Why do you like working on site?

There’s a buzz on site. Whether you’re the site engineer, the project manager, the site clerk: you’re part of a team where you’re producing something. And that’s the attraction for certain people, where they’re not just sitting in an office punching out paper.

What is the key to your role?

From a project manager’s point of view, it’s all about people management. I’ve recently completed the K2 Leadership Development course and one of the key things we learnt about leadership is getting results with people and through people. The construction industry is all about that. We have 200 people working in the field. I can’t personally lay every brick and pour every cubic metre of concrete. If people aren’t led, nurtured and managed in the right way, then it won’t happen.

How do you approach training?

There’s a balance between putting people in the deep end and also being there to support them so that they don’t sink to the bottom of the pool. If you don’t challenge they’re never going to learn; conversely if you don’t support them, you could burn someone out.