Property’s brightest young stars were recognised for their drive, astuteness and ambassadorial qualities at the first RICS Matrics Young Surveyor of the Year Awards. They came from offices across the country to be among 300 attendees at the black tie event at the Marriott Grosvenor Square, W1, on 14 November. Aislinn Wood (pictured above, centre), a chartered project manager at Faithful+Gould in Scotland, was crowned the overall Young Surveyor of the Year 2014. A winner in the Project Management category, she was up against 11 other category winners and selected by George Clarke from the TV show Amazing Spaces for the top gong. The evening was hosted by funnyman Ed Byrne, who presented trophies for categories that spanned commercial and residential property, planning, facilities management and the public sector. RICS chief executive Sean Tompkins highlighted how more than 65% of company bosses thought talent retention and development was the biggest challenge facing the industry. “We need to attract and retain the best talent to remain world class,” he said. “The high standard of nominations for these awards is testament to the hard work and determination of younger professionals and their employers who have embraced and nurtured their ambitions.” Category winners Building Surveying Sam Bensky, Rider Levett Bucknall Commercial Agent Sahar Rezazadeh, GVA Facilities Management Owen Gower, Vinci Facilities Property Manager David Chatten Colliers International Project Management Aislinn Wood, Faithful+Gould Public Sector/Academia Elizabeth Drake, Valuation Office Agency Quantity Surveying Andrew Horsman, Faithful+Gould Residential Kathryn Davies, Morris Marshall & Poole Planning/Development Christopher Whitehouse, Nextphase Development Rural Matthew Watson, Savills Valuation Nina Rudarakanchana, Savills Mentor of the Year Ian McKie, Mott MacDonald