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The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) has revealed the 2025 Class of IFMA Fellows, with three outstanding individuals receiving the Association’s highest honour – Laurie Gilmer, Benjamin Goudy and Frank Ngoh join an elite corps of leaders who serve as IFMA advisors and ambassadors, furthering the interests and influence of the association and the FM profession.
Gilmer, Goudy and Ngoh will be officially inducted as IFMA Fellows at the opening session of IFMA’s World Workplace Conference and Expo, Sept. 17 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
For a professional association to thrive, it needs the sustained involvement of multifaceted, enterprising members who are dedicated to enriching the association, contributing to the profession’s body of knowledge, and elevating opportunities for both the organisation and the industry. For IFMA and FM, these members are honoured annually as IFMA Fellows.
IFMA’s Global Board of Directors Chair Christa Dodoo said: “Being named an IFMA Fellow is a professional accomplishment unmatched in our industry. Laurie, Ben and Frank are passionate, selfless and inspiring leaders within the built environment. They have individually demonstrated a dedication to the FM profession that will shape the future of the industry for generations to come. These three outstanding professionals embody IFMA’s mission to advance our collective knowledge, value and growth for FM professionals to perform at the highest level.”
IFMA’s Fellows Program was established in 1992. Only 0.5 percent of the IFMA membership may hold the title of IFMA Fellow. As of this year, only 140 individuals have been honoured as IFMA Fellows. In addition to excelling in their professional careers, IFMA Fellows volunteer countless hours and serve in several capacities to advance the FM industry and support and promote IFMA programs and initiatives.
Laurie Gilmer, P.E., CFM, FMP, SFP, LEED AP, CDT, IFMA Fellow is one of IFMA’s most dedicated leaders, focused on uplifting others in their professional growth and experience. That dedication transcends borders, languages and workplace disciplines, bringing wisdom, warmth and broad facility management expertise to her many leadership roles. Leading IFMA’s Global Board of Directors as 2022-23 Chair, Gilmer focused her energy on making and encouraging post-pandemic human connections, reigniting participation throughout the association, which resulted in record membership numbers.
A force for positive change, Gilmer’s influence is felt across IFMA’s industry-leading training and content offerings. She has served as a member of the International Credentials Committee, chair of the Sustainability Facility Professional Credential Scheme Committee, a member of the Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability Advisory Group, Chair of IFMA’s Education Committee, and Chair of IFMA’s Knowledge Strategy Committee.
Her grasp of FM and its emerging and critical issues is embedded in every speaking engagement, published work and class taught, as she shares her broad scope of knowledge and deep industry insights with IFMA, other professional associations, companies, colleges and universities.
Benjamin Goudy, MBA, CFM, IFMA Fellow is a dedicated driver of FM’s advancement as a source for organisational innovation and success. With almost 40 years of experience, Goudy has worked in diverse industries and cultures, with FM responsibilities for Fortune 50 technology and life sciences companies.
He created and implemented a scalable ISO-based facility service program for Meta, Google, AWS data centers; co-wrote Microsoft’s initial Facilities Sustainability Program, setting the company’s 2030 carbon reduction goals; received the Intel Environmental Excellence Award for leadership of global recycling by eliminating 33,000 tons from landfill; and received the 2012 ISS CEO Award for saving US$7 million in one year for HP facilities via detailed benchmarking by space.
Goudy’s contributions to IFMA span 30 years, serving in a number of leadership roles, including Chair of IFMA’s Americas Advisory Board, for which he refined the board’s mission, charter, structure and membership, played a significant role in establishing two thriving IFMA chapters in Mexico City and Barbados, built relationships between regions for cross-utilisation of best practice methods, and identified targeted growth areas in Canada, Central and South America.
Frank Ngoh, CFM, SFP, FMP, CFME Tier 1, IFMA Fellow is a proven ambassador and mentor for both the industry and IFMA, fostering growth and excellence in the FM profession, facilitating meaningful connections between IFMA and local governments, promoting collaborative opportunities with other associations and private institutions, and leading positive change in the built environment.
His global impact as a sustainability leader is best represented by the transformation of a brownfield site into Singapore’s first eco-town. He introduced Singapore’s first vertical farm and black soldier fly farm, and set up an ecosystem of government agencies, utilities companies and educational institutes to allow easy access by residents, all of which are a model for true sustainable urban development and community engagement.
As Chair of the Singapore International Facility Management Association Accreditation Board, he leads a team of industry leaders to assess the competency of companies in providing FM services. As President of IFMA’s Singapore Chapter, Ngoh has reached out to neighbouring countries to lay the groundwork for future chapters and works tirelessly to elevate standards in the region by emphasising IFMA credentials as pivotal to transforming the FM industry globally.
