Operations Director, Consultancy, Lima
When I moved to London in 2004 I had grand plans for a career in film and television, building on my background as a production manager. But, when I first arrived, I had to take up temp jobs so I could pay the bills, and ended up working on the electrical fit out of the American Express headquarters in Victoria. I enjoyed the construction environment so much that I started to actively seek roles in the sector.
In 2006 I joined the fit out team on the HS1 works at St Pancras Station, and in 2008 I joined the CLM joint venture responsible for delivering the London 2012 venues. Among many benefits on that project, I got to know Mace’s people and values. Clearly, the positive impression made an impact as I joined Mace in 2012.
My first role at Mace was as an embedded member of the EDF client team at Hinkley Point C. The scale of that project, combined with the number of stakeholders and the national interest, meant that there was plenty to sink my teeth into and learn from as I developed my career.
After five years at Hinkley I took a career break, which Mace was incredibly supportive of, and, upon returning to work, I jumped at the chance to join the team in Peru, to help deliver the Lima 2019 Pan American and Parapan American Games venues. Once the project came to an end, I continued to support on the Games’ legacy plans, before becoming the programme director on Peru’s Reconstruction Programme – a collection of projects aimed at addressing some of the damage caused by the El Niño storms of 2017.
I genuinely look forward to going to work each and every day; the Reconstruction Programme is incredibly rewarding. The thing I enjoy most is being the person responsible for leading Mace’s fantastic team out in Peru and bringing everyone together as we work to deliver a challenging and complex programme that will have long lasting benefits for the country.
In Peru, we’re very aware of the legacy our work will leave. It’s a high profile project, in a country where people doubted whether we could deliver what was needed in the challenging timescales. I’m pleased to say we’ve overcome that scepticism.
Through the example we set on the Lima 2019 project, in terms of procurement, contracting and delivery, and our continued efforts in this space now, we’re driving what will be long-lasting change to the way business is done in the public sector. The legacy of what we’re doing will help to unlock essential spending on infrastructure in Peru, and that feels great.