Chris Chalk

What do you do at Mott MacDonald?

As a global aviation leader, I head up delivery of complex airport and transport projects all over the world. These projects are often at the intersection of engineering, airport operations and the customer journey. I use my experience from working on 100 different airport projects in 50 countries around the world to help our teams deliver ambitious, successful and resilient projects for our clients that achieve the best possible operational performance.

Tell us about your career journey

I have spent my entire 46-year career growing professionally with Mott MacDonald. I joined as a graduate at Mott, Hay & Anderson as the company was known before it became Mott MacDonald in 1989. As a graduate, I worked in highways and transport planning, contributing to major road, rail, bridge and tunnel infrastructure projects. Following this, I moved onto structures, defence and government-related work.

My career in aviation truly began in 1990, working for the UK’s Birmingham Airport on the masterplan which was our first aviation project. From there I developed the growth of our aviation capability across the globe, in many continents and major cities.

Today I am proud to say that I have worked on some of the most challenging and visionary airport projects in the world such as Hong Kong, Delhi, Changi in Singapore and John F. Kennedy in New York.

How do you contribute to Mott MacDonald making a difference to people and planet?

I see my work as a way of helping to keep the world moving. Aviation connects families and friends, and enables business and trade, and I’m proud to play a part in making that possible. By focusing on transforming airports sustainably and ensuring they’re fit for the future, I know I’ve contributed to a positive impact on both people and the planet.

Alongside this, I’d like to mention technical excellence. It’s at the heart of all of our work and I believe it goes together with innovation. Innovation always keeps us continuously exploring how we can have meaningful and lasting impact on our clients and communities.

Do you have a mantra you live by or that motivates you?

“If a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.” This is a mantra I learnt from my grandfather.

Describe your role on a transformative project

I’ve been lucky to work on a range of transformative projects enabling game-changing outcomes for some of the top airports in the world. Each project has strengthened my experience, knowledge and ability for the next big challenge.

A piece of work that I am particularly proud of is not an airport but relates to changing the airspace that has helped evolve London’s skyline. Tall buildings in London were previously limited to 616ft due to the approach to London City Airport. When the Shard was going through its planning application, we identified 400ft of airspace that could be used for the building, if flight procedures over London were changed. Our technical work and analysis demonstrated that its 1016ft height would not impact on flight safety. This then led to the Civil Aviation Authority changing the flight levels over the city and the approach into London City Airport, ultimately enabling taller buildings to be developed in London.