FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
More than 500 members and guests were in attendance at the 2025 Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) Industry Awards, which took place last Thursday (16 October) at the historic Brewery, Chiswell Street, London.
Almost 150 companies and individuals were recognised across 26 award categories, representing a 44 per cent increase in entries compared with last year. This led BESA President Pete Curtis to hail the event as “a true celebration of the entire building engineering sector and its supply chains”.
The Awards Dinner and after party followed the Association’s Annual Conference at the same venue earlier in the day.
The event was hosted by celebrity magician Ben Hanlin and celebrated the people and companies deemed to have gone “above and beyond the call of duty” for the greater good of the industry. Categories covered the full supply chain from manufacturers and distributors though contractors, engineers, and clients, and reflected the industry’s efforts to get to grips with today’s big issues like competence and compliance, indoor air quality, and decarbonisation.
New categories for 2025 included: Contractor of the Year winners for each of the four UK nations culminating in an overall National Contractor of the Year award.
There were also two specialist contractor categories for Ventilation Hygiene and Service and Maintenance. Also new for 2025 were Distributor and Supplier of the Year categories.
The finalists in this year’s WorldSkills UK competition (Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heat Pump category) were guests of honour at the dinner. BESA is the organising partner of the competition, which celebrates both emerging and existing technical skills.
Apprentices and young engineers from right across the industry were also out in force with their talents showcased in a series of awards including the Rising Star of the Year. There was the usual wide range of specialist apprentice categories culminating in the overall Apprentice of the Year.
The Manly Trust Management Training Award provided another opportunity for a promising individual with leadership potential to progress their career.
There were three ‘Project of the Year’ awards covering the industry’s best work in Net Zero, Indoor Air Quality, and Retrofit. Two ‘Excellence’ awards for outstanding achievements in Competence and Compliance and SFG20 Excellence in Maintenance were also presented for the first time.
The general company initiative awards covered: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Training Provider of the Year, Product Innovation of the Year, and Learning and Development.
The full list of winners and shortlisted companies and individuals can be viewed here.
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