Organisation: WSP Civils Limited
Job title: Associate Director
Describe what you do.
I am the Team Leader for a team of civil engineers who work on a wide range of highway-related projects. I am responsible for their training and development, financial monitoring and control and checking any technical outputs before they are issued to the client.
What are you currently working on?
I moved to Scotland in February 2010 to take up a position in the Edinburgh office of WSP having spent six years working with a Carillion-WSP Joint Venture in England.
Half my time is still spent working on this project but I also work on projects for Highway Management (City) Limited who operate the motorways in Northern Ireland around Belfast.
The team also works on projects for local authorities in Scotland, and support other offices of WSP working for the Highways Agency and local authorities in England as well as clients abroad.
What or who inspired you to become an engineer?
As a very small child I remember walking with my parents and seeing a new road being built in my home town. That left a lasting memory and roads and road-building was something I was always interested in.
What excites you about Scottish engineering?
There are some large and interesting projects and opportunities in Scotland that will come to fruition over the next few years. Scotland will be an exciting place to be for engineers with the opportunity to be involved in high profile projects.
Road construction and road maintenance projects may have their critics but, ultimately, if they are done well they are a benefit to everyone in society and bring social and economic rewards.
Where do you see developments in your field in the future?
As budgets become squeezed and clients expect more for less the industry must develop in such a way that costs are driven down by reducing waste and recycling more materials. The concept of lean working is not new to manufacturing but it is a concept that must be adopted more widely.
Construction and maintenance must adopt these practices if we are to protect the road assets that we all rely on to transport, not only ourselves, but also the freight that is the life-blood of the country right down to the everyday things we buy in the supermarket.
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