UTP Alumna Irene Lock Named Rising Star at Global Power Play Awards
10 September 2025
Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) proudly celebrates the outstanding achievement of its alumna, Ir. Ts. Irene Lock Sow Mei, who has been honoured with the prestigious Rising Star Award at the Power Play Awards 2025. An accomplished engineer at PETRONAS Group Technical Solutions, Irene continues to exemplify the spirit of excellence, innovation, and leadership instilled by UTP.
The Power Play Awards, established by ExxonMobil, is a globally recognised platform that celebrates professionals, particularly women, who are driving performance, innovation, leadership, and inclusion across the oil and gas and decarbonisation sectors. Irene received the distinguished honour at the seventh annual Power Play Awards ceremony held on 10 September 2025 in Milan, Italy.
The Rising Star Award recognises exceptional young professionals whose visionary leadership and technical contributions are shaping the future of the industry. Irene stood out for her unwavering commitment to sustainability, technical excellence, and gender inclusivity, as well as her impactful efforts in advancing initiatives that empower women and future engineers to thrive in STEM fields.
In addition to this global recognition, Irene also serves as an Office Bearer for the Women Engineers Section of the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM WE), where she actively champions gender diversity and leadership development within the engineering community.
This year's Power Play Awards attracted 129 nominations from 28 countries, underscoring the global significance of Irene's achievement. Her triumph adds to an illustrious record of international and national victories, as she is the winner of the Asian Downstream Summit Young Engineer Award, Asiawater Young Career Award, Young ADIPEC Technical Professional of the Year, and Egypt Petroleum Show Next Generation Female of the Year. She is also the winner of Malaysia's Prime Youth Award, Ten Outstanding Young Malaysian Award and IChemE Young Industrialist Award.
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Irene's achievements on the global and national stage also reflect the world class education, guidance, and values she received at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS. UTP's unwavering commitment to nurturing innovative, resilient, and socially responsible engineers has empowered her to excel in challenging technical environments, lead initiatives that drive sustainability, and inspire the next generation of STEM professionals. Her success stands as a proud testament to UTP's vision of shaping leaders who make a meaningful impact in the engineering industry and beyond.
Irene's journey of excellence began at Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, where she graduated as the Chancellor Gold Award Recipient in 2015, the university's highest honour, recognising her exceptional academic achievement, leadership, and service to the community. Her continued success on the global stage is a proud reflection of UTP's dedication to nurturing world class talents who exemplify the values of innovation, resilience, and leadership in advancing technology for humanity.
