More than 500 facilities management professionals came together in Melbourne to celebrate the finalists and winners of the FM Industry Awards for Excellence.

Presented by the Facility Management Association of Australia (FMA) at the Grand Hyatt, winners and finalists were recognised across 10 categories.

This year the awards ceremony included the introduction of a new category, Excellence in FM, with two facility types awarded: Government & Special Purpose and Education & Schools.

FMA CEO Nicholas Burt said: “We knew it would be a significant event based on the interest very early on, but we could not prepare ourselves for the success on the night.”

A special announcement saw the induction of Steve Taylor as the association’s newest life member. A milestone for the FMA and recognition of the passion, drive and commitment he has displayed over an almost 20-year membership.

Programmed’s operations manager Stuart Windsor and senior facilities manager Amy Nicholls were awarded the highly coveted FM Manager of the Year and Young Achiever of the Year respectively.

FMA chairperson Kristiana Greenwood said: “Without a doubt the most prestigious industry event in facilities management – a real opportunity to recognise excellence and celebrate the success in the industry. An outstanding event that just continues to get bigger and better every year”.

FMA charity partner, The Kids’ Cancer Project, also gave away prizes in the charity raffle, raising $10,000 towards finding a cure for childhood cancer.

Congratulations to all the FM Industry Award winners:

Facilities Manager of the Year

Stuart Windsor, operations manager, Programmed

Young Achiever of the Year

Amy Nicholls, senior facilities manager, Programmed

Highly commended

Ebony Elliott, account manager, JLL

Leadership in Gender Diversity

Scot Pittaway, Managing Director, Intact Group

New Category: Excellence in FM – 2 facility types were awarded in this new category

Government & Special Purpose

JLL – Department of Immigration and Border Protection

Education & Schools

RMIT – Advanced 40 year life cycle model for Higher Education

Collaborative Partnerships

Knight Frank, Airmaster & BUENO – Predictive maintenance within the commercial HVAC industry

People & Productivity

Mirvac – EY Centre, 200 George St

Sustainability & Environmental Impact

Mirvac – EY Centre, 200 George St

Occupant Safety & Wellbeing

RMIT – for its comprehensive hazmat and asbestos management plan