We were delighted to join some of the brightest young professionals in building services engineering at the recent CIBSE YEN Global 30 Under 30 event in London, where we celebrated the ‘Class of 2026’ and, in particular, this year’s Sustainable Champions.
Held on 24 September at CIBSE’s headquarters in London, the event brought together the engineers recognised in this year’s 30 Under 30, along with colleagues, friends and family. With some attendees travelling from overseas to take part, it was a fitting celebration of the increasingly global nature of the building services profession.
Ideal Commercial Heating sponsored the Sustainable Champion category again this year, continuing our long-standing relationship with CIBSE and our support for emerging engineering talent.
What are the CIBSE 30 Under 30 Awards?
CIBSE YEN Global 30 Under 30 recognises young professionals under the age of 30 who are already making an impact across building services engineering.
Rather than selecting one overall winner in each category, the initiative recognises a class of outstanding young engineers whose work demonstrates leadership, technical excellence, innovation and commitment to the future of the built environment.
This year’s Sustainable Champion category celebrated young professionals who are driving sustainability within building services, whether by delivering change through projects and organisations, contributing to technical guidance or promoting more sustainable approaches across the industry.
For us, this category has particular relevance. The transition towards lower carbon buildings will demand new ideas, strong technical knowledge and engineers who are prepared to challenge established ways of doing things.
Celebrating sustainable engineering
Richard Brown, our Head of Specification Sales, attended the presentation ceremony and was also involved in judging this year’s entries. Commenting on the standard of submissions, Richard said: “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.”
The Sustainable Champions recognised this year demonstrated just how wide-ranging sustainability has become within building services engineering. Their work spans areas including low carbon building design, energy modelling, embodied carbon, circular economy principles, operational performance and the sharing of sustainable design knowledge.
The seven people recognised in the Sustainable Champion category were:
- Yara Machnouk, Introba
- Gabriela Amaya, Arup
- Gareth Samson Jeyapaul, Egis
- Daphne Chan, WSP (Asia)
- Margarita Kobrina, Atelier Ten
- Ismaila Chongan, Cudd Bentley Consulting
- Suvarna Kumar, Buro Happold Middle East (Dubai)
Why supporting young engineers matters
As a long-standing CIBSE Patron and supporter of its young engineer initiatives, we believe manufacturers have an important part to play in encouraging the next generation of building services professionals.
Our industry is undergoing significant change. Decarbonising heat, improving building performance and adopting new technologies all require people with the skills and confidence to turn ambitious sustainability targets into practical engineering solutions.
Events such as CIBSE 30 Under 30 are important because they give emerging engineers the recognition they deserve while also providing a platform for their ideas and achievements.
“It was a pleasure to meet the ‘Class of 2026’ in London and to celebrate what they have already achieved” reflects Richard. “We look forward to seeing where their careers take them – and the contribution they will make to a more sustainable built environment.”