Chartered Engineer of the Year

The title of Chartered Engineer, recognised as the gold standard of the engineering profession, has been established in Ireland for more than 50 years. Chartered Engineers are industry leaders and practitioners who maintain the highest level of competence and professional integrity. They drive technological innovation and apply creative approaches to solving complex challenges.

In the Republic of Ireland, Engineers Ireland is the sole authority empowered to award this title. It is granted only to those who, through a rigorous assessment process, demonstrate their ability to apply advanced engineering competencies in professional practice.

The Chartered Engineer title awarded by Engineers Ireland is both a mark of excellence and a significant milestone in an engineer’s career.

 


2026 Shortlist

Read more about Robert and the four other Chartered Engineers who were shortlisted for the prestigious Chartered Engineer of the Year Award 2025, supported by Arup, below.

   Aishwarya Ashok
   Energy & Systems Engineer
   Transport Infrastructure Ireland

Aishwarya Ashok is an Energy & Systems Engineer at Transport Infrastructure Ireland, with extensive experience across both the heavy and light rail sectors. Throughout her career, she has played a key role in delivering major railway re-signalling and infrastructure upgrade projects. Driven by a commitment to a greener Ireland, she helps deliver energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives. Her work has resulted in improved operational performance, greater network resilience, and sustainable transport solutions. 

Beyond her technical work, Aishwarya is a strong advocate for inclusion in engineering. She led the introduction of properly fitted personal protective equipment (PPE) and enhanced hygiene facilities for women, directly improving safety, comfort, and productivity across operational sites. 

In collaboration with the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE), Aishwarya organised and delivered the "Back to Basics" Railway Seminar, promoting knowledge sharing and professional development within the rail industry. 

Project title: Remote Axle Counter Reset System: Enhancing Railway Safety, Reliability and Operational Resilience

   Enda Geraghty
   Senior Electrical Engineer
   ESB Networks

Enda Geraghty is a Senior Electrical Engineer, specialising in Electrical Utility development and delivery. Currently residing just outside Wexford town amongst the tillage and potatoes fields which give the name to the model county. Happily married to a partner of 25 years and father to two children aged 7 and 9. Grew up on a farm in East Galway , attending Castleblakney Secondary School before moving to Dublin for 22 years . Now a Manager in Strategy and Network development function in ESB Networks, I worked in Automation, Design, Consultancy and Offshore wind, from Strabane to St Lucia. Problem solving on a farm or building sites growing up seeded a keen interest in Engineering , and I was lucky enough to enhance this by securing part-time work in a prominent M&E Engineering consultancy in early 00’s while studying in college. My career progression has always been based on my previous experiences promoting lifelong learning and continual development. Personal desire to improve and innate nonlinear thinking has contributed to my innovational motivations in engineering approach. I adopt a servant leadership style, ensuring success through people is of utmost importance. Keen interest in people development either through educational settings like STEP’s programme or through my current sports coaching in Crossabeg. 

Project title: Rural Electrification 2.0

   Eoin Kavanagh
   Senior Mechanical Engineer
   Malone Group

Eoin Kavanagh is a Senior Mechanical Engineer with Malone Group and has over 14 years of experience delivering building services projects across the pharmaceutical, food & drink, commercial, education and retail sectors. Holding a Bachelor of Engineering in Building Services from DIT, he has developed a career focused on technical excellence, project leadership and sustainable design. 

Since joining Malone Group, Eoin has led multidisciplinary teams in the delivery of complex projects from concept through to detail design, procurement, construction and handover. His expertise spans HVAC systems, energy compliance and sustainable building services design. He is particularly passionate about identifying practical engineering solutions that improve building performance while balancing operational, regulatory and commercial objectives. 

Eoin actively mentors graduate engineers, promotes continuous professional development to help shape the next generation. He is committed to advancing engineering excellence and sustainability across the built environment, helping customers deliver efficient, resilient and future-ready facilities. 

Project title: SPADE Shared Kitchen - Fuelling Food Entrepreneurs in the heart of Dublin

   Jonathan Ruddy
   Engineering Manager
   EireGrid

Jonathan Ruddy is an experienced Engineering Manager, Technical Project Manager & HVDC Specialist with a PhD in Offshore wind connected by HVDC, specializing in grid integration, HVDC interconnectors and power systems.  

Jonathan is currently Commissioning Manager with EirGrid on the Celtic Interconnector, the HVDC link between Ireland and France. He is responsible for the commissioning of the Irish converter station, and overall commissioning of the HVDC control system. His role involves coordinating multidisciplinary teams and managing the technical integration of complex HVDC systems with the Irish electricity grid. 

Previously, Jonathan was Technology Manager of the Greenlink Interconnector between Ireland and Wales, overseeing the technical aspects of two HVDC Converter Stations, DC and AC cables and a 220kV substation from design through to grid integration and commissioning. He holds a PhD in Offshore Wind Integration and has worked in R&D with EPRI prior to joining Greenlink. 

Project Title: Remote Axle Counter Reset System: Enhancing Railway Safety, Reliability and Operational Resilience

   Laura Fernández Vila
   Structural Engineer
   Roughan & O’Donovan

Laura is a chartered structural engineer with 11 years’ experience in the building industry. She began her career in Denmark while completing her master’s studies at the Technical University of Denmark, specialising in structural engineering. This experience provided her with a strong understanding of the use of digital technologies in building design. 

Since joining Roughan & O’Donovan (ROD), Laura has gained experience across a range of sectors, including healthcare, education and community developments. She has successfully led the design of structural engineering projects across all stages, demonstrating an awareness of the complexities involved in delivering integrated building solutions and the importance of collaboration within multidisciplinary teams. 

Laura’s structural engineering expertise and specialist knowledge of digital engineering informs her innovative, coordinated and efficient approach to project delivery. Her ability to combine engineering and digital practice has enhanced the quality and efficiency of ROD’s structural design procedures and contributed to the development and implementation of its information management processes and standards.

Project title: Digital Engineering in Structural Design: From Models to Better Decisions

Previous winners

robert award

2025

Robert Grimmer
Electronic Engineer,
European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN)

250 x 250

2024

Róisín Buckley
Senior Lecturer, 
Glasgow University

Eoin Casserly

2023

Eoin Casserly
Principal and Founder, 
Voluta

2022

William Fyans
Engineering Manager, 
SiriusXT 

2021

Claire Lillis
Senior Programme Manager, 
Aerogen

2020 

Donal Kelly
Tunnel Manager,
Dragados

650x366 Dr Cristina Paduano

2019

Dr Cristina Paduano
Founder,
B-fluid

650x366 Aoife Murphy

2018

Aoife Murphy
Senior Structural Engineer,
David Kelly Partnership

 


Captain Eoghan Carton

2017

Captain Eoghan Carton
Engineer Officer,
Irish Defence Forces

Sponsor

The Chartered Engineer of the Year Award is kindly supported by Arup. We would like to thank Arup for their support and commitment to recognising and celebrating our Chartered Engineers.

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