DATE 6TH NOVEMBER 2025 VENUE P&J LIVE ABERDEEN
Principal Sponsor
PLATINUM SPONSOR
The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE) is a charity delivering public benefit, a National Academy providing progressive leadership, and a Fellowship bringing together an unrivalled community of leaders from every part of engineering and technology. Our Patron is His Majesty King Charles III.
RAE deliver public benefit from engineering excellence and technology innovation.
RAE provide progressive leadership for engineering and technology, and independent expert advice to government, in the UK and beyond.
RAE bring together an unrivalled community of leading business people, entrepreneurs, innovators and academics from every part of engineering and technology.
Our focus for 2025 to 2030 is to use our expertise and our network to engineer better lives in the UK and internationally.
RAE are growing talent, developing skills for the future, driving innovation, building global partnerships, influencing policy and engaging the public.
RAE have been promoting engineering excellence for nearly 50 years.
WELCOME WORDS by Dr.Ollie Folayan MBE CEng FIChemE
Welcome to the 2025 Gala and Awards! Tonight, we gather in the energy capital of Europe, a city that embodies resilience and diligently preserves its past while actively shaping its future.
Despite the mix of hope and apprehension that consumes the Granite City, embracing the future demands resilience and innovation, with people at its core.
At AFBE, we believe in the principle that a rising tide lifts all boats, and that the engineering sector thrives when we empower individuals to be their best. It is in this spirit that we have come together to celebrate the very best in our sector.
Whether they are a STEM Champion broadening access for others, a young professional forging their path in the industry, a leader, a mentor, a company or entrepreneur, an employee resource group, a volunteer, or an outstanding contributor, every finalist embodies the qualities of resilience and innovation.
We have titled tonight’s theme “Tapestry of Impact,” which serves as both a celebration of our mission to date and a challenge for us to achieve even more.
As you listen to our winners and their inspiring stories, we encourage you to reflect on the potential impact you can create for the next generation and, ultimately, for our communities.
Dr Ollie Folayan MBE CEng FIChemE FREng Co-Founder, AFBE-UK Deputy President IChemE
OUR HOST
Jean Johansson
BAFTA nominated TV Presenter and Broadcast Journalist
Jean Johansson has a string of TV credits including flagship Channel 4 show ‘A Place in The Sun’, ‘Key to A Fortune’, ‘Dream Life for The Same Price’, ‘The One Show’, ‘Sunday Morning Live’, ‘Animal Park’, ’Are They a Con?’ as well as being part of the team on ITVs This Morning. Last year Jean impressed in completing a hattrick of TV Gameshows by winning ‘Pointless’, ‘House of Games’ and ‘Celebrity Mastermind’.
During her university years Broadcast Journalism was her passion, whilst completing her Post Graduate Diploma, she headed up the newsroom of her university radio station and thrived as both reporter and editor of daily, hourly bulletins.
Unafraid to step away from her friendly daytime persona, Kenyan born Jean recently tackled the issue of racism in her native Scotland as she fronted a BBC Disclosure documentary called ‘The Truth About Scotland and Racism’. This forced her to confront her own past and challenge modern day attitudes around discrimination and prejudice. She worked closely with the team to research, help write and shape the film, gaining huge accolades for her honesty and fearlessness in confronting the topic.
She is also a keen writer and enjoys penning her weekly column ‘Jeans Scene’ for Scotland’s biggest selling weekend newspaper. Away from work, she’s a self - confessed bookworm, musical theatre enthusiast and animal lover.
PROGRAMME
The AFBE-UK Gala & Awards night celebrates the growing diversity of the engineering landscape and the contribution of companies and individuals to the industry. Bringing an unmatched level of recognition in front of industry peers, the awards provide companies and individuals with a springboard for growth, as well as inspiring the next generation and the industry to keep evolving.
The gala which has been held every other year in Scotland since 2012 continues to be the premier networking event for business leaders, government officials, professionals and students of ethnic minority backgrounds, the academia and organisations promoting diversity and STEM careers.
GOLD SPONSOR
Leonardo is one of the UK’s leading aerospace companies and one of biggest suppliers of defence and security equipment to the UK MOD, and makes a significant contribution to the UK economy with revenues of over £2.5bn, with nearly £1bn in exports.
The company operates from 9 main sites across the UK employing over 8,500 highly skilled people.
We are one of the UK’s largest employers of engineering apprentices and graduates, investing around £3.5 million on employee training and development annually, and actively support STEM curricula.
Maintaining Leonardo’s healthy and productive relationships with all our suppliers is critical to our continued success. Our eight major sites across the UK each bring investment into the local economy and wider region through strong links with supply chain companies in the surrounding areas. We spend approximately £1 billion with nearly 1,700 companies in our UK supply chain annually.
Programme
6:00pm Welcome Drinks
7:00pm Video Opening and Dance
7:10pm Welcome
7:15pm POETRY A piece inspired by Tapestry of Impact
7:20pm Tapestry of Impact video 1
7:25pm Founder and Chair Speech
7:30pm Keynote Speaker- RAEng (Dr Nelson Ogunshakin)
7:40pm Starters
8:20pm 1st, 2nd and 3rd Award Presentations
8:50pm Tapestry of Impact video 3
8:55pm Mains / Entertainment
9:45pm Fireside Chat - Mott Macdonald
10:00pm Desert
10:35pm 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th Award Presentations
11:15pm Founder and Co-Chair Speech
11:20pm 8th & 9th Award Presentations
11:45pm Vote of Thanks
11:50pm Entertainment
12:05am Dance Opening
12:35am Close
GOLD SPONSOR
For well over a century, Shell has been playing a major role in powering and fuelling the UK’s industry, transport and homes.
Shell UK remains one of the North Sea’s biggest producers, supplying around 10% of the UK’s total oil and gas needs. But perhaps the most recognisable face of Shell in the UK is our network of over 1,000 Shell-branded service stations.
In the years ahead, as the UK looks to strengthen energy security and deliver its 2050 net-zero goal, Shell UK aims to play a crucial role. We aim to be a major investor in the UK energy system by helping our customers decarbonise with a focus on transport and industry.
Shell is providing more renewable and low-carbon energy options for customers in areas including offshore wind and hydrogen. At the beginning of 2022, Shell UK won bids to develop 5 gigawatts of floating wind power off the east and north-east coast of Scotland, which could bring enough clean energy to power the annual equivalent of 6 million homes.
THE JUDGES
Ama Frimpong Head of Product Development 52 North Health Ltd
Carol Stewart Founder of Abounding Solutions and Author of “Quietly Visible”
Craig Shanaghey Energy Executive AFBE Advisor
Graham Skinner Health and Safety Manager Offshore Energies UK
Dr. Carol Marsh OBE Head of Digital Systems Celestia-UK
Catherine Strachan CEO Includes You Ltd.
Enoch Adeyemi Fellow of the Association of Chartered Accountants (ACCA)
Helen West
Global Director - Marine Asset Integrity Fugro
Ian Phillips
Founding Director
CO2Deepstore Ltd
Mavis Anagboso
Global Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Harbour Energy
Stephanie Dean Director of Programmes, Charitable Investments GSK
Dr. Urenna Adegbotolu Environmental Sustainability Professional
Lesley Jonas-Nartey Senior Manager
IBM Consulting
Norrie Westbrook Unit Operations Director Mott MacDonald
Tunji Akintokun MBE CCI Senior Director
LinkedIn UK and Ireland
Yekemi Otaru CEO
Somebody Cares SCIO
THE JUDGES CONTD.
Yewande Akinola Engineering Designer and Innovator
Nike Amiaka
Chartered Chemical Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE)
Padraig McCloskey Corporate Relations Manager Shell
Stella Fonseca
UK Product & Service Delivery Manager SLB
Jaemie Hutton Vice President and Head of UK Operations Rebar Design and Detail
Robin Mackenzie CEO Strategy International
Tolu Falade Production Team Leader bp
Amitoj Singh
TransVolt Power Solution
Novus Power and Advanced Power Services
Mohammad Taher
The Airport Guy
Andy Dodds
Director UK & Europe IDMS Group Oceaneering International Services Ltd
Jonathan Smith
The Alternative Board, Glencraft, Greyhope Bay
Jennifer MacDonald
Interim Head of Diversity and Inclusion Royal Academy of Engineering
Adrienne Houston, FIET CEng Company Director Eurovacuum Products Ltd
James Donaldson Communications Director Engage PR
Paula Durward
Vice President, Growth & Development & Operations Wood
Helen Wu
Senior Account Manager Aspentech
GOLD SPONSOR
To solve your toughest challenges, Oceaneering do things differently, creatively, and smarter. As your trusted partner, our unmatched experience and truly innovative portfolio of technologies and solutions give us the flexibility to adapt and evolve, regardless of market conditions.
We provide engineered services and products primarily to the offshore energy industry. Today, we also use applied technology expertise to serve the defense, material handling, aerospace, science, and renewable energy industries.
Only by working together will we safely and reliably reshape the futures of the industries we serve.
Our mission is to solve the unsolvable. We thrive by creating industrychanging technically creative solutions for the most complex operational challenges under water, on land, and in space. Our five core values establish a common culture and demonstrate what is most important for us as a company.
Oceaneering offers best-in-class products and solutions, backed by unparalleled quality, reliability, and global support.
Chloe Lipton
Dr. Chika Judith Abolle-Okoyeagu
Hayyaan Bashir
Donna Otchere
Hawa Kandeh
Krystina PearsonRampeearee
Sponsored by Leonardo
Mariah Ichakpa
Georgia Thompson
Cynthia Okwosha
Surakat Kudehinbu
Chinwe Odili
Aisha Mehmood
GOLD SPONSOR
The purpose of SLB is to create amazing technology that unlocks access to energy for the benefit of all. As innovators, that’s been our mission for 100 years. We are facing the world’s greatest balancing act—how to simultaneously reduce emissions while meeting the world’s growing energy demands. We’re working on that answer. Every day is a step closer. Our collective future depends on decarbonizing the fossil fuel industry while innovating across the entire energy landscape. It’s what drives us, ensuring progress for the people and the planet—on the journey to net zero and beyond.
With a global footprint in more than 100 countries and employees representing almost twice as many nationalities, we work each day on decarbonizing industry, innovating in oil and gas, delivering digital at scale, and developing and scaling new energy systems that accelerate the energy transition.
Our people are exceptional. They are diverse. And they are the pulse and spirit of who we are. These talented people are the core that drives our purpose and integrity, which fuels our belief that everyone should have the opportunity to reach their greatest potential. Ever-evolving and constantly innovating, we transcend every cultural and technological boundary set before us. Indeed, our diversity makes us stronger. Together, we achieve more.
Miguel Cabrera Vivas
Timi Adegunwa
Hope Okhuoya
Edwin Ehiorobo
Rohit Malhotra
Professor Babakalli Alkali
GOLD SPONSOR
Harbour Energy has built a unique position as one of the world’s largest and most geographically diverse independent oil and gas companies, with operations spread across five continents.
We provide the energy the world needs safely and responsibly. We are committed to addressing the environmental impact of our operations and to playing a role in the energy transition, including through our leading position in carbon capture and storage in Europe. We aim to create value for all our stakeholders while charting a tangible path towards a lower carbon future.
As well as playing a significant role in meeting global energy demand safely, we also work hard to reduce the environmental impact of our current operations and are developing carbon storage projects that will be essential to delivering a sustainable energy transition.
Across our operations and our business, we focus on creating value for all our stakeholders. This means offering fulfilling careers to our employees and contractors, generating returns for our investors and delivering for our partners and customers – all while making a positive contribution to our local communities wherever we operate.
Edward Obi
Shiladitya Ghosh
Abishek Bhatia
Saad Mahtar
Dr. Muhammad Sadiq
Florence Aluu
Tendayi Munyebvu Sharon
Anusha Shah
GOLD SPONSOR
AspenTech deliver software solutions that empower assetintensive industries to optimize asset design, operation and maintenance. By improving operational excellence, sustainability and performance, we help companies meet the growing global demand for resources.
Aspen Technology formed from the Advanced System for Process Engineering (ASPEN) Project — joint research between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and U.S. Department of Energy.
The team explored technical innovations in response to the 1970’s energy crisis, developing the chemical industry’s first computerbased modeling and simulation technology.
The innovations developed in those initial days had a transformative impact, providing the foundation for decades of industrial optimization advancements.
Today, AspenTech (now a part of Emerson) is a leading industrial software partner with solutions that optimize the entire asset lifecycle—design, operation and maintenance— in complex environments. Leveraging deep domain expertise and awardwinning innovation, we help assetintensive industries enhance operational excellence and meet sustainability goals.
GOLD SPONSOR
Mott Macdonald are a global, employee-owned, engineering, management and development consultancy.
We plan, design, deliver and maintain the transport, energy, water, buildings and wider infrastructure that is integral to people’s daily lives.
We use our expertise for the benefit of our clients and the communities they serve.
We’re committed to behaving ethically in all that we do. This is reflected in Our Code – Delivering with PRIDE and is reinforced through our PRIDE values of Progress, Respect, Integrity, Drive and Excellence. Our commitment includes business practices that are responsible, fair and promote the highest standards of integrity.
Together with our colleagues’ deep subject knowledge and technical excellence, our digital skillset helps us, our clients, and partners to address old challenges better and solve new ones – seeing problems and possibilities more clearly, and being more agile, efficient and effective.
People are at the heart of our business. We’re a global network of passionate innovators, problem solvers, doers and thinkers.
As an employee-owned organisation we make decisions and run our business based on fairness, openness and honesty, which all lie at the heart of our values.
SILVER SPONSORS
ENTERTAINMENT
RECEPTION DRINKS
TABLE GIFTS
BRONZE SPONSORS
GOLD SPONSOR
wood. are the world’s industry-leading consultants, engineers and project delivery experts on a mission to design the future of energy and materials.
Wood delivers solutions across more than 60 countries with local offices covering all major energy and materials hubs globally.
For more than 160 years, Wood has partnered with clients to deliver engineering, advisory and operational solutions to some of the world’s most complex and critical challenges in energy and materials.
With world-leading experts in decarbonising, digitalising and optimising complex industrial assets, Wood prides itself on delivering innovation, expertise and practical solutions to complex projects.
We are committed to pursuing a lower carbon future and supporting our clients in reaching their own sustainability ambitions. It takes practical solutions and trusted partnerships to make progress.
We are a company of 35,000 remarkable people with the skills, intelligence, commitment, innovation, determination, care and courage to deliver the solutions the world needs.
PERFORMERS
ADHISH ARUL
Adhish Arul is a UK-based South Asian artist, dancer, and cultural entrepreneur specializing in Afro fusion, hip-hop, and South Asian street forms. With performances at Sadler’s Wells, collaborations with Red Bull, and event curation across the UK and India, he leads U & M Dance Hub, creating cross-cultural exchanges that blend tradition with modern contemporary movement.
OGORCHUKWU OZOR
Ogorchukwu Ozor is a Nigerian-born, London-based, award-winning spoken word poet, recognised as Mainstreams’ One to Watch Best Spoken Word Poet 2024 and winner of Wordplay and Flow’s Best Spoken Word Poem 2024. She fuses music and words to create performances that are both powerful and immersive, and her poetry has reached thousands of people in live audiences and over 100,000 online.
JOHN ELSON
John is a UK-based cartoonist and illustrator, working nationwide and based in Cambridgeshire.
He specialises in live caricature entertainment as well as custom illustration for a wide range of events and clients.
VELVET NOTES
Velvet Notes is a distinguished force in the luxury live music world, fronted by Josh. Accompanying him are some of the finest musicians in the country, with decades of combined experience who also perform alongside household names across the U.K. and beyond. The band is dedicated to delivering authentic, unforgettable performances spanning nostalgic classics to cutting-edge hits, across genres including Afrobeat, R&B, soul, disco, house, amapiano, pop, indie, and more... Their clients and audiences can be assured of one thing: promised excellence, encapsulated by their timeless slogan #webringthevibe.
SOLU OKUNUGA
Sola Okunuga is a soulful and dynamic saxophonist whose music carries a clear purpose; to share the love of God through every note. Inspired by great artists like Kirk Whalum, Gerald Albright, James Carter, Angella Christie, Kenny G, and Whitney Houston, Sola blends technical mastery with heartfelt worship. He has graced both national and international stages, performing as a solo artist and sharing platforms with icons such as Dr. Ron Kenoly, Don Moen, Philippa Hanna, Muyiwa Olanrewaju, Ian White, Steph Macleod, Isabella, Bob Fitts, and Chevelle Franklyn. His journey includes opening for the legendary Blind Boys of Alabama (eight-time Grammy winners) and the award-winning saxophonist Mike Aremu.
Through his performances, Sola continues to use the saxophone as a medium of worship, joy, and divine connection.
TROPHY DESIGN
Audrey Cook Student at Robert Gordon University
This year’s AFBE Awards trophy is more than a symbol — it’s a story of collaboration, creativity, and vision.
Students from Gray’s School of Art were invited to interpret this year’s theme, “Tapestry of Impact,” and bring it to life through design. Their passion and insight were truly inspiring.
From this dynamic collaboration, Audrey Cook emerged as the winning designer, translating the vision of innovation, dedication, and impact into a striking work of art.
By engaging the next generation in the creation of these trophies, we are not only recognising excellence — we are nurturing it. Each award stands as a testament to the power of creativity, mentorship, and the enduring legacy of those who inspire change.
THE CHARITY: INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION
International Justice Mission is a global organisation working to stop slavery and violence. IJM does this by IJM works with local authorities and partners in 33 regions across 19 countries to:
- partner with local police to help bring people to safety from slavery and violence
- support survivors to heal with trauma-informed care
- hold traffickers and perpetrators of violence to account
- strengthen justice systems so that people are protected in the first place
Together with authorities and partners, IJM has brought over 100,000 people to safety and seen slavery decrease by up to 86% in places where they work. In addition, 380,000 people are estimated to be free from labour trafficking in Tamil Nadu, India, thanks to IJM’s successful programme with the state government to strengthen justice systems and deter criminals. IJM has been highlighted as one of 10 non-profits “making a difference” by U.S. News and World Report.
AFBELIVE 2026 SAVE THE DATE
Location: The Vox Conference Venue Birmingham
Date: October 2026
AFBELive is a conference conceived by AFBE-UK on its 15th anniversary to showcase AFBE-UK’s work over many years in towns and cities across the UK. The one-day conference will highlight the contributions of people from minoritized groups in the UK through innovation.
The conference aims to amplify the importance of diversity, inclusion and belonging by providing all stakeholders with insights into strategies that enable growth of our industry while discussing technology challenges in the industry.
