Dr. Zafira Nadia Maaz was awarded the Commendable Award for Young Achiever of the Year on 19th November 2020. The young and energetic individual is a Senior Lecturer (Quantity Surveying & Construction) from the Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying (FABU), UTM. Dr. Zafira was nominated by Sr Lim Kok Sang, Chairman of Quantity Surveying Division, Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (RISM) to represent Malaysia for the prestigious RICS South East Asia (SEA) Awards 2020.
The inaugural RICS SEA Award represents the highest honors to transformational individuals and initiatives in the land, real estate, construction, and infrastructure sectors. This year, RICS endorsed 14 award categories. Nominations must first be endorsed by each national representative and went through a stringent selection process of 13 international judges. Each nomination shall address several award criteria of professionalism, outcome and achievement, innovation, sustainability, recognised outstanding performance and achievement in the workplace, and recognised contribution to the profession and the wider community. Among award categories are Construction Professional of the Year, Lifetime Achiever Award, Quantity Surveying Team of the Year, and Young Achiever of the Year.
Through the Young Achiever of the Year Award, RICS acknowledges outstanding individuals who have achieved excellence in their chosen field, within the age limit of 35 years. The individual selected embodies the highest standards of professionalism, be a role-model for their peers, and be capable of making an outstanding contribution to the profession. Six finalists chosen by the judges are Bon Jovi Sabug from Turner & Townsend Pte Limited, Tee Jia Hen from VRcollab Pte Ltd, Phillip Tan from Perunding Kos T&K Sdn Bhd, Goy Zhenru from Goy Architects, Zhang Jiaquan from EM Services, and Dr. Zafira Nadia Maaz from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Dr. Zafira is the youngest across seventy RICS SEA Awards 2020 nominees, and the first Malaysian to be recognized for this category.
Finalists for the Young Achiever of the Year Award
Dr. Zafira Nadia also celebrated the Young Achiever of the Year award together with Tee Jia Hen from VRcollab Pte Ltd, Zhang Jiaquan from EM Services, and Bon Jovi Sabug from Turner & Townsend Pte Limited. The panel of judges reviewed Dr. Zafira “as a young professional who embarked on a journey which will make significant changes and revolutionise the quantity surveying profession and practices. Her Big Data Dream is a result of her passion for big data analytics”. This award recognises Dr. Zafira’s outstanding achievements and showcases inspirational initiatives to move the built environment industry forward. Her works in big data contributed to pioneering the big data movement for the local construction industry as well as the quantity surveying profession.
Article prepared by: Dr. Zafira Nadia Maaz, Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying (FABU)