This category celebrates individuals for their commitment to mentoring in 2025, either within their practice, the wider profession, or in schools or universities.

Scott Brownrigg associate Dagmar Binsted has a long track record in mentoring architectural assistants, both in practice and through the Women in Architecture programme. She undertakes outreach work to promote architecture as a career in schools, is a member of the Apprenticeship Trailblazer Group, and is associate lecturer for the Level 7 Apprenticeship at Oxford Brookes University.

Pascall+Watson architect Johannah Fening leads the practice’s Part 3 Study Group and is also co-lead at Proof of Concept (POC) in Architecture, which works to drive POC representation in architecture. In 2025 alone she mentored 13 students and Part 3 candidates individually, plus 37 students through her role as specialist lecturer on Oxford Brookes University’s RIBA Foundation course. She also led the expansion of POC’s digital strategy to significantly extend its mentoring reach.

HTA Design senior associate Maribel Mantecon mentors university students and Part 3 candidates and runs a weekly mentoring lunchtime surgery to support HTA colleagues at all levels. She volunteers at London schools to broaden awareness of architectural careers especially among girls, and maintains long-standing mentorship roles with Women in Architecture, Young Architects and Developers Alliance (YADA) and New London Architecture. She has also contributed to Beyond the Box’s People’s Pavilion initiative.

Gary Mountford is technical director EPR Architects, where he has been a mentor for nine years. As well as supporting individuals through the practice’s own mentoring programme, he mentors third-year architecture students at the University of Greenwich through the RIBA Future Architects Programme. At the University of Westminster, he has built links with both the architecture and architectural technology programmes, contributing to portfolio reviews, organising first year studio visits and creating work experience opportunities for third year students.

The winners of all the AJ100 awards will be announced in June.

AJ100 Mentor of the Year 2026 shortlist

  • Dagmar Binsted Scott Brownrigg
  • Johannah Fening Pascall+Watson
  • Maribel Mantecon HTA Design
  • Gary Mountford EPR Architects