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IED Annual Award 2023 winner: Emma Leung, Savills
Emma Leung, a senior economist in the planning economics team at Savills, is the winner of the IED’s Rising Star of the Year award.
The award, sponsored by AtkinsRealis, recognises younger economic development team members aged 30 or under who have demonstrated excellence, commitment and gone above and beyond in their early career.
Emma’s nomination outlined her career to date, experiences and achievements in economic development, including tackling homelessness.
“It is still sinking in to have been presented with the 2023 IED Rising Star of the Year award and I am grateful to all those who attended the awards evening,” Emma said. “Thank you to the IED for creating a great space to collaborate and hear about some exceptional projects. It is safe to say that I am feeling inspired.”
Danny Collins, Director in the Economics team at Savills Manchester, said: “In the short time Emma has been with Savills, it is clear to see that she is a very talented, committed and hard-working economist, and this award is testament to that. On behalf of the whole team, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Emma on her well-deserved success – it is great to have a rising star amongst us.”
Emma joined the northern economics team at Savills based in Manchester last month alongside James Flint, who recently joined the firm as an associate economist.
“Emma and James have joined us at an exciting stage in our team’s growth, now with a six-strong team in Manchester, and a total of 28 economists nationally working across the country on economic and social impact analysis, business cases and funding bids, and market assessments,” Danny said. “The duo will be instrumental in the evolution of our team across the North West and their arrival helps widen the service provision we are able to offer clients across Manchester and the wider region.”
IED Director Bev Hurley CBE, who hosted the IED’s 40th anniversary awards evening sponsored by Key Cities, said: “Many congratulations to Emma as the winner of our Rising Star of the Year award. Our judges described this as a strong entry, with Emma demonstrating significant economic development activity by the age of just 24. They highlighted Emma’s passion for the profession through an understanding of the difference economic development can make, describing her as proactive and driven.”