Why did you choose to join Mott MacDonald?

Mott MacDonald came to my University and gave a presentation to the Engineering Society. We were shown pictures of international projects and I saw opportunities to travel with work on interesting projects so I applied for an industrial placement as part of my Masters year. I didn’t end up completing my Masters year and instead signed a permanent contract with Mott MacDonald. I took a year off work at a later stage to complete a different Masters course, which Mott Macdonald helped to fund.

What places have you been able to travel to through your job at Mott MacDonald?

I have worked on projects all over the world and spent extended periods working in the Mott Macdonald offices in Paris and Johannesburg. There is also a lot of flexibility how I work in the UK so I am able to move around easily to suit my personal and project needs so I sometimes work out of the Brighton or Cambridge offices.

What has been your favourite project?

I am currently working on a project where I am advising the South African Government on renewable energy. In these early stages of a new, liberalised energy market in South Africa. We are working to stimulate renewable energy generation and we’ve been instrumental in setting the level of subsidies, also in screening projects such that only those that are technically world class will be eligible. There is a great satisfaction in working with Government officials, lawyers and financiers in a process that is changing the face of power generation across a nation.

What key skills are needed for your job?

I would say the key skill in my role is being able to communicate technical information to a non-technical (and often very busy) audience. It is useful to be able to pull out the important details and to understand the significance of a small technical detail amongst the much wider issues associated with the global business of energy generation.

What has been your favourite Mott MacDonald social event?

I have been to the Mott MacDonald ski weekend a couple of times, up in the mountains of Scotland. As well as the skiing there were outdoor activities including canyoning, hill walking and a good Ceilidh in the evening. The social events are a good opportunity to meet up with people from other offices and other disciplines to build your network.