2026 PMI Awards Finalists & Honorees
Congratulations to our Finalists & Honorees.
2026 PMI Awards Finalists & Honorees
Congratulations to our Finalists & Honorees.
Meet our 2026 Finalists & Honorees
We’re proud to present our PMI Awards 2026 finalists and honorees, an inspiring group of Project Professionals, teams, chapters, volunteers, researchers and changemakers whose work is shaping a better future.
Across industries and communities, their stories show how bold ideas become real-world impact, and lead the charge of project success.
Attend the Awards Event
Join us at PMI® Global Summit Detroit, the year’s largest in-person event for Project Professionals, to celebrate the PMI Awards 2026 finalists and honorees live. The PMI Awards ceremony brings the energy with recognition, cocktails, dancing, delicious food and more as we celebrate how the future gets made.
Professional Awards
Project of the Year
Finalists
The PMI Project of the Year Award recognizes outstanding project success in complex environments. It honors project management practices that deliver measurable organizational results, innovation, and elevate our world in alignment with PMI’s purpose.
One overall winner from the four category winners below will be named the Project of the Year:
Florence Copper
Project: Clean Copper
(United States)
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- PMI Engineering Technology Project Award
Florence Copper in the United States is expanding access to copper, a critical material for electrification, clean energy and industrial growth—through next-generation in-situ recovery technology. The project scaled a breakthrough approach into a full commercial operation, becoming the first new greenfield copper production facility in the U.S. since 2008 and strengthening domestic supply chain resilience.
Saudi Aramco
Project: Acceleration Excellence
(Saudi Arabia)

- PMI Construction/Infrastructure Project Award
Saudi Aramco transformed the depleted Hawiyah Unayzah gas reservoir in Saudi Arabia into a first-of-its-kind, large-scale storage facility—delivered in just 45 months despite COVID-19 and global supply chain disruptions. The program strengthens national energy security and peak-demand gas supply while achieving 65 million safe work hours with zero fatalities or lost-time incidents.
Saudi Irrigation Organization
Project: Irrigation Innovation
(Saudi Arabia)

- PMI Sustainability Project Award
Project: Irrigation Innovation has helped farmers across Saudi Arabia use water more efficiently, cutting usage by an average of 35% through smart irrigation technology and hands-on training, while improving farms’ income by up to 25%. The initiative improved irrigation efficiency from about 50% to 90%, trained more than 500 farmers and technicians, and created a scalable model for sustainable agriculture that neighboring farms are already adopting organically.
First Ukrainian International Bank
Project: Banking Beyond Barriers
(Ukraine)

- PMI Social Project Award
This Ukrainian bank is transforming access to financial services by making all 207 locations accessible for veterans, active military personnel and people with mobility challenges. Developed during the invasion of Ukraine, the project embeds inclusive design into everyday banking and creates a scalable model that expands independence, dignity and economic participation, responding to the unprecedented humanitarian challenges facing the country.
PMI Fellow Award
Honoree
The highest and most prestigious individual award presented by the Project Management Institute for sustained service and broad impact to the Institute and the project management profession.

- Dr. Lambert Ofoegbu, PMP, PMI-RMP, PMI-SCP
Nigeria (Sub-Saharan Africa)
Dr. Lambert Ofoegbu has spent more than 20 years advancing the PMI mission across Africa and globally, becoming the first PMI Fellow from Sub-Saharan Africa. He led the partnership of PMI and the Tony Elumelu Foundation and PMIEF – resulting in the PMI-TEF Masterclass that trained over 5,000 entrepreneurs across Africa – and has contributed to PMI Global Standards including OPM3, PMCDF and the Construction Extension to the PMBOK® Guide.
PMI Eric Jenett Award
Honoree
Spotlights an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the project management profession or its practice through leadership, technical project management, and strategic and business management acumen.

- Fernando Romero, PMI-PMOCP, CSPP, DASSM, CAPM
Angola (Sub-Saharan Africa)
Fernando Romero helped make the PMI Angola Chapter one of Africa's most active project management communities, delivering 300+ workshops, 250+ events and 90+ community projects. As PMOGA Sub-Saharan Africa Hub Leader, PMI Angola President and BFA Bank Head of PMO, he expanded professional development to 10,000+ people, helped educate 280+ vulnerable children and grew the PMI Angola Conference from 600 attendees (2022) to 6,300 (2024).
Rising Leader Award
Recognizes and honors young professionals who have made a significant impact in advancing project management within their organizations or communities. These individuals exhibit exceptional knowledge, leadership potential, and a strong alignment with PMI standards, culture and ethics, contributing to the growth and evolution of the profession.
Meet the 2026 Finalists

- Reed "Jimi" Schafer, MBA, PMP
United States (North America)
Reed "Jimi" Schafer helped modernize U.S. defense systems that protect national security, delivering 200+ new capabilities, accelerating timelines by two years and saving $10M in lifecycle costs. He also led high-impact acquisition procurement that saved $200M across several hundred aircraft and helped expand project management training opportunities to 5,700+ acquisition professionals.

- Daniel Eagling, PMP
Ireland (Europe)
Daniel Eagling led over €2B in housing and infrastructure masterplans across Ireland and Canada, helping deliver over 6,000 homes and secure public funding to unlock critical developments. As the youngest-ever President of the PMI Ireland Chapter, he is recognized for large-scale program delivery, four years of PMI volunteer leadership and mentorship of emerging Project Professionals.

- Olivier Jackson, PMP, CAPM
Canada (North America)
Olivier Jackson helped turn a capstone project into ExoFlex, a stroke rehab medtech venture securing CAD 400,000+ and earning 21 pitch and grant wins. He invests in himself, building on a robotics engineering degree with PMP, CAPM and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt credentials while pursuing a research-based master’s in computer engineering and giving back by speaking at the 2026 PMI Montréal Symposium and Université de Sherbrooke.

- Giulia Morello
Sweden (Europe)
Giulia Morello is a change and transformation leader, international speaker and leadership coach who leads a 13-person R&D PMO and operational excellence team and specializes in aligning people, cultures and execution through complex change. She led a €10M+ digital and operational transformation affecting more than 450 engineers during a corporate separation, enabling organizational independence and reducing application complexity by 40%.

- Rishab Vardhan Harikrishnan
United States (North America)
Rishab Vardhan Harikrishnan led AWS's liquid-cooling initiative for a first-of-its-kind 60 MW AI data center, delivering it 55% faster than industry benchmarks while coordinating 200 stakeholders across 40+ teams. He secured a $20M strategic investment, built portfolio tools used by 1,500+ employees, and also mentors emerging professionals through the PMI Puget Sound Chapter, where he serves as Director of Mentorship and Professional Development.
PMO Award
PMO of the Year Award
This award recognizes PMOs demonstrating performance, leadership, and value delivery within organizations. These PMOs advance project, program, and portfolio management practices—driving strategic alignment and generating effective value for their organizations.
Meet the 2026 Finalists

- MTN Ghana (Ghana)
Africa PMO of the Year Award
From 2006 to 2026, MTN Ghana evolved its project management function into a Value Management Office (VMO) focused on translating strategy into measurable business value. This approach helped double project completion rates from 40% to 80%, expand Mobile Money access to 17.2 million active users and exceed its fiber connectivity target by 19.2%, earning Africa PMO of the Year 2025 and Global Excellence Distinction for Diversity & Inclusion 2024.

- Banreservas (Dominican Republic)
Americas PMO of the Year Award
Banreservas transformed its PMO from a technology function into an organization-wide capability with executive and board integration that influences prioritization, investment decisions and resource allocation. This governance influence now drives a $25M annual investment portfolio that generated $424M in net profit in 2025, with prioritized initiatives delivering returns above 20% and reaching more than 3.5 million customers.

- A*STAR SIMTech & ARTC (Singapore)
Asia-Pacific PMO of the Year Award
Across A*STAR SIMTech and A*STAR ARTC, the PMO has guided more than 2,100 industry projects, supported 300+ technology deployments and trained 4,500+ professionals. Its work helped Singapore rapidly expand COVID-19 testing, produce 10 million medical-grade masks and cut aircraft component lead times by up to 50%, while its model was adopted across 18 research institutes.

- Eczacıbaşı Information and Communication Technologies (Turkey)
Europe PMO of the Year Award
Eczacıbaşı ICT serves 100+ customers across 20+ sectors, while its PMO, which grew from a two-person unit in 2015 into a seven-person integrated PMO, manages enterprise-wide technology projects. The PMO’s AI-enabled governance and continuous improvement increased its customer loyalty score from 60 to 84 and reduced resolution times by 38%, contributing to its recognition as the 2025 PMI Türkiye PMO of the Year.

- Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (Saudi Arabia)
Middle East PMO of the Year Award
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has institutionalized its EPMO as an engine for strategy execution and value realization. Overseeing 370+ initiatives and 1,800+ projects through unified governance, the EPMO enabled 98% strategy achievement and 94% project delivery performance, transforming strategic priorities into measurable, sustainable value and advancing institutional excellence.
PMIEF Award
PMIEF Kerzner Award for Excellence in Social Impact
Honoree
This award recognizes a Project Manager who has made important contributions to solve social issues and/or improving the quality of life, well-being, sustainable development of individuals or communities.

- Rahim Thompson, PMP
United States (North America)
Rahim Thompson brings storytelling and disciplined project leadership to his role as Senior Program Manager at the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, inspiring dialogue across diverse audiences. A former journalist and PMI Future 50 honoree, he expands access to Holocaust and human rights education and deepens community engagement with his work.
Global Chapter Awards
Global Chapter of the Year Award
This award recognizes PMI chapters that demonstrate exceptional performance, leadership and impact in advancing the profession, supporting members and contributing to PMI global goals through the dedication of their volunteer leaders and communities.
Meet the 2026 Finalists

- Sydney, Australia Chapter
Asia Pacific
PMI Sydney, Australia Chapter turned project management into hands-on community support through Project Management Day of Service and delivered 69 events for its member community. The chapter also co-hosted the global PMI Agile Symposium with 15 PMI chapters and strengthened academic, nonprofit and cross-chapter partnerships that expand the profession's impact across Australia and beyond.

- Greece Chapter
Europe
PMI Greece Chapter expanded access to project management education, reaching more than 2,000 secondary students in 2025 and growing from 597 to more than 1,950 members over five years. Through 38 educational events, a six-month mentorship program with 37 mentor-mentee pairs and collaborations with 24+ PMI chapters across five continents, the chapter built a strong bridge between students, professionals and the global PMI community.

- Pernambuco, Brazil Chapter
Latin America
PMI Pernambuco, Brazil Chapter expanded who can access project management education through a pioneering course for the visually impaired and robotics workshops that bring project skills to underserved youth. The chapter combines technology-enabled leadership, inclusive education, social impact partnerships and volunteer development, contributing to a more accessible, innovative and collaborative project management community across the Latin America region.

- UAE Chapter
Middle East North Africa
PMI UAE Chapter built a fast-growing professional community through monthly webinars, industry workshops, flagship conferences and localized learning on topics such as artificial intelligence, sustainability and digital transformation. The chapter pairs that programming with structured onboarding, mentorship, Voice of Member feedback and partnerships across government, universities, NGOs and fellow PMI chapters, including initiatives aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

- Mile-Hi Chapter
North America
PMI Mile-Hi Chapter turns project skills into service through Project Management Day of Service and PMImpact initiatives, while supporting professionals at every career stage with inclusion initiatives such as Job Seekers group, Women Connect and Military Outreach. The chapter also built a collaborative project management community through PM Pulse meetings, virtual roundtables, workshops, Toastmasters, networking events and the Rocky Mountain Project Management Symposium.

- Bangladesh Chapter
South Asia
PMI Bangladesh Chapter strengthened member engagement through professional development events, its mentoring program and the Annual Project Management Symposium. The chapter also expanded the reach of project management across corporate, academic, and government sectors through initiatives such as the CXO Meet and the PMI-CP™ Facilitation Program.

- Ghana Chapter
Sub-Saharan Africa
The PMI Ghana Chapter demonstrated how project management can drive sustainable community impact through initiatives that improved educational environments, advanced the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and transformed lives across Ghana. The chapter strengthened the project management profession through its National Project Management Conference, Project Management Excellence Awards, monthly meetings, webinars, book clubs, project site tours and Women in Project Management initiative, fostering learning, collaboration and professional excellence.
Chapter Leadership Impact Award
This award recognizes individual volunteer leaders whose exceptional service, leadership, and dedication have made a significant and lasting impact on the success and growth of a PMI chapter or mentor region.
Meet the 2026 Honorees

- Gantsetseg Erdenebat, PgMP, PMP
Mongolia Chapter (Asia Pacific)
Gantsetseg Erdenebat has spent more than 8 years strengthening the PMI Mongolia Chapter, helping improve the operations, governance and member value that keep their volunteer community working well. Her work with the chapter includes supporting the PMI Lexicon translation, helping members access shared project management language while building clearer ways for the chapter to operate, serve and grow.

- Andrii Skoromnyi, PhD, PMP
Ukraine Chapter (Europe)
Andrii Skoromnyi has expanded project management education through the PMI Ukraine Chapter by establishing academic partnerships with universities across Ukraine, bringing project management knowledge and PMI resources closer to students and future professionals. Through his volunteer leadership, he has promoted project management education by delivering guest lectures and creating new opportunities for students to engage with the global PMI community.

- Antonio Maturano Huerta, PMP
Bajío, México Chapter (Latin America)
Antonio Maturano Huerta, together with the Board of Directors and the volunteer team, strengthened the PMI Bajío, México Chapter by organizing 100+ professional development events that enabled members to learn and connect. His leadership strengthened volunteer engagement, fostered member participation, and expanded the chapter’s reach to 25 countries, contributing to a strong, collaborative and sustainable professional community across the Latin America Region.

- Mona Zbidi, PMP, PMI-RMP
Tunisia Chapter (Middle East North Africa)
Mona Zbidi expanded the Project Managers Without Borders program through the PMI Tunisia Chapter, turning volunteers' project expertise into a practical driver of social impact. Her chapter leadership fostered purpose-driven service, positioning project management as a strategic catalyst for nonprofit empowerment, community resilience and impactful volunteer engagement.

- Beaula Prashanth, PMP, LSSGB
Lakeshore, Ontario Chapter (North America)
Beaula Prashanth has contributed more than 21 years of volunteer service to the PMI Lakeshore, Ontario Chapter, helping modernize the operations and governance behind the member experience. Her long-term chapter leadership serving as Director, President and Past President strengthened the systems, processes and volunteer foundation that help a local PMI community serve members consistently, including through partnerships with academic institutions and social impact projects through Project Managers Without Borders.

- Vijay Narayanan, B.E., PMP, MBA, MSc
Chennai Chapter (South Asia)
Vijay Narayanan helped the PMI Chennai Chapter by focusing on membership, outreach, volunteer engagement, social impact and organizational development through M.O.R.E. His chapter leadership introduced project management skills to thousands of students while strengthening how members and volunteers connect with a more organized and sustainable PMI community.

- Winnie Astrid ZAMBO ASSO’O, PMP
Cameroon Chapter (Sub-Saharan Africa)
Winnie Astrid ZAMBO ASSO'O transformed volunteer management at the PMI Cameroon Chapter by establishing a sustainable governance framework, modernizing volunteer processes and launching innovative engagement and recognition initiatives. Through her leadership, the chapter strengthened volunteer engagement, expanded leadership development through mentorship and built lasting structures that continue to enhance organizational performance and community impact across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Academic & Research Awards
PMI Linn Stuckenbruck Teaching Excellence Award
Honoree
Honors faculty members for excellence in teaching project management curricula in higher education.

- Prof. Ibrahim Odeh, PhD, MBA
Columbia University, United States (North America)
Ibrahim Odeh has helped bring practice-focused project management education to nearly one million learners across 190+ countries through global online courses and industry-connected teaching. His work at Columbia University combines curriculum innovation, industry immersion and teaching honors with a global approach to engineering education.
PMI David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award
Honoree
Recognizes the author(s) of a published book that significantly advances project management knowledge, concepts and practice.
- “Case Studies on Project Management in Practice”
Case Studies on Project Management in Practice fills a major teaching gap with globally relevant project cases, while its PM.com webinar has drawn 20K+ views since launching in January 2026. Built as a competency-based learning resource aligned with the PMI Talent Triangle®, the book uses an active-learning approach to help educators, trainers, program directors and practitioners strengthen critical thinking, decision-making and professional judgment across diverse project contexts.


- Prof. Shankar Sankaran
University of Technology Sydney, Australia (Asia Pacific)

- Prof. Joseph Griffin
Northeastern University, United States (North America)
Donald S. Barrie Award
Honoree
This award seeks to advance knowledge in the field of design, procurement, and/or construction by providing practical contributions and solutions to the engineering and construction industry.

- Chan Heo
Seoul National University, South Korea (Asia Pacific)
Chan Heo, a PhD candidate at Seoul National University, studies how LLM-powered bidding agents can develop tacitly collusive pricing behaviors in construction procurement. Selected as an ASCE Editor's Choice, the study shows that disclosing historical bid data can increase collusive risks among AI bidding agents, highlighting the importance of carefully designing information disclosure rules in AI-enabled procurement.
Research Achievement Award
Honoree
Celebrates an individual or group of individuals whose work has significantly advanced the concepts, knowledge and practices of project management.

- Prof. Lavagnon Ika, PhD
Telfer School of Management, Canada (North America)
Lavagnon Ika's research explains how major projects behave and why they succeed or fail, advancing understanding of infrastructure, megaproject and development work through technical, behavioral, institutional and contextual lenses. His work has informed decision-making for major projects worldwide through collaborations with PMI, the World Bank and the Government of Canada, including the PMI Maximizing Project Success research.
Young Researcher Award
Honoree
Recognizes and celebrates emerging leaders in the academic field of Project, Program or Portfolio Management with potential achievements to make a significant impact on the field and practice.

- Dr. Carolina M. Zani
University of Sydney, Australia (Asia Pacific)
Carolina M. Zani developed the world’s most comprehensive, evidence-based framework to help governments and industry leaders design and adapt organizations for megaproject delivery. She worked with major projects such as High Speed Two and influenced organizations worldwide, including AECOM. Carolina earned recognition including the 2025 APM Research Paper of the Year Award, 2026 APM Doctorate of the Year Award and the Academy of Management 10% Best Paper Award 2025.
James R. Snyder Student Paper of the Year Award
Honoree
Recognizes excellence in student development of original concepts in project management that advance the concepts, tools and techniques of managing project-oriented tasks.

- Zhiwen “Zoey” Zheng
The Australian National University, Australia (Asia Pacific)
Zhiwen Zheng's research tackles a question every project leader faces: how short-term project management success contributes to long-term project success. Published in the International Journal of Project Management, her paper provides evidence-based guidance for governance, resource allocation and investment decisions, demonstrating how meeting the necessary short-term targets enables projects to achieve sustained long-term value and impact.
More About Awards, Eligibility & Nominations
Professional, PMO & PMIEF Awards
- PMI Project of the Year Award
- PMI Fellow Award
- PMI PMO of the Year Award
- PMI Eric Jenett Person of the Year Award
- PMI Rising Leader Award
- PMIEF Kerzner Award for Excellence in Social Impact
Global Chapter Awards
Research & Academic Awards