2016 40 Under 40: Colin Rees, LEED AP, LCC, LCEA, 34

Consultancy Manager, IES Ltd., Glasgow, U.K. BEng Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde

By Jack Smith, Content Manager, and Amara Rozgus, Editor-in-Chief May 16, 2016

Colin Rees, LEED AP, LCC, LCEA, 34

Consultancy Manager, IES Ltd., Glasgow, U.K.

BEng Environmental Engineering, University of Strathclyde

Immediately after finishing his degree, Rees started his career at IES as a summer placement in 2002 and stayed with the company as a project consultant. He worked across a wide variety of projects and soon became highly experienced and specialized in dynamic simulation modeling, particularly for U.K. building regulations. He became a project manager in 2007 and achieved his current role of consultancy manager in 2011. In 2007, he served a 6-month assignment in San Francisco helping establish IES’s West Coast U.S. presence through consultancy, training, and technical support. In 2010, he served an assignment in Pune, India, where he worked for 2 months in the newly launched IES office, training staff on software and working to integrate them into the consulting team. With 14 years at the firm, Rees is now the longest-serving consultant at IES. His wealth of knowledge developed during his career makes him an ideal person to train and mentor new staff members, helping them develop their own skills and making them key parts of the consulting team. Rees was the lead consultant involved with Glasgow City Council’s Primary School Tender Evaluation, where he helped assess the designs and specifications of primary schools, leading to recommendations on improved energy efficiency and occupant comfort. Rees loves to play sports including golfing and cycling for fitness and fun. He took up hill walking around 6 years ago and has since climbed more than 30 Munros in the Scottish Highlands. He also took part in a local pool league in Glasgow for several years and was even ranked as one of the top 100 pool players in Scotland.