IPMA Young Project Manager Award 2026 Winners – The Future of Project Leadership

The future of project management is being shaped by a new generation of talented professionals — ambitious, forward-thinking, and already making a remarkable impact through the projects they lead.

The IPMA Young Project Manager of the Year recognizes outstanding project managers under the age of 35 who demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovation, and the ability to turn ambitious ideas into meaningful results. Their achievements reflect not only excellence in managing projects, but also the energy and fresh perspective that young professionals bring to the project management profession.

This year’s finalists represented an exceptional group of emerging project leaders from around the world. Through a rigorous international assessment, IPMA assessors recognized individuals whose work demonstrated remarkable achievements, strong leadership, innovative thinking, and a commitment to creating lasting value.

The journey culminated in Hiroshima, Japan, where the IPMA Global Awards Gala 2026 brought together the global project management community to celebrate outstanding achievements from across the profession. Against this international backdrop, the Young Project Manager of the Year 2026 winners were officially announced.

The winners of the IPMA Young Project Manager of the Year 2026 are:

• Gold: Rola Samman (Saudi Arabia), with a project National Picture Archiving and Communication System PACS
• Silver: Omar Muzhafar Bin Omar Zohrie (Malaysia), with a project STELLAR 2.0: Implementation of Closed Loop Capabilities
• Bronze: Joaquin Abadin (Spain), with a project Electrolyzer Electrical Engineering Performance & Capability Program

Their achievements offer an inspiring glimpse into the future of project leadership — demonstrating how a new generation of project professionals is already creating meaningful impact across organizations, industries, and communities.

Meet the Gold winner – Rola Samman (Saudi Arabia) – National Picture Archiving and Communication System PACS

Meet the Silver winner – Omar Muzhafar Bin Omar Zohrie (Malaysia) – STELLAR 2.0: Implementation of Closed Loop Capabilities

Meet the Bronze winner – Joaquin Abadin (Spain) – Electrolyzer Electrical Engineering Performance & Capability Program

Congratulations to the 2026 Young Project Manager of the Year winners and all finalists for their outstanding achievements. We also extend our appreciation to the IPMA Young Crew team for their dedication to this Award and for championing the next generation of project leaders.

Meet the winners project