Pre-Cast Story:
I joined the British Army after leaving school and was accepted into the Royal Engineers as a Sapper. Having completed my City & Guilds in Carpentry & Joinery at the Army Apprentice’s College, Chepstow and my Combat Engineer training at Gibraltar Barracks, Minley I was posted out to Germany. I spent a number of years in Germany in various locations as well as having postings to Southampton and serving as a Training Instructor as a Phase 1 training establishment in Lichfield. During my 16 years spent in the Corp I saw operations in Norway, Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia. I gained my Advanced City & Guilds in Carpentry & Joinery and also completed a plethora of construction related tasks including construction of temporary accommodation, building of roads, construction of bailey and medium girder over bridges, along with the construction of a number of bars for relaxation and recuperation purposes! I left the Corps in 2005 and initially re-trained as a plasterer and commenced work as a joiner on site. Having decided that I wanted to further myself and briefly took a position as Head of Construction in an FE College before I started my PM consultancy journey. My first project was the construction of an office complex on the roof of Harrods store in Knightsbridge. It was during these early years that I undertook a BSc (Hons) in Construction Management at the University College of Estate Management at Reading. Having attained a first-class honours degree, coming top of the course, I have proceeded to obtain my Fellowship with the Chartered Institute of Building.
Your Career Journey at Cast:
Having spent 12 years at my previous consultancy I relished the chance to return to a more hands on delivery mode, coupled with broadening my knowledge of project management and contract administration. I welcomed the opportunity to join the team at Cast in July 2019 and was immediately involved in the delivery of a large Later Living scheme in London. Since then, my primary focus has been the delivery of Later Living schemes across London and the home counites. Coupled with this I have also had the opportunity to deliver Build to Rent schemes, Student Accommodation, affordable housing schemes as well as completing some Due Diligence exercises. I have also been afforded the opportunity to build on my own development in respect of MMC. Seeing first-hand the benefits and efficiencies that MMC offers the Construction industry from the installation of bathroom pods to a full volumetric 49 storey apartment block. Since I joined Cast, I have seen and experienced the total professionalism of each member of staff who are dedicated to delivering excellence for our clients, sharing the knowledge that they have, learning from everyday experiences and respecting the world we live in.
Current Role:
I am currently an Associate Director and lead a small team of project managers delivering projects around the UK. My passion is contract administration and I lead on the development of our EA/ CA capabilities. Additionally, I am also leading on the development of our graduate offering and how, we as a business, can attract the best young talent to join our Cast. Being a veteran, I am also passionate about how we can assist in the transition of service men and woman when leaving the armed forces and have recently been successful in the completion of the Armed Forces Covenant for Cast.
Every day is a “school day” and there are new experiences and things to learn
What are your ambitions?:
every day. My aim is to continue to grow and learn, sharing my experiences and knowledge with those new into the industry. I aim to promote the contract administration/ employer’s agent role to highlight the importance and highly complex nature the role is. My priorities in life continue to maintain a stable work life balance and continue to deliver and exceed our client expectations in the construction of homes around the UK. Hopefully the next step on the ladder is not too far away.
What would you say to someone thinking about joining Cast?
Do it! Cast is a fantastic place to work with an excellent environment. The business is innovative and forward-thinking upholding their values of Respect, Share and Learn as a basis of our success. We have some of the industry’s best project managers and quantity surveyors who take immense pride in truly care and believe in the delivery of projects for our clients. From the very top of the business, with the founding directors to the most junior of staff, everybody has a voice and are encouraged to grow and develop their skills.
