SYSTECH

What is your role with Systech and where are you based?

I am the Managing Director for Systech’s global project controls business and I am based just south of London in the United Kingdom.

Tell us about some of the projects you have worked on?

During my career I have worked for a number of complex and challenging programmes in the United Kingdom and around the world. I am originally from New Zealand although I left there in 1990 having joined DHL in the Middle East and like a lot of people, I fell into project management. I was fortunate to win a scholarship with DHL and decided to go to university in the United States (George Washington University, Washington DC) to do my master’s in project management. This gave me the platform to pursue project management as a career and as such, this provided me with the platform to lead numerous projects in the Middle East, Asia, Canada, Europe, the United States and the United Kingdom. This included leading the redevelopment of Terminals 1 & 3 at Heathrow, the £6Bn Greater West Electrification programme, embedded within Metrolinx leading the $30Bn Light Rail Transit (LRT) programme in Toronto, the Lower Thames Crossing programme and most recently as Delivery Integration Director for the £35Bn Sizewell C Nuclear programme.

Have you worked for Systech in different regions? How was the relocation process?

I have worked for Systech in the Americas and the UK. I did work in 8 different countries/regions when I was working for DHL so I am well-versed in the relocation process and if anyone wants any advice, then do not hesitate to reach out!

What is your typical day?

There is no typical day given the challenges associated with my role at Systech or my responsibilities supporting the Sizewell C nuclear programme. If I am travelling to London I typically get up at 04:30 to catch the train to be in the office for 07:00. From there on all sorts of things come across my desk being part of the team that is helping to mobilise this £35Bn mega programme. I have been on the Sizewell C programme for three years and every day is different and in particular appeasement of the various requirements associated in delivering a nuclear programme. If I am working from home then I am typically at my desk at 06:00 (yes, I prefer the early starts) addressing the requirements of the day/week in developing Systech’s project controls capabilities or responding to specific requirements.

What are the interesting aspects of your work?

Variety, Challenge, Complexity and People. For me, it is the role that defines your interest whether this be resolving complex challenges or issues and working with a team that are equally dedicated to resolving these. Underpinning all of this is the need to enjoy your job and the people you work with. If everyone understands the challenges, what is needed to resolve these and are aligned in the way to do so, it becomes a much more enjoyable experience.

What words of advice would you offer someone who is thinking of working for Systech?

Do it! Systech have been successful for over three decades and have worked on some outstanding projects around the world. The company works with its clients to define the problem, agree a path for solution, provide the necessary people to resolve these and exit once this has been achieved i.e., we are not a commodity supplier of resources where people are simply operating as headcount for clients.

How is the support from the senior managers and other members of your team?

Superb. Since joining Systech twelve months ago the support has been fantastic and I could not have asked for more.

What are the challenges?

Developing a business such as we are with project controls is a different challenge to the opportunities that come across the core parts of our business. That said, Systech’s reputation and brand value provide opportunities for the project controls business that we need to capitalise on. We have seen that over the past twelve months and as we continue to build our project controls capabilities and resource base, this will expand further.

What training and support has Systech given you?

Systech has provided me with fantastic support needed as we develop the project controls business and I am genuinely excited about the opportunities in front of us. Whilst Zoho has been my primary element of training needs I’m sure Alex will be pushing me to get better at using this important CRM tool more often and more efficiently.

What is the culture like?

Coming into a new company post-COVID has created a few challenges for me and one that I have had to adjust to. Normally, as a new employee you would begin to establish a platform for relationship building at the end of the first week but with the removal of working offices this results in a transaction based environment which places extra emphasis to both understand and contribute to the team culture. That said, the support has been great to date and with many people having worked at the company for a long period of time the culture is great as everyone understands the business and what is needed to be successful.

How has working for Systech helped you achieve your career goals?

Yes. With the decentralisation of the office environment post-COVID I can now enjoy the delights of a home office. Walking downstairs into my home office in the morning and not having to commute for two hours into the office is an absolute delight. Now, if someone could remove Mondays, my life would be perfect!

What has been your greatest achievement working for Systech?

It was great to get Systech onto a number of global framework agreements and I am looking forward to capitalising on other project controls opportunities.

Tell us about a project where you have learnt a key lesson

When I joined Network Rail to lead the Greater West Electrification programme this was my first foray into the rail industry. As such, I was bombarded with information and acronyms that I didn’t understand and thank goodness for iPhones which was a valuable directory assistant for me in the early months during meetings as I sought to understand the railway language. That said, I did have a clear plan in terms of what needed to be done and how to turn around this poorly performing £6Bn infrastructure programme. This included restructuring the programme team and developing a positive engagement arrangement with the programme’s supply chain. These were not easy tasks to implement given how things were done in the railway. We were successful though as people bought into the plan and during my time on the programme we safely achieved every key delivery milestone, enhanced our stakeholder engagement process and reduced the programme headcount by over 200 staff. It was one of the most enjoyable periods of my career and I look back on the team’s achievements with great pride and affection.

The key lesson for me was to develop an effective plan, communicate this plan to everyone (including your key stakeholders) and ensure everyone on the programme team feels valued in terms of their contribution.