Process-driven and conscientious engineer with an eye for detail and an enthusiasm for quality.
Coming to the end of Secondary School I didn't have any real idea what I wanted to do for a career but I was advised to apply for University. I decided to apply for Civil Engineering courses as there seemed to be a good breadth of career opportunities and was offered places in Glasgow, St Andrews and Newcastle but decide to stay close to home by going to the University of Glasgow. As it turned out, the reputation of the Civil Engineering department at Glasgow was quite high and I found most of the courses and lecturers to be engaging and interesting. As I'd hoped, there was a good range of subjects covered and as the years of the course rolled on it became clear my preference was for water/hydraulics based engineering. From not knowing what I wanted to do before University, I had found a potential career path although perhaps more through luck than judgement!
Born and raised in Glasgow in an area south of the River Clyde formerly renowned for its shipyards and shipbuilding heritage. As a child, I grew up literally along the road from the house where Sir Alex Ferguson was born.
Whilst studying at University I found myself a part time job in B&Q which put me off DIY for life and taught me that the customer is NOT always right!
Wanting to experience some new scenery, after University I left Glasgow for Nottingham in 2001 following job interviews across the UK including places as far afield as Elgin in northern Scotland.
One of the best for me that always springs to mind was for an IKEA store in Edmonton, North London which at the time their largest new store in the UK. I had involvement from around 2004 from planning stage, to initial enabling works and through to construction of the store, including regular design team meetings and liaison with senior IKEA representatives.
The project had a swift pace and various elements of the design work were taken in a reactive manner requiring close co-ordination with the Client, contractor, project manager and regulatory authorities in order to implement manageable proposals and solutions to progress the construction whilst addressing any issues encountered.
The project gave me invaluable experience of dealing with a large construction process and the co-ordination of various disciplines gave me a wider appreciation of the other elements involved in this major project outside of my own skill set.
Going to gigs, listening to music, watching sports, going to the cinema and travel in the UK and abroad, all usually whilst indulging in good food and drink!
I think it's always difficult to imagine 5 years in the future, but I'd hope to be still enjoying myself regardless of where I am and what I'm doing.
