Why did you choose to join Mott MacDonald?
My decision was based on a combination of factors including work type, office location, salary, training etc., but I was particularly drawn to the project variety and international opportunities that were available even to new graduates, such as me at the time.
What is the best thing about your job/role?
My current role is mainly focused on coordination of multi-disciplinary environmental impact assessments (EIAs). This role provides me with the perfect opportunity to familiarise with every environmental specialism that forms part of an EIA, which enables me to build up a very broad environmental knowledge base. This role also enables me to meet and interact with different people both within and outside of Mott MacDonald, thereby expanding my professional network and helping me to continuously improve my interpersonal skills.
How would you describe the culture of Mott MacDonald?
Mott MacDonald has a very friendly office culture that applies irrespective of which office / country you reside in or come from. I have experienced the office cultures in the UK, US and Hong Kong, and it amazed me how comfortable and easy it was to be able to transition from one office to another.
How have you been supported during your career development?
Mott MacDonald provides a structured training programme under the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), where I was assigned a mentor who helped me to review my work experience against the criteria for gaining chartership. Later, the company had also developed an online training programme that enabled me to continue my progress towards chartership despite my relocation to another office abroad, which helped me maintain my training and my communications with my (now overseas) mentor. This was instrumental in enabling me to get my chartership status.
What is the best thing about living in the country you live?
The best thing about Hong Kong is that it is a very ‘work hard, play hard’ kind of city where you rarely feel bored. Granted that we spend more time in the office than most of our colleagues abroad, but the never ending variety of activities that can be found practically ‘on your doorstep’ makes for a very enriching lifestyle.
If you could have any super power what would it be?
The ability to fly, which is a bit ironic as I’m actually afraid of heights and not very adventurous, but I would assume that if I could fly, I would lose these fears. Then I could see the world from above and it would be unrestricted by borders and traffic jams. It would also rival cycling as an eco-friendly mode of transport!
