On 22 November, VisitScotland Business Events announced its five Young Legends of the Year at an awards ceremony at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow. The inaugural event welcomed 100 guests including representatives from the country’s top universities, convention bureaux and tourism agencies.
The Young Legends Awards were created to celebrate the country’s leading reputation for invention and innovation by recognising the leading-edge work of special young people aged 18-26 who live and work in Scotland today.
Mark Goudie, a Strathclyder and Electrical & Mechanical Engineer at SNC-Lavalin’s Atkins, was one of five lucky winners who were chosen for their work and innovative ideas from some of Scotland’s key sectors including life sciences, creative, technology, energy and education. They will all see their work championed internationally through the Legends' campaign.
Mark said: “I’m really proud to have been selected as a Young Legend. The chance to have my work showcased and to be an ambassador who best represents the country’s spirit of pioneering innovation through my contributions to the energy sector is extremely humbling. I’m looking forward to working with VisitScotland Business Events and the other Young Legends for what I’m sure, will be an exciting 2019.”
Mark gained an MEng in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Strathclyde. During his time at Strathclyde, he was the winner in the Energy category of the 2015 Telegraph STEM Awards, for devising a Wind Energy Reservoir Storage system. This system takes energy from offshore wind farms when electricity is in surplus and uses it to pump water into oil reservoirs. When there is no wind to operate the turbines but electricity is still needed, the water stored in the reservoirs is used to generate electricity on oil platforms. In 2018, he was appointed as the Chair of the IET Engineering Horizons Bursary Assessment Panel, a financial hardship bursary for students and apprentices and received the IET Paul Fletcher Medal in 2017 for his leadership of young professionals.
The Young Legends Awards are organised by VisitScotland Business Events and combine the aims of both its two-year Legends campaign and the Year of Young People in Scotland in 2018.
Rory Archibald, Business Development Manager – Associations & Sectors at VisitScotland Business Events said: “Scotland’s reputation for innovation stretches back hundreds of years and continues to this day. All the Young Legend Award Winners have showcased their innovative work, creativity and stellar research, all of which contributes to the continuous work of Scotland being a world leader in innovation.”