Cundall takes two Rising Star titles as BCO names NextGen Award winners

The British Council for Offices (BCO) named Cundall's Alejandro Mar Morales and Timothy Newcombe among nine winners at its NextGen Awards at Stereo Covent Garden in London on 12 November 2026.

Cundall took two of the five regional Rising Star titles, Mar Morales for London and the South East and Newcombe for the Midlands and East Anglia. Multiplex staff won two of the four national categories, with Molly Gardner named Graduate of the Year and Maria Fernandez Cachafeiro Inspirational Leader of the Year.

Scotch Partners won Employer of the Year, the title AECOM held in 2025, according to the BCO's announcements of the two years' results. Adil Sajjad of JLL took the Impact Award.

Ella Griffin, chair of the BCO NextGen committee for London and the South East, said: "What ultimately set the winners apart was their combination of professional achievement and commitment to actively driving positive change across the wider industry."

The winners

The remaining Rising Star awards went to Alan Stuart of Atelier Ten for Northern England, North Wales and Northern Ireland; Ryan Alexander Reid of AECOM for Scotland; and Laura Hennessy of Gleeds for South West England and South Wales.

The BCO said the Rising Star category recognises an under-35's contribution to the office sector in their region across disciplines. The awards, now in their 11th year, also cover Graduate of the Year, the Impact Award, Inspirational Leader of the Year and NextGen Employer of the Year.

The BCO said Hennessy was praised for advocating whole-life costing in quantity surveying. It said Reid uses data collection, modelling and digital technologies to help teams understand complex heritage buildings, and that Gardner founded Girls in Construction on TikTok, a platform which has had more than 1m clicks.

The competition

The BCO's awards page lists the finalists each winner beat. Mar Morales was shortlisted for the London and South East Rising Star award alongside Praneet Bhullar of Hawkins\Brown, Maisie Cox of Workplace Creations and Fanis Violentis of Gensler.

Gardner's rivals for Graduate of the Year were Aideen McAlary of Specialist Group, Jude McLoughlin of Cundall and Esther Memeh of Savills. Sajjad won the Impact Award ahead of Huda Elsherif of Scotch Partners and Jessica Glynn of Atelier Ten.

Fernandez Cachafeiro took Inspirational Leader of the Year from a shortlist that also included Lesley Hammond of 8 Build, Kristy Lansdown of The Crown Estate and Karen Trainor of Specialist Group. The judges for that category were Mike Burton of Scotch Partners, Samantha McClary of the BCO and Nieves Valle of Stanton Williams.

Newcombe, a senior engineer in building services at Cundall, was appointed BCO NextGen Midlands chair, the firm announced in December 2025. Cundall's profile of him records that he previously won the BCO NextGen Graduate of the Year award. The 2025 Inspirational Leader of the Year was also a Cundall employee, Theodor Bratosin.

Why the BCO says it matters

BCO chief executive Samantha McClary said: "Decarbonisation, changing work patterns and rising occupier expectations are reshaping our industry, so we truly need this mix of ambition and generosity right now."

BCO president Andy McBain said the awards should be seen as a beacon of optimism for everyone working in the sector.

The BCO said the awards are a key initiative of its NextGen committee, which supports professionals aged 35 and under in the commercial property sector. NextGen membership is open to those under 35, who receive the same benefits as full members at a discounted rate, according to the organisation.

The BCO was founded in 1990 and has more than 4,000 members. The 2025 awards, held at Skylon in London, marked the tenth anniversary of the NextGen programme's awards.

Tickets for the 2026 ceremony cost £130 ex VAT for members and £145 ex VAT for non-members. The BCO listed Core Five, GPE, Make Architects, Multiplex, Opera, The Crown Estate and Unova Consulting as Silver partners for the 2026 awards.