Sheira White: shaping opportunities and empowering talent

As a principal talent development advisor, Sheira helps people build capability, confidence and connections to create meaningful experiences for colleagues.

What do you do at Mott MacDonald and what are you currently working on?

I am a principal talent development advisor for Asia Pacific, New Zealand and Australia. I look after a wide range of development programmes, including our Scholarship Fund, people-manager training, onboarding and skills training on internal systems. My focus is helping people build capability and confidence, from graduates through to senior leaders.

Tell us about a recent project and how you delivered excellence

Last year, we identified an opportunity to enhance the internal training experience for one of our key digital platforms. Although the platform gives our people unified access to essential business data and reporting tools, the training itself had become time‑intensive, and the content no longer reflected how our teams work today. Working alongside our technical excellence leader, we redesigned the experience and introduced an express training module delivered across two focused sessions. By looking at the capabilities that matter most, we created a fast‑paced, practical experience that reduced the training time by more than 70%. The experience and module design continues to evolve, but it has already made a significant difference to the way our people are engaging with the training.

What advice would you give to someone looking to shape their own story at Mott MacDonald?

There’s always something interesting to get involved in because we’re global. If something interests you, tell people. I made it clear early on that I was interested in talent development, and I was given opportunities to take on small pieces of work before moving fully into that space. Most opportunities I’ve had come from putting my hand up, offering to help or asking how I can get involved. People here genuinely want to see you grow and succeed. Find ways to help others while helping yourself. Say yes to the opportunities that align with who you want to become but remember that opportunities often require you to ask rather than wait for them. Network, build relationships and get involved. Those connections set you up for success.

Describe what the Mott Mac Life means to you in three words

Opportunity. Openness. Empowerment.

Can you share a moment when you felt particularly trusted and empowered in your role?

When we discovered the opportunity to enhance the training experience for our digital platform, I was asked to explore where the key challenges were and what barriers existed for our people. I consulted stakeholders and shaped a proposal for our leadership team, to inform how we could redesign the learning experience. My proposal was met with, “Great, go ahead. Implement it.”

That level of confidence in my judgement was incredibly empowering. It reflects a culture where people are trusted to take ownership, solve problems and contribute ideas regardless of seniority. Leaders genuinely listen, and there’s a strong sense that everyone’s perspective matters. Knowing I had that support gave me the freedom to act decisively and deliver something that made a meaningful difference.

I have the support and freedom to act decisively and deliver something that makes a meaningful difference.

Can you share a project you’ve worked on that you’re particularly proud of and explain why it stands out to you?

The Scholarship Fund stands out for me. The programme had previously been driven at a global level, but in recent years we were given the opportunity to design something tailored specifically for our region. I partnered with our technical excellence leaders, HR and finance to define the requirements, establish a clear process and build a policy. Our region became the first to launch and implement the scholarship fund, which was a major achievement for our small team and a proud moment for all of us.

What does being part of a global team mean to you, and how does it influence your work?

The ability to share resources globally helps us all work more consistently while learning from each other. For example, our region recently evolved our onboarding experience, creating a dynamic onboarding site to replace an onboarding e-book. This new approach has since been adopted by other regions within Mott MacDonald. It’s rewarding to see something we built having an impact internationally. Sharing resources and learning from each other's approaches has helped us align more closely with other regions. That collaboration makes us stronger.

What inspired you to join Mott MacDonald, and how has your career journey evolved since then?

I joined Mott MacDonald in March 2019 as a recruitment consultant, having previously worked in recruitment at a boutique firm in Durban, South Africa, and in executive search at a London consultancy. Mott MacDonald was my first in-house role, and I joined because I loved the idea of working for a company making a positive difference to society. What started as a 12-month contract evolved into a permanent role focused on recruiting and developing interns and graduates. That evolved into the principal talent development role in February 2025, and I now oversee a lot of the talent development programmes in Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific.

What advice would you give to someone looking to start their career at Mott MacDonald?

Jump in when opportunities come your way. If people say to you, “Hey, do you want to get involved in this project, or do you want to come along to this client meeting, or do you want to present at this workshop?” – say yes. Get exposure to the business. Network as much as you can. Learn from people in the business. Build relationships early.

What opportunities have you had to grow your specialism or develop your career here?

I’ve had so many opportunities here. I’ve moved roles every two years, each time gaining exposure to new parts of the business. When I’ve felt ready for something different, leaders have always worked with me to explore what’s next. “Stretch” tasks have been a constant, and building strong relationships early helped open doors to bigger opportunities.

What resources or support at Mott MacDonald have been most beneficial to your growth?

My people manager, Dave, has been my biggest source of support. He knows when to encourage me, when to challenge me and when to give me space. He’s reframed situations when I doubted myself and pushed me to try new things. Having that kind of leadership has been crucial to my growth.