Digital Rising Star
This category seeks to recognise engineering and construction early career professionals with up to five years of industry experience, who have shown innovative thinking, astute business acumen or made a significant contribution to a project through their passion for digital and technology in construction and engineering. Entrants must be able to clearly define their critical input to work in one or more of these areas.
Mohsin Khan Afsar
Laing O'Rourke
Mohsin is an emerging leader in digital solutions within the construction sector, recognised for his innovative work. With a Structural Engineering background, he transitioned into Research and Development and joined Laing O'Rourke's Technology and Innovation Team. Achievements include the award-winning Bay Builder tool and the Digital Bridges toolkit, which earned 'Best Use of Technology' at NCE TechFest 2023. He excels in software adaptation, automation, and optimisation, enhancing structural solutions by capturing data such as cost, schedule, and carbon. Mohsin engages in industry events keeping the team updated on emerging technology, while helping to drive Laing O’Rourke's digital advancement.
Marian Emiko
Mott MacDonald
My passion for digital innovation and its transformative impact sets me apart. From BIM to IoT, i’ve harnessed these tools to design resilient infrastructures, and improve sustainability in the engineering field. The technology world evolves rapidly, and I thrive on continuous learning. As a woman in engineering, I actively promote diversity. I’ve mentored aspiring engineers, organized workshops, and championed women’s representation in STEM. Winning this award would serve as a beacon of inspiration for young women of colour, in an industry predominantly dominated by men, they need more female role models to pave the way for their success.
Jihane Tahri Hassani
Mott MacDonald
Since joining Mott MacDonald, Jihane has been delivering innovative engineering solutions to a diverse range of public and private clients across the UK and France. Jihane currently leads the Ideas Incubator programme, where she manages a multidisciplinary team of developers, data scientists, and domain experts to undertake rapid prototyping and validation of ideas. Jihane’s strategic vision, collaborative spirit, and ability to adapt existing solutions to new challenges make her well equipped to drive innovation and create better outcomes for clients, the industry, and society.
James Holcombe
Arup
James is an emerging digital expert in ground engineering who delivers high-quality projects for global internal and external clients. He won a category in a Speckle hackathon with a diverse team and teaches software development to female students at Code First Girls, reducing the gender gap in tech and enhancing his communication abilities. James has spear headed the automation of global ground engineering workflows from our new geotechnical database platform, and has pioneered the use of machine learning on projects including observational method and offshore ground modelling.
Hilten Jethmalani
Mott MacDonald
Fuelled by curiosity and backed by a supportive team, I have harnessed my digital knowledge and problem-solving skills to make significant strides in my career. As the active lead of Health and safety for the Early Career’s Network, I digitally enhanced the benefits from H&S reporting. I also spearheaded Mind Map Talks in which I championed digital innovations. My contributions have been recognised by an internal technical award and a promotion. Furthermore, I have co-authored two conference papers for the SECED 2023 and YGES 2024 conferences, demonstrating my relentless pursuit of excellence through digital skills.
Anmol Khurana
Mott MacDonald
Anmol is a rising star in infrastructure technology, known for his diverse skillset in smart initiatives, digital strategy, and product leadership. He has significantly contributed to digital and innovation strategies for various UK infrastructure organizations, showcasing his adaptability across the water, energy, and transport sectors. As Product Lead for Moata Intelligent Content (MIC), Anmol excelled by revamping the product strategy and integrating MIC with the Moata Carbon Portal. This integration has enabled informed design optioneering by incorporating embodied carbon values into BIM library components, allowing users to develop design solutions using carbon values as a key criterion.
Alan Liu
AtkinsRéalis
Alan has consistently pushed the boundaries of engineering competence by challenging the norm, combining innovative thinking with exceptional digital knowledge. He has independently motivated himself to develop – and share – digital solutions that drive efficiencies in the way we deliver infrastructure design, improving quality and increasing productivity. His solutions are now standard practice in his teams, substantially contributing to the success of major infrastructure projects. Alan is passionate about empowering engineers to implement their logic efficiently. Through his work, he aims to inspire others to enhance their digital competencies, demonstrating the behaviours of a future leader in digital transformation.
Hannah Mehr
Arup
Hannah’s award-winning entry stands out due to her exceptional technical project excellence and unwavering commitment to promoting STEM and apprenticeships. Over the past year, she has contributed significantly to engineering data storage software and led generative AI initiatives. Her leadership in promoting AI in the North West, dedication to improving the apprentice experience, and community engagement work further demonstrate her outstanding impact. Balancing her degree apprenticeship while achieving top marks adds to her remarkable achievements. Overall, Hannah’s passion, innovation, and dedication make her entry truly award-worthy.