Judging Panel
An independent panel of recognised and expert judges, representing Ireland's fit out industry, will determine the winners of the Fit Out Awards.
The 2020 Fit Out Awards judging panel will be chaired by Angela Connolly (President, Interiors Association & Founder, Conbu Interior Design) and Ann Marie Aguilar (Senior Vice President, EMEA Region, WELL Faculty at the IWBI).
Our focus is to deliver a balanced judging assessment from industry leaders who will bring their extensive knowledge, enthusiasm and expertise to the judging process ensuring that the winning entries are truly outstanding and worthy of receiving a Fit Out Award.
The panel is carefully selected to ensure the Awards judging process is fair and objective. The judges are bound by a strict confidentiality agreement and are required to declare any conflict of interest in entries over which they deliberate, in which case that entry will be reallocated. The integrity of this process lies at the very heart of all that we do.
A comprehensive judging process has been put together to decide the worthy winners of the Fit Out Awards.
Judging Co-ordinators
Ann Marie Aguilar
Senior Vice President, EMEA Region, WELL Faculty at the IWBI
Ann Marie Aguilar joined the IWBI team in 2016, and from a base in London oversees the day-to-day activities of IWBI across the EMEA region. She supports the business development and technical teams and is the first point of contact for clients and design teams interested in all applications of WELL Certification.
Angela Connolly
President, Interiors Association, Founder, Conbu Interior Design
Angela Connolly is President of the Interiors Association of Ireland. The Interiors Association is Ireland’s leading professional organisation of accredited Interior Designers, Interior Architects and Trade Suppliers.
Judging Panel
Britt Berentzen
Programme Director, Interior Design & Interior Architecture, Griffith College
Britt Berentzen has 13 years of industry experience, and 7 years of experience in Higher Education. Britt is currently working as a Programme Director for the Interior Design and Interior Architecture programmes in the Design Faculty of Griffith College Dublin.
Vanessa Brady OBE
President & Founder, Society of British & International Design, UK
Dr Vanessa Brady OBE is an international multi-award winning interior designer, Business Consultant and Founder of the Society of British and International Design with over thirty years’ experience in B2B procurement and post analysis of the design profession.
Sue Corcoran
Programme Leader BA (Hons) in Interior Design, Limerick Institute of Technology
Sue Corcoran is programme leader on the new BA (Hons) in Interior Design at the Limerick Institute of Technology. Sue has been involved in design education for almost 10 years and holds a Masters in Art & Design Education.
Jean Feeney
Head of Interiors, MCA Architects
Jean Feeney has worked in the field of interiors for the past 15 years, previously working in the exhibition design sector for a further 15 years.
Rob Keane
Managing Director, Reddy Architecture + Urbanism
Rob Keane is an Architect in private practice based in Dublin. 25 years of experience in commercial, residential and university projects throughout Ireland and the UK have given Rob a useful perspective into the relationship between the working and living environments which have informed his design approach.
Justin Kinsella
Director, Harcourt Architects
Beginning in 1996, Justin studied architecture at Dundee University, Scotland. After graduating, he gained experience working in offices in New York and Dublin, before establishing Harcourt Architects in 2003.
Róisín Lafferty
Founder & Creative Director, Kingston Lafferty Design
Róisín Lafferty is the Founder and Creative Director of Kingston Lafferty Design (KLD) in Dublin, a company she founded in 2010.
Peter Mance
Director, MAAPS Design & Architecture, UK
Peter Mance is the director and founder of MAAPS Design and Architecture. With more than 30 years in his design career, Peter’s experience spans from hospitality, residential, and education through to retail, marine, and commercial.
Barry McCabe
Principal, McCabe Design Group
MDG are a small, client focused, multilateral disciplinary design consultancy delivering projects in the food, leisure, retail and hospitality industry.
Aidan McGovern
Chartered Engineer, Office of Public Works
Aidan McGovern is currently serving as a senior Engineer in the Estate Management Section within OPW.
John Mitchell
Owner, DMOD Architects
John Mitchell co-founded DMOD Architects in 1989 (then trading as Duffy Mitchell Architects).
Ann-Marie O'Neill
Creative Director, O'Donnell O'Neill Design
Ann-Marie is the Creative Director of O’Donnell O’Neill Design and has more than 25 years’ experience in high end Hospitality Design.
Kay Sargent
Director of WorkPlace, HOK, USA
Kay Sargent brings over 35 years of experience in the interiors industry. She has worked with multiple Fortune 500 companies on their global real estate strategies and designed workplaces of the future.
Keith Somers
Head of Design & Product, Lioncor
With over 14 years’ experience in commercial interiors, Keith spent his early years focused on delivering best in class workplace fitouts for a wide array of multinational clients. He is currently acting as design & product lead for Lioncor, an Irish residential developer delivering homes of the highest standard to the Irish market.
Emer Tubridy
Design Department Head, Blackrock Further Education Institute
Emer began her career with the renowned Paris architectural firm Henri et Bruno Gaudin. After returning to Ireland, Emer then took up a lecturing post in Blackrock Further Education Institute where she became Head of the Department of Design.
Rowan Watson
Lecturer, Architectural Design & Interior Architecture and Design, IT Sligo
Rowan is an architect with eighteen years of involvement in Interior Architectural education. She is currently the programme chair of the BA (Hons) in Interior Architecture and Design at the Institute of Technology Sligo.