All IPMA Global Individual Awards 2026 Finalists Have Been Announced!

The selection process for the IPMA Global Individual Awards 2026 has now been completed, and IPMA Awards team is pleased to announce the finalists across all six award categories.

Each year, the IPMA Global Individual Awards celebrate exceptional professionals who demonstrate outstanding leadership, competence, and impact in project management, agile leadership, sustainability, PMO leadership, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. This year’s finalists represent an inspiring group of professionals whose achievements are shaping the future of projects and organizations around the world.

This year’s finalists represent 13 professionals from 9 countries, reflecting the global reach and diversity of the IPMA Global Individual Awards. Their achievements stand out in a highly competitive year, with an exceptionally strong field of nominations submitted across all award categories.

We are proud to present the finalists of the IPMA Global Individual Awards 2026:

Project Manager of the Year:

• Adam Bandy (Hungary), with a project QVIK,
• O’Ryan Africa (South Africa), with a project Lourens River Flood Alleviation
• Umar Sahli (Saudi Arabia), with a project Delivering Saudi Arabia’s National Technical Facilities Intelligence

Agile Leader of the Year:

• Ghadh Alotaibi (Saudi Arabia), with a project Next-Generation AI Infrastructure
• Xiaobo Sang (China), with a project Tiangong Intelligent Brain Language Large Model
• Yeganeh Akbarnataj (Iran, Islamic Republic of), with a project Finance360: Agile Transformation of Financial Operations through CRM – Finance Integration

Young Project Manager of the Year:

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

Sustainability Project Manager of the Year:

• Igor Tošić (Croatia), with a project DRAVA LIFE – Integrated River Management 
• Suleman Al-Ayed (Saudi Arabia), with a project AI-enabled Data Center & NOC Program 

PMO Leader of the Year:

• Abdullah Alqarni (Saudi Arabia), Solutions by stc

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award:

• Sara Perić (Serbia), with a project 10th IPMA SENET Conference

Congratulations to all finalists on this remarkable achievement. Reaching the finalist stage is a testament to your dedication, professionalism, and commitment to advancing project management excellence.

We would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to every applicant who took part in this year’s awards. The high quality of submissions made the evaluation process particularly challenging, and while not every nomination could progress to the finalist stage, each submission contributes to advancing excellence in project management worldwide. We encourage all participants to continue sharing their achievements and look forward to welcoming them again in future editions of the IPMA Global Individual Awards.

The Gold, Silver, and Bronze Award winners will be announced during the IPMA Global Awards Gala Ceremony on 18 September 2026 in Hiroshima, Japan. Held as the closing event of the 35th IPMA World Congress, the Gala will celebrate this year’s outstanding achievements in project management.

Tickets for the Gala are available here: IPMA World Congress 2026 Tickets – Secure your participation now!

Stay tuned as we continue to celebrate the achievements of this year’s finalists and reveal the winners later this year.