Áine Mulcahy, managing director of OCS Group Ireland, received the overall leader award at the inaugural Women in Facilities Management Awards 2025, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Santry, Dublin.The ceremony, which attracted 134 attendees, celebrated exceptional women leaders, innovators and changemakers who are elevating the facilities management (FM) sector in Ireland. Hosted by Fiona Buckley, the event recognised winners across 13 categories from a total of 40 entries.OCS Group provides cleaning, security, catering, hard services, pest control, multi-technical and other FM services to organisations around the world, with a leading presence in Ireland and the UK. The group employs 130,000 people globally and serves approximately 8,000 customers.The FM sector in Ireland is a growing industry that plays a crucial role in supporting business operations across various sectors. Growth has been driven by increased outsourcing of noncore business functions, the large presence of multinational corporations and tech companies in Ireland, and rising demand for integrated FM services.Current sector trends include increased focus on energy efficiency and environmental management, technology integration of smart building systems and data analytics, adapting to hybrid working models post-pandemic, and regulatory requirements around health, safety and building standards.The Women in FM Awards were created to shine a spotlight on the outstanding achievements of women shaping the future of FM in Ireland, showcasing those who create work environments that are not only functional and efficient but also promote wellbeing and productivity.Judging coordinator Eileen Slamon highlighted that FM encompasses a broad range of diverse skills, from technical knowledge to roles where customer interaction is key to success.“By creating awards which are focused solely on the impact which women are having across the sector, we are shining a bright light on some very talented and successful women who are elevating the industry even further,” she said.“The quality of entries received in the inaugural Women in FM Awards event was very encouraging and I fully expect we will see many of these names highlighted at future awards ceremonies in the future. What is also very encouraging is the calibre of women in senior leadership roles across all aspects of the industry.”Fellow judge Gillian O’Connor said it was inspiring to see the depth of talent, leadership, and innovation from the nominees. “Every application told a story of resilience, impact, and dedication to raising standards in our industry,” she stated.MKF Property Services was the gold sponsor of the inaugural awards programme. “The secret of MKF’s success has always been our people, so we are delighted to be sponsoring the inaugural Women in FM Awards,” said managing director Derek O’Boyle. “These awards provide a great platform to celebrate the exceptional work and leadership of women in our industry, and champion the progress we are making in FM”The female-led team award was presented to CBRE. “We’re absolutely delighted to have won the award tonight on behalf of the team,” said CBRE co-chair Michelle Wallace. “The awards are a valuable initiative, and we’re really looking forward to competing next year again. It’s great to see the progression that women in FM are being recognised.”Rising star award winner Helen McManus commented: “I’m so proud to have been a part of Women in FM Awards 2025 and honoured to be around such amazing women. This achievement reflects the dedication of our incredible team at Riverside Maintenance.”Fionnuala Byrne, director of workplace services at Google, received the legacy award. “I can’t survive without strong leadership, because without the leadership how are our teams going to know how to be effective in their workplace?” she reflected “It’s really important to be able to recognise everybody that does the hard work every single day behind the scenes.”Kevin O’Driscoll, director of partnership programmes at awards organiser BusinessRiver, commented: “Events like this are made possible through the support of sponsors. We are thankful to our 2025 sponsor, MKF Property Services. I also want to recognise our supporter, Amárach Research and our communications partner, The Irish Times. Their investment in the awards underlines their commitment and support of this key business area.”Awards judgesEileen Slamon (judging coordinator) – workplace managerMarie Caffrey – managing director, Universal FloralCarmel Margaret Lindkvist – professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)Des Mahon – director, AuthenticateGillian O’Connor – studying sustainability in UCDPatrick Ó Sullivan – director of support services, EirTrevor Smyth – regional workplace service property manager, GoogleAward winnersOverall leader awardWinner: Áine Mulcahy – OCS Ireland Eileen Slamon, awards judging coordinator, presents the overall leader award to Gill O'Riordan on behalf of Áine Mulcahy, OCS Ireland Best female-led teamWinner: CBRE – Women’s NetworkDerek O'Boyle, managing director, MKF Property Services, presents the best female led team award to Niamh Hussey and Michelle Wallace, CBRE Excellence in service provider (sponsored by MKF Property Services) Winner: Cristiana Besteliu – SOS Group Aaron O'Doherty, director, MKF Property Services, presents the excellence in service provider award to Lily Rowntree, BusinessRiver on behalf of Cristiana Besteliu Excellence in property management Winner: Aimée Cafferty – Wyse Property Management Trevor Smyth, awards judge, presents the excellence in property management award to Aimée Cafferty, Wyse Property Management Excellence in senior leadership – large employer Winner: Áine Mulcahy – OCS Ireland Eileen Slamon, awards judging coordinator, presents the excellence in senior leadership - large employer award to Gill O'Riordan on behalf of Áine Mulcahy, OCS Ireland Excellence in senior leadership Winner: Gill McDonald – ISS IrelandTrevor Smyth, awards judge, presents the excellence in senior leadership award to Gill McDonald, ISS Ireland Best sustainability leadership Winner: Hayley Egan – SavillsTrevor Smyth, awards judge, presents the best sustainability leadership award to Jodi Artis on behalf of Hayley Egan, Savills Best operations leadershipWinner: Sinéad Grogan – ABM IrelandTrevor Smyth, awards judge, presents the best operations leadership award to Sinéad Grogan, ABM Ireland Best environmental, health and safety leadershipWinner: Mariane Merchiori – Mitie Facilities Management Gillian O'Connor, awards judge, presents the best environmental, health and safety leadership award to Mariane Merchiori, Mitie Facilities Management Diversity, equality and inclusion strategy of the yearWinner: Apleona IrelandEileen Slamon, awards judging coordinator, presents the diversity, equality and inclusion strategy of the year award to Aleksandra Krakowiak and Mary Harte, Apleona Ireland Mentor of the yearWinner: Monique Campher – OCS IrelandEileen Slamon, awards judging coordinator, presents the mentor of the year award to Monique Campher, OCS Ireland Rising star of the year (sponsored by MKF Property Services)Winner: Helen McManus – Riverside Maintenance Derek O'Boyle, managing director, MKF Property Services, presents the rising star of the year award to Helen McManus, Riverside Maintenance Legacy awardRecipient: Fionnuala ByrneGillian O'Connor, awards judge, presents the legacy award to Fionnuala Byrne, Google