Inspiring STEM ambassador from Northern Ireland crowned 'Surveyor of the Year' at UK-wide awards in London

Belfast surveying professional Carolyn Brady has been crowned overall ‘Surveyor of the Year’ at the RICS Matrics Surveyor Awards.

Carolyn, a building surveyor and regional lead partner for global quantity surveyor and construction consultancy firm Rider Levett Bucknall, won the Building Surveyor/Control Surveyor of the Year award, in addition to securing the overall RICS Matrics Surveyor of the Year title against other category winners from around the UK.

Marking a decade of these awards, the winners were announced at a ceremony hosted by TV presenter Cherry Healey at The Londoner, Leicester Square in London.

The judges described Carolyn as; “Someone who inspires others and supports them with passion and commitment to the profession. Driven by a desire to make a change and transform the sector was clear in this submission and it is why they are a worthy winner.”

Originally from Northern Ireland, Carolyn is a Liverpool John Moores University building surveying graduate who worked with Atkins in Warrington, England, before starting with Rider Levett Bucknall in 2017.

She was responsible for opening Rider Levett Bucknall’s first office in Northern Ireland and in a short space of 18 months, she grew the team to 16 across building surveying, project management, quantity surveying and health and safety disciplines.

Carolyn has been an active member with RICS over the years, she has been an APC counsellor and assessor for the past four years, and in 2021, Carolyn was appointed the RICS NI regional board, and chairs the RICS Northern Ireland High Street Regeneration Forum.

This year’s judging panel consisted of 18 industry leaders including Justin Sullivan, RICS senior vice president who said: “The RICS Matrics Surveyor of the Year Award is a true testament to Carolyn’s dedication to the industry over the years. She is a well-deserving winner who goes above and beyond for not only her company, but also RICS in Northern Ireland.

“Year on year we see immense levels of talent from high-achieving professionals who are the industry’s future leaders. Each winner is having a profoundly positive impact in their local community, and we’re proud to champion and recognise the hard work of each of these surveyors.”

Carolyn was one of five women on the list of 11 category winners in a year when female professionals represented just under 45% of those shortlisted, despite making up just 18% of UK surveyors.

The number of women shortlisted this year was 150% higher than in 2018, and 350% higher than in the award’s inaugural year in 2014; an increase that has happened in a period when representation of women in the industry has become much stronger with many more female role models.

RICS Matrics was first established 134 years ago as a networking and support group for all students, trainees and those with 10 years or less experience in the surveying profession. Today, RICS Matrics groups mainly operate across the UK but are rapidly developing in other world regions.