A team from the Royal School of Military Engineering (RSME) has won the CIOB Tomorrow’s Leaders Greater London and South East Bright Futures Student Challenge 2026.
The annual competition, sponsored by Kier and hosted by the University of Westminster, brought together students from universities and colleges across the region to test their construction knowledge and presentation skills.
This year’s challenge focused on 33-35 Piccadilly, a redevelopment project being delivered by Kier Construction on behalf of The Crown Estate. Following a site tour led by the Kier project team, participants were asked to prepare a 10-minute presentation in response to a project-related question.
The presentations were assessed by a panel of industry judges, including representatives from Vowler Associates, The Blue Iris Partnership, AVK, MA Group and Kier, alongside members of the 33-35 Piccadilly project team.
The winning RSME team comprised Matthew Howlett, Alexander Graham, Pragyan Limbu and James Shepherd. The University of Westminster team of Sophia Dwyer, Yasmin Sunley, Ghalib Amin and Derek Jeffries took second place.
Individual awards were also presented. Yasmin Sunley was named Outstanding Student, receiving a trophy, certificate, voucher and the opportunity to undertake two weeks of work experience with Kier.
Ozima Sarah Uzo and Derek Jeffries, both from the University of Westminster, received Highly Commended recognition, along with certificates, vouchers and the opportunity for work experience with Kier.
CIOB President Saul Humphrey also attended the event, meeting students and sharing career advice and insights into the construction industry.
Lydia Bocko, CIOB Greater London and South East Regional Manager, said: “The CIOB Bright Futures Student Challenge was a fantastic event. It was inspiring to see so many talented students from across London and the South East participating and demonstrating their passion for the construction industry.”
CIOB thanked Kier and the University of Westminster for their sponsorship and support.
