IFMA Names 2026 Class of Fellows

HOUSTON -- The International Facility Management Association (IFMA) has named the 2026 Class of IFMA Fellows.

Bestowed with the association’s highest honor, Kati Barklund, Jiří Knap, Michael Khai Loon Ng, Sampson Opare-Agyemang, John Ringness and Dean Stanberry join an elite corps of leaders who serve as IFMA advisors and ambassadors, furthering the interests and influence of the association and the facility management (FM) profession.

The six honorees will be officially inducted as IFMA Fellows at the opening session of IFMA’s World Workplace 2026 Conference and Expo, 18 November in Anaheim, Calif.

For a professional association to thrive, it needs the sustained involvement of multifaceted, enterprising members who are dedicated to enriching the association, contributing to the profession’s body of knowledge, and elevating opportunities for both the organization and the industry. For IFMA and FM, these members are honored annually as IFMA Fellows.

“Being named an IFMA Fellow is a distinguished achievement that recognizes exceptional leadership, lasting service and meaningful contributions to advancing the facility management profession worldwide,” said IFMA President & CEO Michael V. Geary, CAE. “Kati, Jiří, Michael, Sampson, John and Dean are passionate, selfless and inspiring leaders whose influence in the built environment is felt today and will for generations. They truly embody IFMA’s global mission to advance the knowledge, value and growth of FM professionals so they can perform at the highest level.”

IFMA’s Fellows Program was established in 1992. Only 0.5 percent of the IFMA membership may hold the title of IFMA Fellow. As of this year, only 146 individuals have been honored as IFMA Fellows.
In addition to excelling in their professional careers, IFMA Fellows volunteer countless hours and serve in several capacities to advance the FM industry and support and promote IFMA programs and initiatives.

The 2026 Class of IFMA Fellows include:

• Kati Barklund, IFMA Fellow is a passionate workplace leader whose career has advanced FM as a strategic force for business performance, employee experience and sustainability, She has been honored as a 2025 IFMA Top Global Influencer and received the 2025 WE Community Award of Excellence in Communications, 2020 IFMA Outstanding Women in FM, Microsoft Platinum Speaker Award and Pharmacia “Best Project Manager.”

Her earlier work at Coor helped launch Green Services, Smart Office Solutions and advisory services influencing more than 100,000 users. Within IFMA, Barklund chaired IFMA’s Sweden Chapter, growing membership, partnerships, events and digital engagement, and now serves as Global Chair of Workplace Evolutionaries (WE).

• Jiří Knap, Ing., IFMA Fellow has helped define and elevate the profession across Central Europe. A senior expert advisor for facility management and president of IFMA’s Czech Republic Chapter, he has turned the chapter into a nationally recognized authority, connecting IFMA with government, academia, industry and emerging practitioners.

His work includes shaping official FM competency standards, representing Czech and IFMA interests in European digital-twin standardization, and helping give facility management a formal, government-mandated seat at the table in national BIM policy.

Knap also advances FM education as professional guarantor and teacher at CEDUK, where he helps build the next generation of FM leaders. As founder and editor-in-chief of FM Journal CZ+SK and the Czech FM Yearbook, and co-author of the first comprehensive Czech-language FM handbook, he has given the profession a credible, permanent public voice in the Czech Republic.

• Michael Khai Loon Ng, MSc, CFM, FMP, CERM, CFME - Tier 1, IFMA Fellow is a distinguished leader with more than 30 years of experience across health care, higher education, libraries, commercial property and international project development.

As division director, operational support services, at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Singapore, he oversees complex 24/7 operations spanning facilities and maintenance, sustainability, crisis planning, workplace safety, biomedical engineering, digitalization, security and business continuity.

His leadership has strengthened operational reliability, patient-support services, emergency preparedness and sustainable health care operations. Ng has played a pivotal role in advancing facilities management across Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region. Since joining IFMA Singapore Chapter in 2015, he has served as vice president, regional advisor, conference chair, instructor and ambassador.

His accomplishments include training more than 360 FM professionals, contributing to national accreditation and skills frameworks, securing funding for professional development, and advancing sustainability, emergency response and digital transformation. Recognized with IFMA’s Singapore Chapter’s President Award and multiple health care FM honors, Ng exemplifies service, innovation, mentorship and sustained leadership in elevating the FM profession.

• Sampson Opare-Agyemang, BSc, MSc, FMP, CFT, IFMA Fellow has influenced the industry’s growth in Ghana and across Africa.

As managing director of Prolicon Plus Limited and founding president of the IFMA Ghana Chapter, he helped build the country’s facility management community from the ground up, expanding professional awareness, membership, training and certification pathways.

His leadership has supported more than 200 credentialed and trained facility management practitioners, including CFMs, SFPs and FMPs, and helped embed facility management education in universities and professional training programs.

He was instrumental in the development and launch of the inaugural IFMA Africa Conference and has contributed to the event’s growing recognition and stellar reputation among industry professionals in Africa. He is well-regarded for advancing FM education in Ghana, supporting the Ghana Army’s FM capabilities, and increasing the visibility of facility management on university campuses.

• John Ringness, MBA, SFP, IFMA Fellow is a respected FM leader whose career spans more than four decades of strategic operations, sustainability, digital transformation and professional service.

As director of facilities at Trinity Western University, he leads a 157-acre campus of 34 buildings and structures totaling 822,000 square feet, manages US$6.3 million in operating and capital renewal budgets, and secured support for a US$185 million deferred maintenance program. His work has advanced energy performance, accessibility, indoor air quality and data-driven asset stewardship, including a 2026 NAFA Clean Air Award for TWU’s filtration practices.

Ringness’ achievements include leadership across higher education, health care, public-private partnerships and international developments, including work in Canada, India and Haiti. He helped develop IFMA’s Mumbai Chapter, strengthened the FM Consultants Council, founded and later returned to lead IFMA’s Business Community, and has contributed to benchmarking, sustainability, education and knowledge initiatives.

• Dean Stanberry, SFP, CFM, LEED AP O+M, IFMA Fellow is a modern-day industry pioneer whose career reflects more than two decades of service, innovation and professional achievement.

A longtime IFMA member and IFMA Denver Chapter leader, Stanberry helped guide the chapter through a period of growth that included multiple IFMA Awards of Excellence and recognition as Large Chapter of the Year. His own honors include Recognition of Outstanding Service from the USGBC Rocky Mountain Region, Outstanding Contribution by a Professional Member from the Denver Chapter of IFMA, the chapter’s Distinguished Member Award, IFMA’s Facility Management Achievement Award and the Lou Doyle Distinguished Member Award.

His leadership extends across IFMA’s global network. He has served as Sustainability Community Chair, Government Affairs Committee Chair, IFMA Foundation Trustee, IFMA Global Board Director, Board Chair and Immediate Past Chair.

Each year, the IFMA Fellows Nominating Committee identifies qualified individuals and assists those who nominate members for consideration. Nominations are submitted to the Jury of Fellows, which utilizes a standardized evaluation methodology to determine results.

Visit ifma.org/about/leadership-staff/fellows for more information.

Founded in 1980, the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) is the world’s largest, most widely recognized association for facility management (FM) professionals.