As a chartered company secretary, I landed a role with Hertfordshire County Council managing programme and projects in their social care and education portfolio. I progressed within property and minor works, managing a diverse range of property and associated services. This provided me with a real understanding of the inner workings of the public sector and governance.

I went on to work for several London boroughs, and during this time I discovered that what I really enjoyed was the satisfaction of providing great buildings and first-class environments for people to live, be cared for and work in. I returned to HCC and lead their social care Capital and Revenue Estates services. 

During this time, Mace won a property contract for HCC and four months later, I was offered the opportunity to join Mace and have never looked back.

How has your career progressed since?

What do you enjoy most about your current role at Mace?

There are two key elements that I enjoy the most. Firstly, as an operations director, there’s an unparalleled level of freedom and autonomy to develop the services and grow your area of the business; you are encouraged to run but also supported where needed. For me this has enabled me to look for new challenges exploring ways to seek greater efficiencies and positive outcomes for our clients. 

Secondly, I have gained real satisfaction from building a team and supporting the individual development of the members of that team. The saying that you are only as good as the people you manage is so true and I really enjoy supporting people to grow and succeed.

What has been your proudest achievement at Mace so far?

In the early part of my career the delivery of the Hertfordshire PFI was a project I was really proud to have delivered. Later leading the team that re-clad and remodelled the eleven story East Wing tower at St Thomas’ hospital whilst maintaining full clinical operational services provided me with a great sense of achievement. 

Recently I led key workstreams on the delivery of the Nightingale Excel. I was so proud of being part of the Mace team who worked long hours in an extremely difficult environment, all determined to deliver the best healthcare facility we could. The achievement of providing 500 fully operational intensive care beds in 10 days was unprecedented and the Mace ‘can do’ collaborative culture shown, played a significant role in the outcome. 

What skills do you need to be good at your job?

Having self-awareness and interpersonal skills allows us to build great rapport with our clients.  As a delivery partner providing construction expertise, this is critical given the emphasis on collaborating and working collectively.

Relationship building is vital and having the emotional intelligence to instinctively know how to match our people to clients and ‘read the room’, is invaluable. We often deal with extremely complex challenges and the ability to work collaboratively leads to a culture that creates a positive environment, resulting in real innovation and benefits for all. As a leader, it’s about instilling confidence and trust, ensuring that I am accessible and approachable to both my team and clients.

What would you like be doing in the next 5-10 years?

I’m fully focused on growing Mace’s healthcare sector offering. I really believe that we can be a disruptor in this market where there will be significant government investment over the next decade. With long-standing relationships and a track record in delivering large complex projects across a range of sectors, our people have the credentials, capability and capacity to deliver outstanding services for healthcare leaders and the communities they serve.

What might someone be surprised to know about you?

Before Covid-19, I used to sing in a rock choir - very badly!