools and colleges. His leadership is grounded in empathy, communication and a strong belief in supporting individuals to thrive. Jordan’s experience leading teams and initiatives across previous roles has shaped his ability to create inclusive, high-performing environments. He combines technical ambition with a genuine commitment to developing others.

Elisabeth Eweka

ENGRL & Hoare Lea

Elisabeth is Founder of ENGRL, a global platform inspiring over 150,000 young people to pursue careers in engineering. She leads strategy, content and mentoring communities that support more than 1,000 girls worldwide. Alongside this, she works as a Principal Digital Consultant at Hoare Lea, delivering smart building strategies across complex developments. Elisabeth’s ability to communicate engineering in a relatable, accessible way has made her a leading voice in industry outreach. Her contributions have been widely recognised, including accolades for gender equality and digital innovation. She is redefining how the profession engages with future talent.

Alisha Kalam

Platinum Facilities

Alisha is Head of Data-Led Maintenance and System Analytics at Platinum Facilities, where she has transformed an emerging function into a structured, results-driven team delivering measurable energy savings. Through improved reporting, stakeholder engagement and data-led decision-making, she has achieved over 1.15 million kWh savings in just four months. Her career progression—from graduate engineer to department head—demonstrates both technical excellence and leadership maturity. Recognised through multiple industry awards, Alisha is also committed to mentoring and inspiring future engineers, particularly young women. Her work exemplifies how data analytics can drive effective maintenance strategies and accelerate net-zero outcomes in the built environment.

Stan James Elvis Thomas

Sontay

Stan is Vice Chair of the BCIA Young Engineers Network, where he is redefining how early-career professionals are supported and represented. He has expanded the network through ambassador programmes, industry partnerships and innovative event engagement, including video-led content that amplifies young engineers’ voices. Within both the BCIA and his organisation, Stan champions inclusive leadership, empowering individuals at all levels to contribute and lead. His approachable style and passion for people have enabled him to build strong relationships across the industry, fostering collaboration and support. As he prepares to step into the Chair role, Stan is focused on building a connected, engaged and future-ready building controls community.

Technical Excellence Engineers

This category recognises young professionals who have made outstanding contributions within a specialist building-services discipline whether in lighting, public health engineering, data centres, building performance, building controls, VT, HVAC, or other technical domains through solutions that enhance efficiency, safety, resilience, user experience, or overall system performance.

This category is kindly sponsored by the CIBSE Patrons.

Estella Haynes

Arup

Estella is a Lighting Designer specialising in daylight modelling and analysis. She develops innovative methodologies to overcome complex challenges, including modelling daylight performance in spaces with limited natural light access. By applying first-principles thinking and advanced simulation tools, she delivers accurate and efficient solutions that support both design quality and occupant wellbeing. Her work demonstrates a strong ability to translate technical analysis into practical design outcomes.

Khizar Moti

Arup

Khizar is a Mechanical Engineer pioneering “feedback loop design,” using real operational data to optimise system performance. His research has identified significant overdesign in building systems and led to strategies reducing embodied carbon by up to 20%. Through extensive data analysis and collaboration, he is advancing more efficient, evidence-based engineering approaches. Khizar also leads sustainability initiatives within his organisation, contributing to knowledge sharing and industry development.

George Stephens-Clark

InTandem Systems Ltd.

George specialises in Building Energy Management Systems, designing and optimising control strategies that improve efficiency and performance. He has successfully transformed underperforming systems by implementing demand-led control and improved sequencing, delivering significant energy savings without major capital investment. His expertise bridges HVAC engineering and control systems, enabling integrated, high-performing solutions. George is committed to continuous improvement and industry engagement.

Mia Richardson

Schneider Electric

Mia is an engineer specialising in BMS optimisation and energy analytics. She develops tools that quantify energy losses and support evidence-based decision-making, improving building performance. She has introduced advanced modelling techniques into her organisation, enabling better alignment between predicted and actual energy use. An Incorporated Engineer and contributor to industry guidance, Mia combines technical innovation with strong communication and leadership in knowledge sharing.

Vino Muthuramalingam

ARUP

Vino specialises in low-carbon HVAC systems, focusing on optimising heat pump design for real-world performance. By challenging conventional approaches, he has developed strategies that improve system efficiency, reduce embodied carbon and prevent operational failures. His work has influenced internal design guidance, improving engineering practices globally. Vino also mentors junior engineers, promoting a first-principles approach to technical problem-solving.

Bushra Oosman

RED

Bushra is an electrical engineer specialising in high-performance data centre design. She has delivered complex power distribution systems for large-scale facilities, including AI-focused developments with extremely high power densities. Her work ensures resilience, efficiency and compliance with stringent standards. Bushra’s analytical approach and problem-solving capability enable her to deliver robust, scalable solutions in one of the most demanding sectors.

Niamh O'Donovan

WSP

Niamh is a Public Health Engineer delivering complex water systems under challenging project constraints. She has successfully developed innovative solutions for high-rise developments, balancing sustainability, safety and performance. Achieving Chartered Engineer status at a young age, she combines strong technical expertise with leadership skills, including managing remote teams and delivering high-quality outcomes under pressure.

Saanil Joshi

Foster + Partners

Saanil specialises in vertical transportation engineering, focusing on the movement of people within complex buildings. He uses simulation modelling to optimise system performance and enhance user experience, delivering solutions for major international projects such as airports. His work blends engineering, data and human behaviour to create efficient, resilient systems. Saanil also mentors early-career engineers and contributes to knowledge sharing within his organisation.

Sustainable Champions

This category recognises those driving sustainability within building services. Their impact might come through championing sustainable change on projects or within organisations, contributing to technical guidance, or actively promoting the benefits of sustainable design across the industry.

This category is kindly sponsored by Ideal Heating - Commercial Products.

Suvarna Kumar

Buro Happold Middle East (Dubai)

Suvarna is a Senior Sustainability Consultant driving environmental initiatives across projects and organisational practices. She leads sustainability strategies within her office, including waste reduction, carbon awareness and operational improvements. Her project work spans regional codes, circular economy strategies and city-scale sustainability frameworks. Recognised with industry awards, Suvarna is also committed to outreach and education, engaging students and young professionals in sustainability. Her systems-thinking approach connects environmental, social and technical aspects to deliver holistic solutions.

Margarita Kobrina

Atelier Ten

Margarita leads environmental design strategies on major developments, translating sustainability ambitions into measurable outcomes. She has driven innovations in energy efficiency, embodied carbon reduction and material reuse, including developing tools to track carbon impacts in real time. Her work spans coordination with multidisciplinary teams and engagement with supply chains to improve transparency and performance. Margarita is also an active educator and mentor, delivering training and outreach initiatives. Her leadership demonstrates how sustainability can be embedded across design and construction to deliver lasting impact.

Ismaila Chongan

Cudd Bentley Consulting

Ismaila is a Low Carbon Consultant specialising in energy modelling and compliance across residential and commercial developments. His work supports the integration of renewable systems and improved building performance, contributing to sustainable design strategies across the UK. Beyond project delivery, he actively mentors young engineers and promotes sustainability careers through digital platforms, reaching a wide audience. He also engages internationally, sharing knowledge with development teams in The Gambia. Ismaila is committed to making sustainability accessible and inspiring future engineers.

Gabriela Amaya

Arup

Gabriela champions sustainability through knowledge-sharing, collaboration and technical innovation. She plays a key role in developing internal guidance that strengthens sustainability capability across teams and improves project outcomes. Actively engaged in industry networks, she chairs events and facilitates discussions on emerging topics such as NABERS and building performance. Gabriela also contributes to national guidance through LETI’s retrofit work, helping shape best practice for low-carbon design. Her approach combines technical rigour with open collaboration to accelerate sustainable change across the industry.

Yara Machnouk (2026)

Introba

Yara is a Sustainability Associate specialising in embodied carbon, circular economy and building performance. She played a key role in developing CIBSE TM65.1, advancing methodologies for calculating embodied carbon in building services. As a TM65 trainer and industry contributor, she supports greater transparency across the supply chain. Yara also leads sustainability initiatives within her organisation and contributes to industry groups focused on circular economy and best practice. A Chartered Engineer, she combines technical expertise with mentorship and advocacy, working to embed sustainability into everyday engineering decisions.

Daphne Chan

WSP (Asia) Limited

Daphne integrates sustainability into engineering practice through both project delivery and industry leadership. She led Hong Kong’s first zero-carbon chiller replacement project, achieving over 50% energy reduction and significant carbon savings. Through WSP’s sustainability initiatives, she develops best practices for frameworks including LEED and WELL, while driving data-led decision-making on projects. As Chair of the ASHRAE Hong Kong Sustainability Committee, Daphne has engaged over 1,000 professionals through events and knowledge sharing. She is committed to embedding sustainability as a core engineering principle and inspiring the next generation through education and outreach.

Gareth Samson Jeyapaul

Egis

Gareth is a Sustainability Specialist delivering high-impact environmental strategies across major developments in the Middle East. His work translates building science into measurable outcomes, including optimising façade performance to reduce cooling demand and capital costs. Contributing to projects exceeding £4 billion in value, he supports developments targeting leading sustainability certifications such as LEED and WELL. Alongside industry work, Gareth is completing a PhD focused on passive cooling strategies and serves as Vice Chair of CIBSE YEN MENA, promoting sustainable engineering practices. His ability to bridge research and practice positions him as a leader in climate-responsive design.

Digital and Automation Innovators

This category recognises those driving innovation within building services through the use of digital technologies and automation.

Athiya Junaid

WSP

Athiya is a Building Services Engineer at WSP with a passion for digital innovation and sustainable design. She is driven by the opportunity to use data, simulation, and automation to improve building performance and create more informed, efficient, and resilient design solutions.

Throughout her academic and professional career, Athiya has embraced digital tools to solve complex engineering challenges. Her award-winning dissertation used IESVE and ANSYS CFD modelling to evaluate passive cooling strategies across building typologies in the Middle East under current and future climate scenarios. The research demonstrated how hybrid design approaches can improve thermal comfort and climate resilience, leading to her nomination for the 2025 CIBSE ASHRAE Graduate of the Year Award.

At WSP, she has championed data-driven project delivery through the development of Power BI dashboards that enhance programme visibility, automate reporting processes, and support decision-making across multidisciplinary teams. She has also explored innovation beyond consultancy through Floww, a carbon-aware navigation app recognised as a finalist at the RTA Sustainability Hackathon.

Athiya's contributions to digital engineering were recognised with the 2025 Society of Digital Engineering Up-and-Coming Digital Champion Award, alongside winning the 2024 CIBSE Student Design Competition. She is passionate about shaping the future of the built environment by combining engineering expertise with emerging digital technologies to deliver smarter, more sustainable outcomes.

Banita Basra

Schneider Electric

Banita is an Apprentice BMS Commissioning Engineer at Schneider Electric, applying digital building control systems to deliver smarter, more efficient buildings. She has worked across healthcare, education and commercial sectors, including the net-zero Cavendish House at the University of Derby, where she led commissioning of occupancy-led control strategies integrating IoT sensors to optimise energy use and indoor conditions. She has also supported critical healthcare upgrades, modernising legacy BMS infrastructure to improve resilience and fault detection. Alongside her degree in Building Services Engineering, where she consistently ranks in the top five of her cohort, Banita is an active industry advocate—speaking on CIBSE panels, supporting T Level outreach, and using social media to demystify building automation. She is passionate about bridging the gap between design and operational performance and inspiring the next generation into digital engineering.

Muhammad Izzul Hakimi bin Roslan

CAMS Assethub

Muhammad is an Inspection Officer at CAMS Assethub, specialising in digital asset management and data-driven infrastructure decision-making. He contributes to large-scale building condition audits, capturing and structuring asset data to support lifecycle planning and maintenance prioritisation. Alongside his industry role, Muhammad is soon to undertake a PhD at RMIT University focused on developing a digital twin framework that integrates inspection data into predictive, evidence-based asset management systems. His work aims to shift infrastructure management from reactive to proactive approaches. Recognised as a finalist for the CIBSE ANZ Student of the Year and ARBS Future Leaders Awards, Muhammad is also an active contributor to the CIBSE Young Engineers Network. His cross-disciplinary approach—combining civil engineering, digital systems and research—positions him at the forefront of intelligent infrastructure and resilient asset management.

Project Delivery Champions

This category recognises the professional excellence of young supplier or contractor side professionals who have delivered high-quality, efficient MEP installations, introduced innovative, practical solutions that enhance performance, and have supported on-site through strong technical expertise, effective problem-solving, and excellence in execution.

This category is kindly sponsored by Georg Fischer.

Cameron Nielsen

KNG Building Services LTD

Cameron is a mechanical engineer progressing rapidly into project leadership, delivering MEP projects valued up to £7m while completing his apprenticeship. He has demonstrated strong technical problem-solving, resolving complex fire safety coordination issues by developing compliant installation solutions that improved buildability and efficiency. Cameron has led projects across all stages—from design coordination to commissioning—while maintaining close collaboration with clients and consultants to meet performance targets. His recent work delivering EPC A-rated upgrades through innovative system replacements highlights his ability to balance sustainability, cost and practicality. Now stepping into project management, Cameron brings hands-on technical expertise and leadership maturity beyond his years.

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