THE regional winners of this year’s Women in Property Central Scotland Student Awards have been announced.
Flora Quinnell, who is studying BSc Hons architectural studies at the University of Strathclyde, and Sasha Worth, who is studying architecture (MA Hons) at the University of Edinburgh, took home the two top prizes.
The awards ceremony, held in Glasgow and hosted by Curtins, brought together employers from across the property and construction sectors to celebrate the next generation of talent in the built environment.
Judges praised Flora for her great enthusiasm, saying she was very knowledgeable, well prepared and very engaging and articulate. Sasha was described as an outstanding presenter, very polished and professional, with strong content and engaging conversation.
Laura McGuigan, chair of Women in Property Central Scotland and business development manager for Kier, Scotland, highlighted the importance of recognising emerging talent locally and emphasised the need for continued collaboration between universities and industry leaders to address skills gaps and improve gender diversity across the sector.
Two highly commended students were also named. They are Nicole Kesson, who is studying quantity surveying, and Harriet Dale, who is studying BEng architectural engineering, both at Heriot-Watt University.
The Women in Property Student Awards – backed nationally by sponsors Amazon and Savills, and regionally by Avison Young, BakerHicks and Tilbury Douglas – are designed to spotlight outstanding students and raise awareness of the range of career paths available in the built environment industry.
Stewart Taylor, principal and MD, Edinburgh at Avison Young, said, “Avison Young is delighted to sponsor the student awards for a second year. Each presentation showcased a deep understanding of the subject matter and an impressive ability to engage the audience. As an employer of a previous winner, we are excited to support such talented individuals as they begin their career journey and thrilled that the industry will benefit from their input in the future.”
Caroline MacVey from BakerHicks added, “Seeing the enthusiasm and potential of these students was incredibly inspiring. I’m confident that with their drive and determination, they will achieve every success in their careers and make significant contributions to our industry. The future looks bright with such talented individuals leading the way.”
Barry O’Hagan, regional director for Tilbury Douglas, commented, “Tilbury Douglas is delighted to sponsor the Students Awards again this year – a fantastic initiative run by Women in Property. We have been blown away by the calibre of candidates, which bodes well for the future of our industry. We look forward to the national awards in London in September.”
As regional winners, Flora and Sasha will now go on to represent central Scotland at the national final in London in September, where they will compete against 14 other regional winners.
