Age 25
Where are you based at the moment (who do you work for)?
Mace – Global Projects & Infrastructure, London, UK
In what year did you complete your honours degree?
2015
What path did you follow before ending up with your current company?
I joined the Mace Graduate Development Programme straight out of Uni in 2016. I worked for Mace Sub-Saharan Africa in Johannesburg for 6 months before moving to Mace in the UK to complete the first year of the Graduate Programme. After one year in the UK, I moved back to Johannesburg where I worked for about a year, and then moved back to Mace in the UK in August 2018.
What is your current position and what does the role entail?
Technically I am a Project Manager at Mace, however my primary role at the moment is a secondment into the DIT (Department for International Trade) as the Programme Supplier Coordinator - Infrastructure for the DIT Programme Management Team working on the Lima2019 Pan & ParaPan American games taking place in July this year, as part of a G2G (government-to-government) agreement between Peru and the UK.
Basically I manage UK suppliers who are undertaking various pieces of infrastructure work for the games in Lima (i.e. for stadiums, athlete’s villages, aquatics centres, etc.).
The other part of my role, and separate from my role at DIT, is that of supporting business development for Mace GP&I.
What advice would you give a current construction management student?
Aside from developing academically, I would make an effort to develop your soft skills as much as possible at Uni. A large part of your job is going to involve developing relationships, negotiating, attending meetings, presenting, sending emails, making phone calls, etc., so being able to do these confidently will help you hit the ground running when you start working.
What was your favourite module?
Tough to say, but I really enjoyed KBM, KES, Commercial and Property Law.
Who was your favourite lecturer?
Tie between John and Chris
What are your plans for the next 5 to 10 years?
I don’t really have definite plans for 10 years time yet! But I would say that, professionally, within 5 years I would like to be working or have worked in another market/country outside of the UK, in a middle-upper management role on a major project/programme, and involved in the management of a business unit.