BCO NextGen Awards shortlist revealed

More than 30 individuals and firms will battle it out for 10 awards at 13 November ceremony


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A total of 31 outstanding individuals and firms have been shortlisted for this year’s BCO NextGen Awards.

The awards, which take place on Thursday 13 November at Skylon in London, will see 10 trophies handed out, including a special one-off award to celebrate a decade of BCO NextGen activities.

After an intense and highly competitive judging process, the BCO can now reveal who will be battling it out to take home the NextGen Rising Star awards in London & the South East, the Midlands and East Anglia, Northern England, North Wales and Northern Ireland, Scotland and in the South West and South Wales, alongside awards for Employer of the Year, Graduate of the Year, the Impact Award and Inspirational Leader of the Year.

This year, to mark the 10th anniversary of the awards, the BCO has also introduced a special one-off category –Outstanding Contribution to BCO NextGen. This award recognises an individual who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to the BCO NextGen community, going above and beyond to foster inclusion and to provide opportunity for the next generation of property professionals.

Judges were particularly impressed this year by the depth of talent, innovation, and leadership shown across the UK’s commercial property sector.

The shortlisted individuals and organisations truly exemplify the values at the heart of BCO NextGen — ambition, impact, and a commitment to shaping the future of the workplace.

Created to recognise and celebrate emerging talent in the workplace sector, from future-focused graduates to employers creating inclusive and dynamic environments, these awards celebrate those who are making a real difference, both within their organisations and in the wider industry.

Congratulations to all who have made the list this year. We look forward to celebrating with you at the 10th anniversary awards dinner next month.

For those who have not yet secured their ticket click here. Or if you would like to find out more about how you can support fresh new talent in our sector, email us at events@bco.org.uk

NextGen Rising Star London & South East

Luke Askwith
architect, senior associate, Gensler
Alexander Buck
head of sustainability, Buckley Gray Yeoman
Kate Hosking
senior architect, Buckley Gray Yeoman
Lauren Lemcke
senior project surveyor, AECOM
Nathan Shelley
associate director, AECOM

NextGen Rising Star Midlands and East Anglia

Allison Au
architect, associate, Gensler
Francesca Ghavami-Milnes
associate interior designer, Howells
Eleanor Penny
head of workplace, Layrd Design

NextGen Rising Star Northern England, North Wales, and Northern Ireland

Nicholas Birchall
associate architect, Hawkins\Brown
Archontia Manolakelli
project architect and senior design researcher, AtkinsRealis

NextGen Rising Star Scotland

Sarah Lawson
architect and associate, MLA
Lucia Savastano
principal sustainability engineer, Cundall, Johnston and Partners
Kieran Smart
mechanical engineer, WSP

NextGen Rising Star South West England and South Wales

Kallum Desai
global scopeX carbon practice lead, AECOM
Georgios Grigoriou
delivery lead, Workman
Josie Young
principal consultant, Hoare Lea

Employer of the Year

AECOM
8build
Hawkins\Brown
Layrd Design

Graduate of the Year

Aleksandar Bajić
part 2 architectural assistant, Gensler
Joshua Knight
part 2 architectural assistant, Make Architects
Harshini Rajagopal
graduate sustainability engineer, Cundall

Impact Award (formerly Diversity & Inclusion Champion of the Year)

Joelyn Elias
graduate project manager, AECOM
Francesca Ghavami-Milnes
associate interior designer, Howells

Inspirational Leader of the Year

Theodor Bratosin
senior sustainbility and building physics engineer, Cundall
Dave Cheshire
sustainability director, AECOM
Will Mayes
ceo & founder, Laryd Design
Rob van Zyl
partner, Cundall

Outstanding Contribution to BCO NextGen

Mike Burton
director, AECOM
Amy Leech
project director, tp bennett