Laura Luckhurt CIBSE ASHRAE GOY and ASHRAE President Darryl Boyce
Laura was selected from a shortlist of seven finalists and AECOM came out on top after seven firms reached the final stage of the CIBSE Young Engineers’ Awards, sponsored by Andrews Water Heaters, Kingspan, Swegon, Tamlite and the CIBSE Patrons.
The ceremony was held at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) in London on October 10, at which The Graduate Award finalists each had five minutes to make a presentation to the packed IMechE lecture hall. Their topic was ‘How can building services professionals find the right balance between the needs of the global environment, occupant health, wellbeing and productivity, and best value?’
The evening also saw the presentation of the IMechE’s special achievement award to Michael Ralph and the Geoffrey Engert Award for Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning to Elliot Brown of Mott MacDonald and Owen Sayers of Atkins.
The CIBSE Young Engineers’ Awards celebrate the best young talent in the industry, together with the employers who support, mentor and develop them.
Laura, who wins a VIP trip to the ASHRAE Winter Conference in Orlando, is a graduate of Sheffield University and is a graduate mechanical engineer at Cundall.
Finalists
First runner up was Felix Cox of AECOM and Queen Mary University, who received a £600 bursary from the Rumford Club. The second runner up was Tom Lusty from Couch Perry Wilkes and Coventry University, who wins £300.
The other four finalists all received £100 from the Manly Trust.
As well as being overall winner, AECOM won the large company category for the Employer of the Year, with Fairheat claiming the prize in the small company category and Troup Bywaters + Anders taking the medium company category.
AECOM particularly impressed the judges with their commitment to developing staff and target to attract and retain talent to the industry.
CIBSE President Lynne Jack said: ‘With these Young Engineers Awards we recognise and showcase the exceptional engineering talent we have in the industry. Equally importantly, the awards shine a spotlight on those employers whose progressive strategies for recruiting, nurturing and empowering young people have provided a suitable environment for our young engineers to flourish. Without companies willing to champion and support those new to our industry, we cannot hope to achieve our targets’.