Ireland’s New CIBSE Chairperson
It is a great achievement and a recognition of all the great work that she does for the building services engineering industry. Laura is the only third female chair, following in the footsteps of Margaret Dolan, 2007-2008, and Mona Duff, 2019-2020.
Laura’s new role as CIBSE Chair in Ireland stems from Stephen Weir’s nomination as Vice Chair in 2023. Stephen’s reign as Chair from 2023 to 2025, saw Laura working alongside him for the past 2 years. He has a real passion for the industry and is a fantastic advocate for electrical engineering with over 20 years’ experience. His knowledge around digital construction and the human centric approach in invaluable to the industry.
During Stephen’s time as Chair, he championed the importance of membership and chartership to all and he was incredibly passionate about that, which inspired me to think about Chartership in a different way. I will continue to champion this during my term – Laura McMahon, CIBSE Chair Ireland and Sustainability Director at Lawler Group
The recent event which Stephen organised in the RDS, Dublin with the CIBSE President Fiona Cousins and CIBSE Technical Director Anastasia Mylona was a huge success, it was a thought-provoking event which for everyone who attended will now think about building design into 2050 differently. It was a demonstration of Stephens values in relation to being a professional institution for all with all key stakeholders being represented on the day. For more info click here
Laura admits she has learned so much from Stephen and is delighted that he will remain on the committee. Sharing so many values with him on so many CIBSE initiatives, Laura is looking forward to keeping the momentum on these which sees a term marked by collaboration, growth, and meaningful progress in Ireland.
The Role of CIBSE Chair
Laura’s approach to her role as the Irish CIBSE Chair is to uphold both CIBSE’s core values and her own personal values which are underpinned by a steadfast optimism, perseverance, and resilience. Laura is passionate about creating a built environment that not only meets current needs but protects and preserves resources for future generations. She will use this platform, as CIBSE Chair, to promote sustainable building design and the critical role engineers play in shaping a greener, more resilient future.
Sustainable design of course includes low energy design and circularity but also the health and wellbeing of the occupants of the buildings we are designing. It includes people’s right to equal opportunity, to clean air and access to education for all. Sustainability is so much broader than just low energy design and renewables and she wants to increase awareness about that. Sustainability shouldn’t be optional on a project; it should be intertwined through all stages, from concept design to post occupancy, so that a holistic approach is achieved.
As Chairperson of CIBSE Ireland, my vision is to build on the outstanding work of my predecessors and continue to champion excellence, innovation, and inclusivity within our industry – Laura McMahon, CIBSE Chair Ireland and Sustainability Director at Lawler Group
Diversity and representation are equally close to Laura’s heart. As a proud advocate for Women in Engineering she will continue to support and grow the important work of CIBSE’s hugely successful WIBSE sub-committee. WIBSE Ireland was initiated by CIBSE’s previous Chairperson Mona Duff and driven since then by Michael Curran and Stephen Weir during their term. Laura will continue to drive this with Mona and Sarah to ensure that engineering is a welcoming and empowering space for everyone.
Aspiring Building Services Engineers
Through Laura’s own career, now spanning 15 years, CIBSE has played a prominent role through those early days as a graduate of Building Services Engineering in 2006, to becoming a Chartered Engineer through CIBSE in 2018, and finally Laura joined the CIBSE Ireland Committee and became CIBSE Vice Chair in 2023.
The connection to CIBSE has played a significant role in shaping her professional journey, and Laura is deeply motivated to help others do the same. She is very keen to strengthen the Young Engineers Network in Ireland, ensuring that emerging engineers have access to the same opportunities for development, mentorship, and connection that helped guide her path.
I feel strongly about the prestige and value of becoming a Chartered Engineer. I aim to lead initiatives that support and encourage more professionals across Ireland to achieve chartered status, recognising it as a hallmark of dedication, expertise, and professional integrity.
Laura encourages all aspiring building services engineers to join CIBSE, because there is a variety of levels to suit people at all stages of their career. Events planned for the year ahead include the Annual Golf Day and the Annual CIBSE Lunch, along with a range of technical events and webinars, not to mention the free access to lots of guides and TM’s.
And of course, she encourages all building services engineers to pursue Chartership.
For Young Engineers (YEN), there are several YEN Events organised throughout the year, so sign up to join in. Likewise, for Women in the Industry (WIBSE), there will be several WIBSE Events throughout the year, sign up to join in.
For those of you with significant career experience, Laura encourages you to seek Fellow status, there are only 44 Fellow Members in Ireland.
With Laura on board the future for building services engineering is bright.
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