2013 40 Under 40: Mark Gifford, 31

Consultancy Development Manager, Integrated Environmental Solutions, Glasgow, U.K.

By Jessia DuBois-Maahs, Contributing Writer May 14, 2013

Mark Gifford, CEng MCIBSE, 31

Consultancy Development Manager, Integrated Environmental Solutions, Glasgow, U.K.

Strathclyde University, Glasgow, U.K., BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering

From Boston to the Middle East, Mark Gifford has worked across the world as a consultant and senior associate for Integrated Environmental Solutions. In 2008 Gifford relocated to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on a 2-year assignment to spearhead IES’s Middle East operations, where he served as LEED project manager on the Abu Dhabi Financial Centre, the second largest LEED v2 Core & Shell development in the world. He was part of a technical advisory group that introduced BuildingSMART to the Middle East through the creation of the BuildingSMART Middle East Chapter. Some of Gifford’s desire and aptitude for international travel stems from his time studying on an ERASMUS Exchange program at the Lulea Institute of Technology in northern Sweden. There, he completed a course in Arctic Engineering that included a survival course in the Arctic Circle. Gifford specializes in energy-efficient design and building energy modeling, skills that led him to achieve the first LEED Gold Certification in Scotland. During his travels, he’s enjoyed scuba diving in many of the world’s oceans. Diving is a long-standing hobby for Gifford, who is a qualified PADI Rescue Diver. In his spare time, Gifford enjoys spending time with his wife, Christine, their 2-year-old daughter, Anna, and their newborn son, James.