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Project Professional of the Year Award

APM Project Management Awards | 17 November 2025
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Project Professional of the Year Award

Finalists for this category have now been announced.

Recognising project professionals in all sectors making a significant contribution to the outcomes and benefits of their project(s) and/or programme(s) through excellent project delivery. 

Successful project professionals drive and lead the creation of an environment that makes things happen. They carefully balance technical and management skills whilst also juggling different views and perspectives, backgrounds and personalities. They progress and focus team performance to deliver benefits to their client and other stakeholders. Judges are looking for project professionals who can demonstrate these skills in abundance to deliver significant project and/or programme benefits. 

This award is open to project, programme or portfolio managers and practitioners of any age, with more than three years’ experience in their project management career.

Entrants for this category have a choice about how to they submit an entry, either:  

produce a submission of up to 1,000 words (in English) based on the judging criteria through delivery of a project or programme where their involvement has been greater than six months.  

Or 

produce a video submission (in English) based on the judging criteria through delivery of a project or programme where their involvement has been greater than six months. The video must be no longer than eight minutes in length and must only show the entrant speaking to the camera, no additional persons may be present, no graphics, images or documents included in the video.   

In addition entrants may also submit up to four pieces of supporting evidence - images or graphics only (no text apart from captions). Evidence must support information already included in the submission and must not introduce additional elements. Please see further details on the ‘Supporting evidence’ tab of the Awards platform. Video and audio are not accepted as part of the submission evidence. 

The Project Professional of the Year category is a two-stage judging category, the first stage is the written or video submission mentioned above.  The second stage requires all finalists to present virtually to a panel of judges on Tuesday 2 September 2025.  

Project professionals from across the globe may apply. Entrants can be members or non-members of APM. In this category we also encourage nominations (with the individual’s approval) from employers or colleagues. Please note that we can only accept one entry per nominee.  Hint/tip: Nominated individuals who write their own entry, tend to score higher (does not apply to Outstanding Achievement category).  

Winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on 17 November.

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Congratulations and good luck to all our finalists...

Finalist  Kshitiza Bawa - Aster DM Healthcare

Kshitiza led a transformative patient referral optimization programme across multi-vertical healthcare network in Aster DM Healthcare, one of the leading healthcare institutions in the GCC, delivering USD 50+ million revenue in FY25, exceeding targets ahead of schedule. By enhancing collaboration, digitizing referral tracking, embedding structured governance, the project improved patient experience, reduced leakage, and promoted sustainability. Through innovative scorecards, cross-functional engagement, agile delivery, the initiative became a model for enterprise-wide transformation.

It not only achieved strong commercial and clinical outcomes but also fostered a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement, establishing scalable tools, empowered teams, and lasting organizational impact. Through leadership, engagement, and action, it built a culture shaped by shared vision and empowered voices.

Finalist  Lauren Dwyer - Eagle Eye

As an Agile and PRINCE2-qualified Senior Project Manager, I manage both enterprise accounts in many different sectors and internal projects with multi-million pound budgets, delivering high-impact solutions across industries. With a strong background in retail and loyalty, I excel at leading cross-functional teams to drive transformation and enhance customer engagement.

Known for my confidence and excellent stakeholder management skills, I build and maintain strong relationships with senior leaders and clients to ensure successful project outcomes. My approach blends agile methodologies with structured project governance to optimise efficiency, mitigate risks, and deliver on-time, on-budget solutions that align with business goals & customer needs.

Finalist  Wayne George - Local Partnerships LLP

Wayne is a Project Director at Local Partnerships LLP (owned by HM Treasury, Local Government Association and Welsh Government). He successfully designed and delivered the Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) data discovery project commissioned by the Department for Transport and Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles.

Delivery of project requirements coincided with a complex and changing legislative backdrop, completing in-depth engagement with public and private stakeholders to understand data sharing readiness, data use cases and future data demands. By delivering an interactive CAM data gap map the Department was able to prioritise strategic risks and opportunities to inform future legislation.

Finalist  Tatiana Grebennikova - KBR

I led a client’s first Social Value platform delivery, reframing it from a tech project into a strategic reset in how we track value and accountability. The platform now saves over 20 hours per project, strengthens audit readiness, and shifts ownership to teams who deliver the work.

I used a hybrid model to balance structured governance with adaptive delivery, keeping risks visible and stakeholders engaged. Tools I introduced, from reusable templates to a one-page delivery rhythm, saved £15,000 and are now in use beyond the project. It set a new benchmark for how we design and account for impact.

Finalist  Surya Yeshwanth Mandapaka - Tycon Infrastructures Private Limited

As Managing Director of Projects & Operations at Tycon Infrastructures, I led a full-scale transformation of our project delivery model through the establishment of a centralized Project Management Office (PMO). Overseeing a $18M portfolio across 30+ infrastructure projects, I drove operational excellence, achieving 97% on-time, on-budget delivery, reducing project cycle times by 20%, and cutting the cash conversion cycle from 108 to 32 days.

I embedded Lean and Agile methodologies, improved sustainability performance by 18%, and developed a high-performing leadership pipeline. This initiative strengthened client trust, improved organizational resilience, and delivered lasting environmental and socio-economic benefits.

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Winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on 17 November.
We look forward to celebrating with you.

Book your ticket or table