Senior Project Manager, Consultancy, UK
I joined the University of Lincoln Estates Department in 2014 as a Communications Officer. This was my first foray into the world of construction and my main role was to share the great work being carried out by the estates team on both capital development and maintenance across the estate. As I developed within this role, it was clear that the next opportunity was to move into project management. My line manager at the time always said to me, and this is something that has stuck with me ever since, that the key to being a successful project manager is the ability to communicate with a wider range of audiences. I was given the opportunity to interview for an Assistant Project Manager position within the department and progressed into a full Project Manager role within 18 months. I’m fascinated by the world of construction and am keen help break the bias around young women in management roles within the industry.
The Alliance model is a ground-breaking approach to contracting and Sheffield Hallam University is the first in the higher education to adopt the new model. I’m proud to be working on this project, redefining how higher education projects are delivered and I’m keen to share best practice in the sector.
The Alliance model brings together partners working towards a shared goal with a “pain and gain” mechanism. Working alongside Sheffield Hallam University and partners at BAM Construction, BDP/ Arup and CBRE, the model is already starting to pay dividends for the University with greater supply chain input from a very early stage and improved standardisation of design through retained knowledge from scheme to scheme.
The recognition is of course nice, but what I hope is that it inspires other women to follow suit. Mace gives us the freedom to push the boundaries on what we can achieve and there are so many talented women in our industry. Any time one of us wins an award, it raises awareness of how we can all excel in this discipline.
Since joining Mace, my biggest achievement has been working to review the Hallam Alliance schemes. The schemes were going through a particularly challenging time with changes in personnel and significant cost pressures. Coming from a client background, I’ve been able to use my past experience of how universities operate to influence the change process within the Alliance’s ways of working. It’s extremely useful to be able to use my past experience in a positive way to influence change, improve processes and build real relationships with a key client for Mace.
When I was looking for my next role, I was keen to move to an organisation that would support me in becoming a more well-rounded project manager. Having been a client PM for several years, the natural progression was towards a more consultancy-based business and Mace stood out to me due to the breadth of services offered, the offer having its own construction engine and working on ground-breaking projects with great clients.
The key to being an effective project manager is the ability to communicate. My degree and experience in public relations and people management have been integral to my ability to successfully manage large-scale construction projects from a client’s perspective, and now moving into a more independent project management and advisory role. The essence of project management is to manage expectations with a wide range of people and key to this is knowing how to adapt your management style to suit the recipient. I’ve had the opportunity to work with clients, design consultants and main contractors, as well as the sub-contractors with boots on the ground, all of whom require nuances in approach and communication.
Another key skill is the ability to accept and deal with change. Though each construction project may follow the same processes, each one will have their own distinct challenges which require the project manager to be able to shift focus, upskill themselves where required and positively react to change.