Meet our BREEAM Awards 2026 judging panel
Our judging panel is formed of built environment experts and leaders from across the industry.
Jorge Chapa, Chief Impact Officer, Green Building Council of Australia
Jorge Chapa leads GBCA’s strategic priorities, partnerships and initiatives, including Green Star, supporting the transformation of Australia’s built environment. His leadership was recognised by the Australian Financial Review in 2025.
He serves on CRREM’s Technical Council, the Climate Bond Initiative’s Low Carbon Buildings Technical Working Group and several World Green Building Council committees and is a board director of GreenFleet and the GRESB Foundation.
Dr Jennifer Jurado, Chief Resilience Officer, Broward County
Dr Jennifer Jurado is Broward County’s Chief Resilience Officer, leading county‑wide climate resilience and water resource planning. She has played a key role in advancing regional climate strategies, including establishment of the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact.
Jennifer has contributed to national climate preparedness initiatives and was recognised by the White House as a Champion of Change for her leadership. Dr Jurado holds a PhD in Marine Biology and Fisheries from the University of Miami.
Hanane El Hayek, Director, Market Transformation Western Europe, GBCI Europe
Hanane El Hayek has more than 15 years’ experience in green building certifications and sustainable development across the EMEA region. She contributes to EU initiatives, advises on multi-certified developments and has co-authored global reports on sustainable building practices.
Hanane has trained stakeholders across multiple markets and brings international insight and objectivity to her role as a BREEAM Awards judge.
Mara R Hermida, Technical Development Manager, BREEAM ES
Mara Hermida is Technical Development Manager for BREEAM ES at the Technological Institute of Galicia, where she has worked since 2009 on the implementation and development of the methodology in Spain.
Mara leads the design and operation of the certification system, coordinates technical adaptation and oversees assessor training. She previously worked in ITG’s Construction Technologies Area.
Ufi Ibrahim, Chief Executive, Energy and Environment Alliance
Ufi Ibrahim is the Founder and Chief Executive of the Energy and Environment Alliance, a global coalition of hospitality and lodging investors, operators and asset managers focused on net zero and ESG leadership. She previously served as Chief Executive of the British Hospitality Association, leading its merger into UK Hospitality.
Ufi is a Non-Executive Director of the Lamington Group and a Commissioner for the Food Farming and Countryside Commission.
Alexandra Notay, CEO, Housing Forum
Alexandra Notay became CEO of the Housing Forum in January 2026. She is an internationally recognised expert on housing, placemaking and ESG, with over 20 years’ strategic advisory and investment experience.
She chaired the Radix Big Tent Housing Commission and was Placemaking and Investment Director at Thriving Investments. Alexandra is an Honorary Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and winner of Residential Leader of the Year at Property Week’s Inspiring Women in Property Awards.
Bryan Oknyansky ARB, AIA, Head of Sustainability, Studio Moren
Bryan Oknyansky is an architect, BREEAM AP and Head of Sustainability at Studio Moren, leading the development and delivery of the practice’s sustainability strategy.
Bryan also leads planning and design work on residential, hotel and aparthotel projects across the UK, including refurbishments, conversions, new builds and listed buildings. Bryan has worked on projects in the UK, USA and China and has lectured internationally.
Andrea Palmer, CEO, CRREM
Andrea Palmer is CEO of the CRREM Foundation, leading its work on science-based decarbonisation pathways and transition risk management for real estate. She previously served as Responsible Investment Lead for PGGM’s real estate investment trust portfolio and has contributed to the European Real Estate Association and GRESB committees.
Andrea has also held roles at LaSalle Investment Management, GRESB and Triodos Investment Management and holds a Master’s in Real Estate Development and Sustainable Cities.
David Partridge, Chair, Senze Limited
David Partridge is Chair of Senze Limited and a trustee of the property industry charity Landaid. He chairs the governance board of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard and sits on the advisory boards of Construct Zero and Standard Gas Technologies.
David studied architecture at Cambridge and is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Chris Pyke, Chief Innovation Officer, GRESB
Dr Chris Pyke is Chief Innovation Officer at GRESB, overseeing innovation, communications and the GRESB Foundation. He previously served as Senior Vice President for Arc Skoru, Chief Strategy Officer for Aclima and as a research scientist at the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Chris is on the faculty of Georgetown University’s Urban and Regional Planning Program and holds a PhD and MA from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Swati Singh, Energy and Sustainability Global Lead, CBRE Global Workplace Solutions
Swati is Global Energy and Sustainability Lead at CBRE for a major financial services client. With a background in architecture, project management and sustainability, she has worked as a client, consultant and contractor on building and infrastructure projects.
Swati develops and implements decarbonisation strategies, oversees environmental and energy management systems and contributes to sustainability-related reporting standards.
Viel Sørensen, Director of Certification, Grønn Byggallianse
Viel Sørensen has been Director of Certification for BREEAM-NOR at the Norwegian Green Building Council since 2017. Under her leadership, NGBC has become an independent operator of BREEAM New Construction and In-Use and a champion for BREEAM Infrastructure in Norway.
With more than 20 years’ experience in environmental management and certification, she has seen the significant impact BREEAM has had on the industry since 2012.
Alexandra Vella, Technical Director, RED Engineering Design
Alexandra Vella is Technical Director at RED Engineering Design and has more than 20 years’ experience across engineering and sustainability. Licensed for BREEAM since 2007, she leads RED’s Building Certification team and oversees bid management, project delivery, training and mentoring.
Her team also undertakes energy audits, environmental reporting and ISO compliance. Alexandra contributed to the development of the BREEAM 2014 and 2018 New Construction schemes.
BRE judges
Breana Wheeler, Director of Operations, BRE USA
Breana Wheeler is Director of Operations for BRE USA, leading the expansion of BREEAM standards across America since 2016. She also supports global technical work on resilience and social impact.
Breana is a Chartered Environmentalist and a member of the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals. She previously worked in environmental and sustainability risk management for multi-national corporations and is a frequent speaker and ESG webinar host.
Tom Wilson, Director, Building Performance Services Product, Sales and Data, BRE
Tom Wilson leads BRE’s Building Performance Services division. He began his career in climate adaptation at the UK Climate Impacts Programme and joined BRE in 2011, initially training BREEAM assessors worldwide.
He later led BREEAM International and oversaw BREEAM’s technical and product development. Tom focuses on ensuring that BRE’s sustainability solutions support people and buildings to thrive.
Kaie Small-Warner, Director of Research and Impact, BRE
Kaie Small-Warner is Director of Research and Impact at BRE, with more than 15 years’ experience across the energy and construction sectors in the UK, Europe and the Caribbean.
Her work includes programmes on sustainability and circularity in the built environment, including the Horizon Europe CIRCuIT project. Kaie holds a PhD on sustainable business models in construction and an MSc in Sustainable Energy and Entrepreneurship.
Ian Slesser, Deputy Director, Building Performance Services Operations and Product, BRE
Ian Slesser leads operations across BREEAM, SmartWaste, YellowJacket, Sustainable Products and the BRE Academy. He also manages product development and the BREEAM Science and Technical teams.
Before joining BRE, Ian spent 14 years in highways roles, from Lincolnshire County Council to leading a global highways asset management practice. He is committed to delivering products that support sustainability goals.
Alison Nicholl, Head of Constructing Excellence, BRE
Alison Nicholl leads Constructing Excellence at BRE, working with members to drive positive change in the built environment. With a background in knowledge transfer, she has experience supporting innovation and transformation in the construction sector in the UK and internationally.
Alison is committed to helping the industry become more inclusive, sustainable and future-focused.
James Fisher, Head of Strategic Partnerships, BRE
James Fisher is an ESG and real estate professional with experience in built asset sustainability, certification and consultancy.
He brings both technical and commercial expertise to his role and focuses on low carbon and net zero strategies, benchmarking and performance KPIs for real assets. His work covers a broad range of ESG topics affecting the built environment.
Antonio Hernandez, Head of Product Management, Building Performance Services, BRE
Antonio Hernandez leads product management for BRE’s Building Performance Services, overseeing the development of solutions that support clients’ net zero and sustainability objectives.
With ten years of product leadership experience at BRE, he works closely with colleagues, customers and partners to deliver services with environmental and commercial impact.
Doug Selmes, Head of Sales, BRE
Doug Selmes leads teams across sales, partnerships, customer success and marketing. With experience in construction and the audio-visual sector, he brings a commercial perspective to sustainable built environment initiatives.
Doug is interested in how sustainability standards can support business performance and in practical approaches to delivering high quality, sustainable projects.
Jennifer Dudley, Lead Product Manager – BREEAM, BRE
Jen leads the team of product managers responsible for the vision and roadmap of BREEAM certification products.
With almost 17 years at BRE, her work spans scientific research and product development that supports sustainability across the built environment. She collaborates with customers, stakeholders and experts to gather insight that informs scheme development.
Alex Markides, Product Manager, BRE
Alex Markides is the product manager for BREEAM In-Use, BREEAM Communities and BREEAM Infrastructure. A qualified mechanical engineer, he focuses on developing and improving these schemes to ensure they deliver meaningful value for clients and assessors.
Alex's work sits at the intersection of technical development and user experience, supporting stronger performance of existing buildings.
Martin Kemp, Product Manager – Sustainability, BRE
Martin Kemp is BRE’s product manager for carbon performance, working across technical, commercial and narrative aspects of the topic.
He has completed climate leadership courses in the UK, Europe and the US, represents BRE on industry bodies and co-led the first whole system energy model for the UK. He has also advised governments on rapid carbon transition.
Siôn McGregor, Senior Sustainability Consultant, BRE
Siôn McGregor delivers research, advisory work and sustainability programmes across the built environment, including decarbonisation, circular economy approaches, whole-life carbon research and national retrofit and housing initiatives. He has contributed to the technical development of several BREEAM schemes and led research on biophilic design in education settings.
Siôn supports government bodies in designing evidence-based programmes that improve housing and reduce carbon emissions.
Andrew Davison, Strategic Partnerships Graduate, BRE
Andrew Davison works in BRE’s Strategic Partnerships team as part of the graduate programme. His work supports relationships between BRE and clients that contribute to a more sustainable built environment.
Andrew focuses on partnership activity that promotes innovation, strengthens collaboration and helps shape future sustainability standards across BRE’s areas of work.
Ufi Ibrahim, Chief Executive, Energy and Environment Alliance
Ufi Ibrahim is the Founder and Chief Executive of the Energy and Environment Alliance, a global coalition of hospitality and lodging investors, operators and asset managers focused on net zero and ESG leadership. She previously served as Chief Executive of the British Hospitality Association, leading its merger into UK Hospitality. Ufi is a Non-Executive Director of the Lamington Group and a Commissioner for the Food Farming and Countryside Commission. is a commissioner of the Food Farming and Countryside Commission, addressing key issues in the UK's food and agricultural sector, and chairs the UK All Party Parliamentary Group for Tourism, working to boost the UK's tourism appeal to international investors.
Alexandra Vella, Technical Director, RED Engineering Design
Alexandra Vella is Technical Director at RED Engineering Design and has more than 20 years’ experience across engineering and sustainability. Licensed for BREEAM since 2007, she leads RED’s Building Certification team and oversees bid management, project delivery, training and mentoring.
Her team also undertakes energy audits, environmental reporting and ISO compliance. Alexandra contributed to the development of the BREEAM 2014 and 2018 New Construction schemes.
Swati Singh, Energy and Sustainability Global Lead, CBRE Global Workplace Solutions
Swati is Global Energy and Sustainability Lead at CBRE for a major financial services client. With a background in architecture, project management and sustainability, she has worked as a client, consultant and contractor on building and infrastructure projects.
Swati develops and implements decarbonisation strategies, oversees environmental and energy management systems and contributes to sustainability-related reporting standards.
Alexandra Notay, CEO, Housing Forum
Alexandra Notay became CEO of the Housing Forum in January 2026. She is an internationally recognised expert on housing, placemaking and ESG, with over 20 years’ strategic advisory and investment experience.
She chaired the Radix Big Tent Housing Commission and was Placemaking and Investment Director at Thriving Investments. Alexandra is an Honorary Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and winner of Residential Leader of the Year at Property Week’s Inspiring Women in Property Awards.
Breana Wheeler, Director of Operations, BRE USA
Breana Wheeler is Director of Operations for BRE USA, leading the expansion of BREEAM standards across America since 2016. She also supports global technical work on resilience and social impact.
Breana is a Chartered Environmentalist and a member of the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals. She previously worked in environmental and sustainability risk management for multi-national corporations and is a frequent speaker and ESG webinar host.
James Fisher, Head of Strategic Partnerships, BRE
James Fisher is an ESG and real estate professional with experience in built asset sustainability, certification and consultancy.
He brings both technical and commercial expertise to his role and focuses on low carbon and net zero strategies, benchmarking and performance KPIs for real assets. His work covers a broad range of ESG topics affecting the built environment.
Tom Wilson, Director, Building Performance Services Product, Sales and Data, BRE
Tom Wilson leads BRE’s Building Performance Services division.
He began his career in climate adaptation at the UK Climate Impacts Programme and joined BRE in 2011, initially training BREEAM assessors worldwide. He later led BREEAM International and oversaw BREEAM’s technical and product development. Tom focuses on ensuring that BRE’s sustainability solutions support people and buildings to thrive.
Ian Slesser, Deputy Director, Building Performance Services Operations and Product, BRE
Ian Slesser leads operations across BREEAM, SmartWaste, YellowJacket, Sustainable Products and the BRE Academy. He also manages product development and the BREEAM Science and Technical teams.
Before joining BRE, Ian spent 14 years in highways roles, from Lincolnshire County Council to leading a global highways asset management practice. He is committed to delivering products that support sustainability goals.
Chris Pyke, Chief Innovation Officer, GRESB
Dr Chris Pyke is Chief Innovation Officer at GRESB, overseeing innovation, communications and the GRESB Foundation. He previously served as Senior Vice President for Arc Skoru, Chief Strategy Officer for Aclima and as a research scientist at the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Chris is on the faculty of Georgetown University’s Urban and Regional Planning Program and holds a PhD and MA from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Jorge Chapa, Chief Impact Officer, Green Building Council of Australia
Jorge Chapa leads GBCA’s strategic priorities, partnerships and initiatives, including Green Star, supporting the transformation of Australia’s built environment. His leadership was recognised by the Australian Financial Review in 2025.
Jorge serves on CRREM’s Technical Council, the Climate Bond Initiative’s Low Carbon Buildings Technical Working Group and several World Green Building Council committees and is a board director of GreenFleet and the GRESB Foundation.
Andrew Davison, Strategic Partnerships Graduate, BRE
Andrew Davison works in BRE’s Strategic Partnerships team as part of the graduate programme. His work supports relationships between BRE and clients that contribute to a more sustainable built environment.
Andrew focuses on partnership activity that promotes innovation, strengthens collaboration and helps shape future sustainability standards across BRE’s areas of work.
Jennifer Dudley, Lead Product Manager – BREEAM, BRE
Jen leads the team of product managers responsible for the vision and roadmap of BREEAM certification products.
With almost 17 years at BRE, her work spans scientific research and product development that supports sustainability across the built environment. She collaborates with customers, stakeholders and experts to gather insight that informs scheme development.
Dr Jennifer Jurado, Chief Resilience Officer, Broward County
Dr Jennifer Jurado is Broward County’s Chief Resilience Officer, leading county‑wide climate resilience and water resource planning. She has played a key role in advancing regional climate strategies, including establishment of the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact. Her work integrates climate science and advanced hydrologic modelling into long‑term adaptation and policy efforts.
Jennifer has contributed to national climate preparedness initiatives and was recognised by the White House as a Champion of Change for her leadership. Dr Jurado holds a PhD in Marine Biology and Fisheries from the University of Miami.
Hanane El Hayek, Director, Market transformation western Europe, GBCI Europe
Hanane El Hayek has more than 15 years’ experience in green building certifications and sustainable development across the EMEA region. She contributes to EU initiatives, advises on multi-certified developments and has co-authored global reports on sustainable building practices.
Hanane has trained stakeholders across multiple markets and brings international insight and objectivity to her role as a BREEAM Awards judge.
Mara R Hermida, Technical Development Manager, BREEAM ES
Mara Hermida is Technical Development Manager for BREEAM ES at the Technological Institute of Galicia, where she has worked since 2009 on the implementation and development of the methodology in Spain.
Mara leads the design and operation of the certification system, coordinates technical adaptation and oversees assessor training. She previously worked in ITG’s Construction Technologies Area.
Antonio Hernandez, Head of Product Management, Building Performance Services, BRE
Antonio Hernandez leads product management for BRE’s Building Performance Services, overseeing the development of solutions that support clients’ net zero and sustainability objectives.
With ten years of product leadership experience at BRE, he works closely with colleagues, customers and partners to deliver services with environmental and commercial impact.
Martin Kemp, Product Manager – Sustainability, BRE
Martin Kemp is BRE’s product manager for carbon performance, working across technical, commercial and narrative aspects of the topic.
He has completed climate leadership courses in the UK, Europe and the US, represents BRE on industry bodies and co-led the first whole system energy model for the UK. He has also advised governments on rapid carbon transition.
Alex Markides, Product Manager, BRE
Alex Markides is the product manager for BREEAM In-Use, BREEAM Communities and BREEAM Infrastructure. A qualified mechanical engineer, he focuses on developing and improving these schemes to ensure they deliver meaningful value for clients and assessors.
>Alex's work sits at the intersection of technical development and user experience, supporting stronger performance of existing buildings.
Siôn McGregor, Senior Sustainability Consultant, BRE
Siôn McGregor delivers research, advisory work and sustainability programmes across the built environment, including decarbonisation, circular economy approaches, whole-life carbon research and national retrofit and housing initiatives. He has contributed to the technical development of several BREEAM schemes and led research on biophilic design in education settings.
Siôn supports government bodies in designing evidence-based programmes that improve housing and reduce carbon emissions.
Alison Nicholl, Head of Constructing Excellence, BRE
Alison Nicholl leads Constructing Excellence at BRE, working with members to drive positive change in the built environment. With a background in knowledge transfer, she has experience supporting innovation and transformation in the construction sector in the UK and internationally.
Alison is committed to helping the industry become more inclusive, sustainable and future-focused.
Bryan Oknyansky ARB, AIA, Head of Sustainability, Studio Moren
Bryan Oknyansky is an architect, BREEAM AP and Head of Sustainability at Studio Moren, leading the development and delivery of the practice’s sustainability strategy.
Bryan also leads planning and design work on residential, hotel and aparthotel projects across the UK, including refurbishments, conversions, new builds and listed buildings. Bryan has worked on projects in the UK, USA and China and has lectured internationally.
Andrea Palmer, CEO, CRREM
Andrea Palmer is CEO of the CRREM Foundation, leading its work on science-based decarbonisation pathways and transition risk management for real estate. She previously served as Responsible Investment Lead for PGGM’s real estate investment trust portfolio and has contributed to the European Real Estate Association and GRESB committees.
Andrea has also held roles at LaSalle Investment Management, GRESB and Triodos Investment Management and holds a Master’s in Real Estate Development and Sustainable Cities.
David Partridge, Chair, Senze Limited
David Partridge is Chair of Senze Limited and a trustee of the property industry charity Landaid. He chairs the governance board of the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard and sits on the advisory boards of Construct Zero and Standard Gas Technologies.
David studied architecture at Cambridge and is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Doug Selmes, Head of Sales, BRE
Doug Selmes leads teams across sales, partnerships, customer success and marketing. With experience in construction and the audio-visual sector, he brings a commercial perspective to sustainable built environment initiatives.
Doug is interested in how sustainability standards can support business performance and in practical approaches to delivering high quality, sustainable projects.
Kaie Small-Warner, Director of Research and Impact, BRE
Kaie Small-Warner is Director of Research and Impact at BRE, with more than 15 years’ experience across the energy and construction sectors in the UK, Europe and the Caribbean.
Her work includes programmes on sustainability and circularity in the built environment, including the Horizon Europe CIRCuIT project. Kaie holds a PhD on sustainable business models in construction and an MSc in Sustainable Energy and Entrepreneurship.
Viel Sørensen, Director of Certification, Grønn Byggallianse
Viel Sørensen has been Director of Certification for BREEAM-NOR at the Norwegian Green Building Council since 2017. Under her leadership, NGBC has become an independent operator of BREEAM New Construction and In-Use and a champion for BREEAM Infrastructure in Norway.
With more than 20 years’ experience in environmental management and certification, she has seen the significant impact BREEAM has had on the industry since 2012.
