CIBSE members, authors, an education establishment and the CIBSE Journal editor were among those recognised for their hard work, dedication and commitment to the Institution and the wider building services industry at the CIBSE President’s Awards.
The 2023 President’s Awards Dinner, which was held at the Waldorf Hilton Hotel, London in October, recognised the pivotal role CIBSE members play in supporting the Institution in its mission to provide better performing buildings for society and the environment.
One Gold medal, five Silver medals and six Bronze medals were awarded to CIBSE members for their outstanding contribution, together with a number of other awards celebrating industry achievements.
Adrian Catchpole, CIBSE President expressed his appreciation to Board members, Chairs of CIBSE Networks, Societies, Regions, Groups and Committees and thanked them for all their hard work and support. He said: ‘The awards showcase the remarkable talent, innovation, and dedication that is embodied within the CIBSE community.’
Stuart MacPherson, was awarded a Gold medal, CIBSE’s highest accolade, for his long-standing service. Stuart has had a number of integral roles on the Board of Trustees, including CIBSE President and Honorary Treasurer. He was unable to attend the Dinner and will receive his medal at next year’s event.
Silver medals were awarded to: Vince Arnold, Lynne Jack, Pat Lehane, Frank Mills, and Steve Vaughan.
Vince Arnold, current honorary treasurer, has been on the CIBSE Board since 2020, and chair of the Membership and Registration Panel for 12 years.
He entered the industry as an apprentice electrician, before moving on to chartered engineer, where he was senior associate of the National Design Consultancy (NDC) in Brighton, then part of Royal Mail, then Director of the London practice for almost 20 years. His leadership, planning, training and communication skills have been put to good use throughout his career, not least in the lead volunteer roles on humanitarian aid projects in Romania and Zambia.
Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy Vince serves on a number of committees and Strategy Groups, and has been a key participant in CIBSE’s work to develop competence criteria for building services for the new contextualised register.
Frank Mills, entered the industry as a Haden Young trainee on the new St Georges Hospital, Tooting, in 1968, becoming a CIBSE member in 1971. He was chair of the North West Region Committee, and was instrumental in establishing the CIBSE Healthcare Group, which he chaired for five years.
During the pandemic Frank was an active member in a number of groups including: CIBSE Covid advisory group, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Covid 19 Task Force, Royal Academy of Engineering working group on Covid safe measures, ASHRAE Healthcare Technical Committee, and joint lead author of the Net Zero Hospital Guide. He also helped develop guidance on the use of ultraviolet air scrubbers and HEPA filter units to reduce Covid infection.
Steve Vaughan, a chartered engineer and technical director at AECOM, leads a 19person public health and fire protection team. He has been an active member of SoPHE for more than 25 years, joining the Technical Steering Group in 2000, and was Chair of SoPHE in 2015, helping to grow membership and relaunching the SoPHE Journal. Steve led the introduction of a Contractors Working Group with Sanjay Modasia, and launched the Plumbing Centre of Excellence (PCE) at Havering College which provides learning and career opportunities for NVQ Plumbing students. Since 2022 Steve has been involved with updating CIBSE Guide G: Public Health Engineering and is lead author for Chapter 2 – Water Services and Utilities. Steve remains an active member of the CIBSE SoPHE Education and Technical committees, and currently represents CIBSE on the NHS England Hot Water Forum.
Lynne a past president of CIBSE and SoPHE, and Pat Lehane, a former CIBSE Ireland regional committee member were unable to attend the Dinner and will receive their medals at a later date.
Bronze medals were awarded in recognition of services to their Regions to: Malcolm Atherton, Eric Benton, Jeremy Cockroft, David Frank, Chia Huay Lau and Martin Trentham.
The CIBSE Journal editor, Alex Smith, also received recognition for the pivotal role he plays in shaping CIBSE’s presence on the international stage, receiving a President’s Commendation. He was thanked for his ongoing work and skill in championing, guiding and sharing CIBSE’s direction of travel.
Other awards presented on the night: Ibrahim Qadir received the 2023 Ken Dale Bursary, Happold Brilliant Award, recognising excellence in the teaching of building services engineering, was presented to Hong Kong Polytechnic Institute, and four awards for technical papers (see press release for details).