POST-EVENT REPORT: CIBSE UAE Annual Awards

CIBSE UAE hosted its Annual Awards ceremony on August 8 at Armani Hotel in Dubai’s Burj Khalifa – an evening that coincided with the 125th anniversary of its parent association. Given the special nature of the occasion, Kevin Mitchell, CIBSE President, and Ruth Carter, CIBSE Chief Executive, travelled to the UAE to participate in the event, attended by an eclectic mix of individuals and organisations invested in building services engineering in the UAE.

Farah Naz, CIBSE UAE Chair, welcomed Mitchell, Carter and the vast number of guests, including those shortlisted to win awards in five categories. Carter, who has a strong track record of creating successful collegiate communities within publishing and exhibitions, and highlighting the opportunity for supporting a strong sense of identity across a diverse international CIBSE membership, addressed the audience, as did Mitchell, who Naz described as a “Global Practice Leader, who launched five challenges to encourage action, communication and collaboration, inspiring those who are new to our industry, as well as raising our profile more widely and inspiring people to join us from a wide range of backgrounds to ensure our industry reflects the communities we serve”.

Mitchell, in his address, spoke of two goals CIBSE holds dear to its heart. The first goal, he said, is to pay forward the support received, to the next generation. The second goal is to share how building services engineers are key in the transition to net-zero and in fighting climate change.

The elements of the second goal underpinned the objective of the Awards exercise – of recognising and honouring outstanding performances by individuals and businesses directly and indirectly associated with the building services industry, including the work being carried out to lower the emission of greenhouse gases to mitigate climate change. Sarah Cocker, the MC, verbalised the importance of the event when she said the Awards are part of CIBSE’s motto of promoting careers in building services by rewarding exemplary performance. “At a time of great dynamism in building services, CIBSE’s impact in enabling collaborations and transnational knowledge flows, recognising and rewarding high achievers, and mobilising global stakeholders for sustainable transformation has been profound,” Cocker said. “In the Middle East, where new buildings are being constructed in great numbers and existing stock is yearning for technology-led optimisation, CIBSE UAE’s ambitious regional road map is a cause for celebration.”

To ensure, the most deserving walked away with top honours, CIBSE UAE enlisted the services of a panel of judges, including Amruta Kshemkalyani, Founder & Managing Director, Sustainability Tribe; Farhan Juratli, Associate Director at Nakheel, Judicial Expert with the UAE Ministry of Justice (MOJ); Huda Shaka, Advisor, Department of Municipalities and Transport, Abu Dhabi; Rana Kaakour, Associate Director – Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) and Rushdy Ahamed, Project Manager – Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA). The jury had the backing of Ella Summer and CIBSE headquarters as the third-party auditing presence of the process of selecting the winners.

The giving away of the trophies had all the hallmarks of an Awards ceremony – moments of suspense, followed by exhilaration for those that climbed the stage to receive the ‘Highly Recommended’, ‘Runner-up’ and ‘Winner’ honours. Trosten won the ‘Highly Recommended’ trophy in the MEP Manufacturer of the Year category, whereas Grundfos walked away with the Winner’s trophy. And WSP won the ‘Highly Recommended’ trophy in the MEP Consultancy of the Year category, whereas Cundall walked away with the Winner’s trophy (see side-bar for full list of winners).

The Deluxe Sponsors of the Awards ceremony were Polypipe, Central Ventilation Systems (CVS), Thermobreak, Leminar and System Kan Therm. The Gold Sponsors were De Montfort University and Hisense HVAC. CPI Industry, publishers of Climate Control Middle East, managed the event, on behalf of CIBSE UAE.