The team organising the 2018 Birmingham Young Professional of the Year Awards has been unveiled.

The 18th annual awards recognise the city's top professional services employees across six different categories and was won this year by Michael Parker, from property consultancy Gleeds.

Organised by business networking group BPS Birmingham, the 2018 event takes place on May 24 at the ICC.

The 2018 committee will be led by chairman Sophie Carlile, who is an associate solicitor at Squire Patton Boggs, with support from from deputy chairman Kirn Dibra, a risk and control manager at Experian.

New to the committee are Kate Evans, business development manager for the West Midlands Growth Company, and Louise Bennett, marketing and communications officer for RPS Group.

Also on the committee are Mike Raven, creative director at publishing company RileyRaven, Charlie Pette, business development executive at Birmingham Hippodrome, Sarah Groves, communications executive at Gateley, and Matt Walker, PR manager with Colmore Tang Construction.

Completing the line up for 2018 are Natalie Barnes, senior associate at Irwin Mitchell, and Laura Gallagher, project quantity surveyor at RPS Group.

Ms Carlile said: "I'm thrilled to be taking the role of chairman for 2018 and to be supported by such an enthusiastic group of professionals.

"Over half of the team is new to the committee and are already bringing fresh, ambitious ideas.

"BYPY isn't just about one night, it's about the shining talent in the professional services sector that delivers above-and-beyond to make their mark and carve out successful careers here in the region.

"It's about recognising this young talent while providing an ongoing platform and support network to help progress further."

BYPY 2018 will again recognise under 35s across six categories - finance, property and construction, human resources, marketing and communications, legal and technology.

One of the six category winners will then be named overall Birmingham Young Professional of the Year for 2018 and recognise the organisation and city for the following 12 months.

There will also be an aspiring talent winner for individuals aged 16 to 24 who are in full-time education or training and an inspiring leader who has made a significant contribution to the city's business community.

Aston Business School will again offer a fully-funded executive MBA scholarship worth £20,100 after introducing the prize last year.