Take five - Time out with #TeamISG

As part of a drive to get to know to people across our global teams, I sat down with #TeamISG to talk about everything from engineering to golfing.

Tell us about your background and what led you to ISG?

My background is in electrical engineering. I started out with Amec, where I spent 12 years working on projects that were very diverse and heavy on engineering, such as power stations and offshore oil rigs. I then spent some time working for a UK company that did primarily retail fit out.?

I have worked in construction for 30-odd years, and I have been involved in various aspects of projects in different sectors and scale. At one point in my career, I worked on the Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, which was very interesting.?

What were your first impressions of ISG as a business??

I knew of ISG in the UK and the company had a really good reputation in the fit out industry. When I joined ISG, here in Dubai in February 2016, I was a bit surprised about the systems – I thought they were a little behind. But since then, the investment that has gone into making ISG a tech-led business has been incredible. Over the past five-and-a-half years, it has changed immeasurably.?

What does a typical day look like for you??

Working across multiple time zones – the Middle East, Asia and the UK – no day is the same, that’s the beauty of the business. We have lots of different fit out projects running at the same time across regions.?

We do have some structure, when we have our sales meetings and commercial meetings, but every day is different. That’s what makes ISG a great place to work.?

What excites you most about construction?

The most exciting part about ISG and our industry is the speed that we work. Whether in Singapore, Dubai or the UK, wherever #TeamISG is, our business is very dynamic! We have lots of different things happening at the same time.??

As construction experts today, we are committed to charting a sustainable future and securing a net zero legacy for our cities, towns and communities by 2030 through our sustainability policies. Just recently in Singapore, we completed the new social-first workplace of an International Financial Services Company for our client, The Instant Group, and are now?in process of attaining the coveted Green Mark Gold accreditation?in recognition of its sustainability features.

What is the most memorable project you have worked on?

That would be THORP, the thermal hydroxide reprocessing plant at Sellafield in Cumbria, UK. I was a commissioning engineer and my job was to put things to work. This was a huge project very early in my career when I was about 25.

The scale and complexity was immense – we had about 6,000 people working on it. Building it involved very heavy engineering and expertise. I learned a lot from this incredible project, and it was an amazing process to be involved in.?

Where do you see the construction industry in Southeast Asia and the Middle East in the next five years??

Clearly construction is challenged by COVID-19. Life will change and construction itself is coming back with some vigour, of course with the latest safety measures in place. Just recently we had Simon Caron, managing director of ES Asia come to Singapore, with the view to build up our Engineering Services capability across Asia and the Middle East.?

I think if we fast-forward five years, we would see a very different business in this region. We would keep building upon our strong creditability in the fit out business locally, and add in our industry-leading Engineering Services to our offer here.?

If you hadn’t joined the construction industry, what do you think you would be doing?

Actually, when I left school, I went through the selection process to join the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in the army and got offered a place. So potentially, I could have been in the army. However, if I could do it all over again, I would have liked to be a doctor. I think it’s a great job. You help people and it’s interesting.?

What work principle do you stand by?

For me, the first principle of working in business is to treat everyone fairly. We are all equal. I don’t differentiate between a construction operative and a senior manager. I think we are all the same – we just have different roles. And we are interdependent – we depend on each other to be successful.?

What's on your bucket list?

To become a scratch golfer – that’s a golfer who can play to a course handicap of zero on any and all rated golf courses. That’s about it. There aren’t many things that I wanted to do that I haven’t already done to be honest.

Do you have a top tip for building a successful career in construction?

In my view, building a successful career is about having the will to become successful. We talk a lot about skills generally, but I feel the will is more important. You have got to show you are willing to put the effort in, and if you are prepared to learn, you will go a long way.?

What’s your favourite sports team??

My favourite football team is Sheffield Wednesday. Anybody who is reading this would probably have a good laugh because we are not very good, and this year we were relegated from the Championship to League One, the third tier of the English football league system. But Sheffield Wednesday is my local team, and my father and grandfather were supporters, so I have supported the team my whole life.

What’s your favourite book and film??

I will choose a business book actually – The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. I really enjoyed reading that and applying it to my life. As for movies, it is hard to pick one because I travel often and watch a lot of movies. One that I particularly like is The Shawshank Redemption because it’s a movie that gives people hope.

And finally, if you could have anyone over for dinner, who would that person be??

I would have my grandfather over for dinner; he passed away in 1990. We were very close, and he looked after us when we were children.

I would like to make an apology to him because when I was a child, I thought he was lazy because I never saw him go to work. When he died, I received his obituary and it stated that he worked in a coal mine from the age of 13 to 58, that’s 45 years working underground. I didn’t know better as a small child as he had already retired by then.

Still, I am very grateful we got to spend time together, and that he lived to a ripe old age of 82.?