This time, we connected with Kelly Young, lead bridge engineer based in South Carolina, to learn how she progressed in the technical excellence career path.

Hi Kelly. What do you do for ArchTam? 

As the lead bridge engineer for South Carolina, I’m currently working on exciting innovations in bridge design, including high fidelity 3D bridge models. I have been with ArchTam for 13 years and I live in Greenville, South Carolina, with my husband, two children and our dog.

Tell us about your journey and how you got here. 

I began my career as a bridge inspector for ArchTam in Atlanta after graduating from Georgia Institute of Technology. I spent one year doing bridge inspections, gaining hands-on experience, learning about bridge elements and the different types of failures and deterioration.

My first major milestone was completing my first full bridge design. This project was a key initial step in moving from inspector to engineer. I was the youngest engineer in the group, tasked with designing and planning production for the bridge. The project had a tight deadline, so I had to learn quickly and work efficiently. We submitted the final design and plans on time, and I saw my first bridge design being built just a few months later. That was my first big step to becoming a bridge engineer.

I also found a great mentor in Chris Johnson, my manager in Atlanta. He guided me through my career not only technically, but also with balancing work and home life.

With a growing interest in design, I took on the role of engineer. That’s when my foot stepped on the gas — my technical career took off and has not slowed down since. I focused on bridge repair, working on everything from minor joint replacement and spall repairs to deck replacements, strengthening methods for structural components and developing numerous hydraulic bridge-jacking designs.

Working on a variety of project types greatly expanded my technical knowledge in the bridge design field. I also had the opportunity to manage smaller tasks and test my knowledge by teaching junior staff.

Then, my husband and I relocated to South Carolina, and after 10 years of being in a bridge engineering support role, I became the lead bridge engineer in South Carolina. My role shifted from a singular focus on production to leading tasks and signing and sealing plans. This experience created an opportunity to innovate the bridge design process and push our current capabilities forward.

What was a career defining moment for you?

My career defining moment is currently in the making. I’m working with a team to create a high fidelity 3D bridge model per specific client standards. Once complete, this model will be fully adaptable to any project location based on the most used bridge elements, drastically reducing the time it takes for the layout, detailing and potential rework of the bridge.

Computational design and parametric modelling have the potential to spark a major shift in transportation services. We have the chance to raise the current standard and pave the way for a new era of bridge design.

What’s something you wish someone told you years ago?

Don’t be afraid to ask. Not just about needing help with a problem you can’t solve or where to find resources, but with bigger things as well. If you want to try something new within the scope of ArchTam, ask. You don’t have to do just one type of work. ArchTam offers a whole world of opportunity.

If not this path, what would have been your career plan B?

I would be a softball coach. I still get the opportunity to take my daughter to Georgia Tech softball games and watch my former teammate coach, but if I wasn’t an engineer, I’d be out there too.  Go Jackets!

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This time, we connected with Toby Uppington, senior vice president and global energy/hydrogen markets lead, to discover how he chose the path he’s on today.    

Hi Toby. What do you do for ArchTam? 

I am in my 21st year with ArchTam and currently leading our push into the emerging hydrogen economy. I also look after our client account management relationship with our largest private sector client – Shell. After travelling the world and living on three different continents, I have settled in London where I continue to hone my skills in various international BBQ styles with my wife and children.

Tell us about your journey and how you got here. 

I started my professional career keen to deploy the academic skills I learned as a geographer and hydrologist. This led me to opportunities in groundwater and contaminated land clean-up, and diverse projects including the construction of one of the UK’s largest CCGT Power Stations, Seabank 1, with Golder Associates as a contaminated land hydrogeologist. This gave me a taste for major infrastructure projects. 

After a few years, I took a break from Golder when I was sponsored by Shell to do a master’s program at Imperial College. I moved to Northern Canada where I helped develop innovative remediation technologies and directional drilling techniques. After that, I returned to Golder as a senior environmental scientist and took advantage of their employee development program. I transferred to Melbourne, Australia, where I continued to expand my direct client management skills and invested in adopting a suite of digital technologies to change the way our services were performed. 

After completing the program, I returned to the UK and continued to expand my professional skills with Golder, before joining URS to become the operational leader for the Environment team in Wimbledon and the oil and gas market sector lead in Europe. These roles taught me the complexity of bidding on major projects and managing diverse teams of people. 

I was then asked to join the Strategy and Growth team where my first task was to develop the Corporate Client Account Management Program and work-winning best practices. I also developed URS’ growth strategy for Europe, Africa and India. When URS transitioned into ArchTam, I helped lead the integration of the two diverse delivery teams with a specific focus on assessing market opportunities and functional strategy for all business lines in the region. One of the most interesting initiatives I championed was the development of ArchTam’s advancement into modern methods of construction by setting up a modular housing business in the UK in partnership with a major architect. This role allowed me to fully understand the Buildings + Places business and integration of all our professional design procurement and construction services for a product rather than professional services market.

Following the success of those projects, I was then asked to consider how ArchTam could reposition itself in the energy market in line with our Sustainable Legacies strategy. As the senior vice president and global energy/hydrogen markets lead, I focus on implementing one of the four core initiatives of our growth strategy in the energy sector, specifically in positioning ArchTam for the emerging hydrogen economy that is changing the way many of our clients consider their energy decarbonization options. 

I was also keen to maintain direct connection to external customers and work-winning, so as a dual responsibility, I took on the client account manager role for Shell – a customer I have continuously worked with for most of my career. 

What is the best part of your job? 

I never know what my inbox will bring me in the morning, and I continue to be excited and surprised by the next challenge that awaits – be it reconstruction of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure or a request to present to school children on what net zero means to them in practice. 

What has been your proudest moment? 

Of all the things I’ve been involved in, developing a modular housing product that tenants now live in that are located across the UK amazes me to this day. It was definitely the hardest thing to bring together! 

If not this path, what would have been your career plan B? 

Forestry – I was offered the chance to live in the Amazon for a couple of years when I was leaving university. Maybe that was something I should have told the younger me: Don’t be afraid! 

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This time, we connected with Lindsey Cavallaro, department manager, environmental planning and permitting, to discover how she chose the path she’s on today.   

Hi Lindsey. What do you do for ArchTam? 

I oversee a team of nearly 170 Cultural and natural resources specialists and environmental planners. I am also the client account manager for California’s second largest utility, Southern California Edison. I sit in the San Diego office and am currently raising my kids in the same house I grew up in!

Tell us about your journey and how you got here. 

My transformative career journey with ArchTam began over 25 years ago when I was a college intern at KEA Environmental, an ArchTam legacy firm in San Diego. This experience ignited my passion for environmental consulting and prompted me to switch my major from pre-med to environmental science.

After graduating from UC Santa Barbara with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science, I worked at a few small environmental firms and then as a planning intern for the City of Ventura while I attended graduate school. Throughout this time, I maintained connections with the team at KEA Environmental, which had since been acquired by EDAW.

After graduating in 2005, with a master’s degree in environmental science and management, with an emphasis on conservation planning, I took an entry-level environmental analyst position at EDAW, which was acquired by ArchTam six months later. From day one, I put my generalist background to use, diving into a diverse array of projects. By saying “yes” to new challenges and collaborating with individuals from various technical backgrounds, I expanded my expertise and was exposed to many different clients and teams. I soaked up as much knowledge as I could, participating in ArchTam-offered trainings, shadowing technical experts in the field, and learning under mentors and supervisors with diverse backgrounds and skillsets.

I progressed quickly from a technical analyst, to a deputy project manager, to a project manager, eventually leading multi-million-dollar, multi-disciplinary projects for key clients throughout Southern California. This period coincided with me starting a family and raising two young children. I am incredibly fortunate to have had supportive managers who recognized my potential and allowed me to chart my path in a way that enabled me to thrive in my career as well as my other full-time job as a mom!

Through managing projects and working with talented and diverse teams, I also discovered my passion for leadership. I became a people manager in 2012 and by 2018, I advanced to become the group manager overseeing a team of around 60 natural resources specialists. In that same year, I was offered the position of client account manager (CAM) for Southern California Edison – a role I hold in addition to my current position. I was initially uncertain about this role because I did not have any official CAM training, but I accepted and jumped in with both feet. I realized quickly that the skills I had acquired as a project manager and group manager equipped me well for the CAM role.

In 2022, I moved into my current position as environmental planning and permitting department manager for Southern California and Hawaii. Despite my initial reservations about being totally ready, I embraced the opportunity. Every step in my journey has prepared me to take on this new challenge. Today, I find immense fulfilment in my role and believe that I’m precisely where I should be. Yet, I’m also eagerly anticipating the next chapter in my journey!

What is the best part of your job?

Definitely the people! I work with an incredibly talented and diverse group of individuals and teams, as well as some fantastic clients. I love seeing my team thrive and grow in their own career journeys, and I relish in forming lasting, positive relationships with our clients. If I’ve learned anything after being in this industry for over 20 years, it’s that relationships are the cornerstone of success.

What advice do you have for people in ArchTam who want to chart their career path within the organization? 

One benefit about a large organization like ArchTam is the boundless opportunities to chart your own career path. You can quite literally transform your career over and over again without ever leaving ArchTam. Whether you stay focused on a single career trajectory or move between multiple paths, there is no limit to what you can achieve if you are motivated and open to new opportunities.

If not this path, what would have been your career plan B? 

Environmental Science was my Plan B! My Plan A was medical school – dermatology, specifically. But after a few years as a pre-med student, I realized it was not the path for me and I fell in love with Environmental Science. The rest is history.

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This time, we connected with Karen Campbell, Vice President, Austin Metro+ Executive in the West region to learn how she progressed in her career path.

Hi Karen. What do you do for ArchTam?

As Vice President, Austin Metro+ Executive, I wear two hats: Austin Metro+ lead and West Region Specialist Pursuit Team Lead. I’ve been at ArchTam for 18 years working in our Denver, CO; Santa Ana, CA; and now Austin, TX office.

Tell us about your career journey and how you got here.

I started as a proposal coordinator in legacy company Woodward-Clyde’s Federal Services proposal center in Denver, Colorado. In this role, I was responsible for supporting senior proposal managers. After nearly two years, I started to lead my own major federal proposals and engaged directly with capture managers, project managers, and client account managers to prepare proposals and presentations. After five years, I applied for an internal open marketing position in Southern California to expand my skills from just federal to include state, municipal and private sector proposals.

After I transferred to our Santa Ana, California office, there was an open position to lead the Southern California proposal center. Even though I had fewer years of experience than suggested, I jumped at the opportunity and approached the office manager to give me a chance. We both took a leap of faith and worked closely together over the next four years to create a winning proposal center.

In 2003, I took another leap of faith and left ArchTam to move to Hawaii and start my own soda company with my husband. As a new business owner, I was running every aspect of our company from accounting, marketing and business development to supply, production, customer and investor relations. Ten years and two kids later, we decided to move back to the mainland (Austin, Texas) to be closer to family and run the business remotely.

Using my network in California, I was introduced to the Process Technologies business leader in Austin who was hiring a business development/marketing lead for URS. I was fortunate that my 12-person interview panel was willing to listen to how someone working in the beverage industry for 10 years could transfer her skills into successful business development in the energy business. I worked for that group for three years. After ArchTam acquired URS, I transitioned from the Process Technologies marketing lead to our new Oil & Gas Business Line marketing lead. After one year in this position, I became the Central Region Marketing Manager.

As the Americas regions evolved, I moved into my current role as Vice President, Austin Metro+ Executive where I have two focus areas. As West Region Specialist Pursuit Team Lead, I work on cross-business line opportunities, primarily for clients in our key cities. My team and I coordinate with Metro+ leads, market sector leads and client account management leads across the West Region to help position ArchTam for strategic capital projects that require cross-business line solutions.

My other focus is Austin Metro+ lead, which I asked my manager to be considered for. In this part of my job I meet clients, partners and navigate the geopolitical scene. I find that my two hats complement one another. I am now involved from the investigative to winning stage for major pursuits in Austin.

What was a career defining moment for you?

My career defining moment was when I started my own soda company with my husband. We left full-time jobs, sold our house and used the proceeds to take on this exciting, scary, and fun adventure in Hawaii. The experience gave me the confidence and skills to approach my marketing position with ArchTam in a much broader manner.

What’s something you wish someone had told you years ago?

Being scared is perhaps the best reason to try something new! I think it is important to challenge ourselves and to do what scares us – otherwise we may never learn our true potential.

What advice do you have for people who want to chart their career path at ArchTam? 

My advice is to understand what really drives you. Figure out which part of your job brings you the most joy and then discover how those specific skills can be applied to other career paths. Talk to people in a career path you’re interested in and ask questions.

Something I’ve noticed about careers at ArchTam is that people can be on the same career path, but their approach and what they do once in their position can vary based on individual strengths. It is as important what we do as how we do it. 

If not this path, what would have been your career plan B?
If living in the most remote island chain in the world wasn’t so difficult with two young children, I probably would’ve stayed in Hawaii to continue running our soda business. I loved the lifestyle, community and culture and am proud of what we created. 

I also would have loved to be a stay-at-home mom. I was raised by a stay-at-home mom for most of my life and I cherished all the time we had together. I’d also dedicate my free time to support non-profit organizations specific to cancer charities and hospice care.

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This time, we caught up with Marco van Winden, technical practice leader, technical lead and lead verifier, to discover how he chose the path he’s on today.   

Hi Marco. What do you do for ArchTam?

I am a technical director in our Water business line. I have two key roles, one being Technical Practice Leader of the water infrastructure practice area in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), and the other as technical lead and lead verifier on major water projects. Our water infrastructure practice in ANZ is about designing pipelines, pump stations and treatment plants. I work across the region to help the practice make our project designs as technically excellent as possible.

Tell us about your journey and how you got here.

I graduated from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand with bachelor’s in civil engineering with first class honors. My first six years after graduation were in land development, where I undertook planning and design of many subdivisions in Christchurch.

After moving back to my hometown of Auckland, I spent four years in a consultancy designing civil and sewerage infrastructure before joining legacy ArchTam company Meritec. I became associate director managing a team of 15 environmental engineers. I also managed our Auckland City/Metrowater’s Integrated Catchment Study project.

To gain major project experience, I relocated to our Brisbane office for two years. However, my family and I decided to call Brisbane home. Over the next four years, I became design manager and project manager of the Toowoomba Pipeline Alliance. This role contributed to my promotion to technical director and roles on key projects such as the concept design and business case for the Cedar Grove Connector pipeline and project management of the South-East Queensland Water Grid Disinfection Options Study.

Following that, I spent six years with a small firm starting an engineering business, before returning to ArchTam to focus my career on technical excellence. I returned with an interest in pursuing technical roles and technical leadership of major water projects, which subsequently included Unitywater’s Wamuran Irrigation Scheme and working as a design manager for Sydney Water’s ProMac project. I am proud to have achieved these outcomes and to be supporting technical excellence in ANZ as technical practice leader for water infrastructure.

What was a career defining moment for you?

A career defining moment was early in the Toowoomba Pipeline Project. It became evident that the client and construction partners were deferring to my advice and leadership more so than the design manager who had been brought in from overseas. I realized that experience is not the only quality a professional engineer must have. I didn’t have more experience, but my clear communication style was confident, and the design team had my back.

What would you say is the best part of your job?

Earlier in my career, I got a kick out of seeing my designs constructed (and I still do!). But now, what motivates me are the opportunities where I get to mentor water infrastructure engineers to hone their skills and become technical experts, and to support project managers by nominating experienced professionals from Australia and New Zealand or globally to work in their projects.

What’s something you wish someone had told you years ago?

I wish I had understood a lot earlier the impact that humanity is having on our ecology and climate. I have only really discovered this truth in the last two years. My focus now is to plan for creating social value in projects at their inception for better outcomes – environmentally and socially.

If not this path, what would have been your career plan B?

I could just as easily have followed a project management career path within ArchTam, given my roles as project manager on major ArchTam contracts in Auckland and Brisbane.

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This time, we caught up with Asif Shafi, managing director for civil infrastructure in the Middle East and Africa, to discover how he chose the path he’s on today.   

Hi Asif. What do you do for ArchTam? 

I am currently managing our civil infrastructure business (transportation, water and environment) in the Middle East and Africa region. I am part of a team of very talented people who come up with clever ideas to build roads, railways, homes and airports.  

Tell us about your journey and how you got here. 

I began my career as a structural engineer designing towers, hotels, offices and shopping malls. I made a transition to the infrastructure industry when I joined Parsons and worked on the design of highway and railway bridges and tunnels.  

After a few years, I enrolled in an executive MBA program that introduced me to a completely new world of strategy, finance, marketing and general management. This was a pivotal moment in my career as I began to take on roles in project management, cost controls and proposal management. It eventually led me to a role in business development and strategy, which was a major leap for me because it meant I was stepping away from a technical and project management career path. I began to get involved with major pursuits and became responsible for driving the pricing strategy.  

I enjoyed collaborating with people from different geographies, business lines and even other companies for joint pursuits and relished the opportunity to interact with senior management and lead discussions on risk management. I was fortunate to be part of a winning team and enjoyed contributing to the rapid growth of the organization. We won several mega projects in the region and I was promoted to be the lead for business development. 

I had been with Parsons for 14 years when I got the opportunity to join ArchTam in a similar role in 2014. ArchTam had just completed its acquisition of URS and I was attracted by the scale of its ambition to lead the industry. At ArchTam, I was blown away by the sheer breadth of talent and expertise and the global footprint. I was now working with colleagues from Europe, Africa, Asia and North America in addition to the Middle East.  

The opportunity of a lifetime presented itself with the proposed transformation of Saudi Arabia. I was fortunate to work closely with our senior executives in crafting a strategy to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by Vision 2030. We quickly became the market leader in program management in Saudi Arabia. 

I was then chosen as the lead for the civil infrastructure business in the region with full responsibility for profit and loss. I have been humbled by the opportunity to lead a team of about 1,000 colleagues in the region. We have a great team and are working on some truly remarkable infrastructure programs. I am excited for what the future holds! 

What an incredible journey. What would you say is the best part of your job? 

I really enjoy coming to work because of the wonderful people I am surrounded by. The early morning banter about soccer results, the laughs we share and the concern we have for each other’s well-being make it all worthwhile. I love talking to people across our organization, particularly some of our younger employees who have so much energy and come up with new ideas. 

What advice do you have about people in ArchTam who want to chart their career path within the organization?   

The sky is the limit at ArchTam. You should have the ambition to rise to the top of the organization. You should be open to opportunities to move to different roles in the organization – to a new location, a different business line, a new type of service, a different career path. 

If not this path, what would have been your career plan B? 

I would have loved to be an actor. I am partially fulfilling this fantasy by creating videos using social media platforms!

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This time, we caught up with Stephen Lai, director of operations, Hong Kong, Asia, to learn how he progressed in both the business area leadership and client and growth management career paths.    

Hi Stephen. What do you do for ArchTam?

I’m currently based in Hong Kong as senior vice president, director of operations, Hong Kong, and regional business line leader of Asia, Water.

Tell us about your career journey and how you got here.

I joined legacy company Maunsell in 1991 as a graduate engineer in the ports and marine business. After nearly two years of training on various design types of onshore marine structures, I was deployed to highway structure and roadworks projects to train as assistant resident engineer for another two and a half years. I obtained my professional qualifications in 1995.

In 1996, I joined another department in the design office as a chartered engineer and began working on urban development projects and multidisciplinary infrastructure design. After six years, I was handpicked by the senior management of a client to be a full-time resident engineer to manage and supervise the construction of a bridgework project I designed for them. Even though it was not my planned path at the time, with the support from my managing director and my supervisor, that role became my turning point to go beyond my comfort zone. I learned how to collaborate effectively with the site team, which would have not been possible if I was still working in the design office.

In 2006, I was invited by my mentor to join legacy company Metcalf & Eddy to work on a tunnelling project—a first for me! It was quite challenging but very rewarding as I got to collaborate closely with both the geotechnical and water teams to understand their key considerations and constraints. From this experience I learned that a competent project manager should be able to consolidate ideas, suggestions and proposals into the right context to deliver to the client. With the success of those projects, I was assigned to lead two more road tunnel projects. 

During that period, I was also progressively promoted from senior engineer to executive director from 2006 to 2013 and took up the regional business line leader role in 2014. That was a major steppingstone for me to broaden my exposure and to lead the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau Greater Bay Area Growth Initiative and River Restoration Initiative across APAC in 2016 and oversee the civil infrastructure market in Greater China (Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland and Taiwan) in 2019.

I was then further promoted to vice president and senior vice president in 2019 and 2021, respectively. I’m currently overseeing the operation of HK sub-region, serving as a client lead for the Greater Bay Area growth initiative, and a regional business line leader of Asia, Water.

What would you say your proudest moment was?

My proudest moments are when I get to show my family, my wife and two sons, the infrastructure projects I worked on. I was able to show them some projects when we were vacationing in Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and even in Hong Kong. I’m so proud to be involved in delivering a better world and creating legacies for different cities.

What’s the best part of your job?

Working with people managers to support our team in making decisions, handling and resolving complicated issues—technical or not—and sharing gain and pain with them. With the size of Hong Kong operation, I always remind myself to make cautious decisions because they could affect more than four thousand colleagues and their families.

If not this path, what would have been your career plan B?

If I did not return to Hong Kong after my graduation from Leeds University in the United Kingdom, I may have gotten my PhD in UK and taught in universities or worked in the research and development department of construction companies. Or, I may have become a musician or singer/songwriter; I serve as a vocalist, guitarist, and drummer in my church worship team.

Career Paths Stephen Lai

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This time, we caught up with Kerry van Donderen, chief operating officer, Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), to learn how she progressed in the business area leadership career path.    

Hi Kerry. What do you do for ArchTam?

My current role is Chief Operating Officer for ANZ. I make sure all the things that help run our business are working well together so that everyone has the right environment to do their own job well.

Tell us about your career journey and how you got here.

I moved around to create the career path I wanted. I started my career as a civil engineer working for a number of organizations in Australia. These early roles built my skills and experience and taught me where my strengths are. I then joined ArchTam through the legacy company Maunsell and moved to Brisbane as a senior engineer in our transport business working on a range of projects around the region.

From Brisbane, I moved to South Australia to take a local area manager role. I found that I love creating teams, getting to know them and what motivates them, and driving success. From there, I went to Sydney where I was the group director for civil infrastructure. Moving to Sydney to take on that role was a turning point. Aside from the personal element of moving my family and my husband’s career to a much larger city, my role and professional responsibilities also grew. I went from a workforce of 150 to over 400 people overnight. I needed to draw on what I had learned and apply it on a much bigger scale. Resilience, being prepared, and drawing on the support of many great people who were around me was key. That experience gave the skills and confidence to take on the role of regional managing director for New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory (NSW/ACT) and am currently back in South Australia as chief operating officer.

I think the importance of this summary is that I have been open to pursuing opportunities regardless of where they are. All my roles have given me perspective on parts of the business, our clients, our people, and unique differences all of which have culminated in bringing everything I learned together for ANZ. It is about taking a risk but knowing that the support ArchTam provides and the networks that I must draw upon will support my success.

With such an amazing journey, what would you say is the best part of your job now?

The diversity and challenge of my role. Being able to work across the ANZ business as well as in our global arena provides this. There is a lot of satisfaction in knowing that my team helps run a business of our size and makes a huge difference to people who are delivering for our clients.

I also enjoy the diversity of the decisions I make. It’s not always easy but taking on different perspectives and using data to make the best possible decision is satisfying.

What advice do you have for others charting their career paths?

Take risks, put yourself outside of your comfort zone, and back yourself. There are so many opportunities available, and you can find what you are seeking somewhere within our organization.

What would have been your career plan B?

My childhood dream was to be a marine biologist and work somewhere on the Great Barrier Reef.

Kerry van Donderen – Career Paths

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This time, we caught up with Jason Morris, program management director, Saudi Arabia, to learn how he progressed in the program management career path.    

Hi Jason. What do you do for ArchTam?

I am currently a Vice President with Construction Services in ArchTam Arabia and the Program Director for the Global Program Management initiative at AlUla in northwest Saudi Arabia. We touch every part of the strategy, development, construction, and future operation of assets and infrastructure—which are not being developed on an asset-by-asset basis but as part of a coordinated vision with a major focus on quality of life, heritage, and sustainability as key pillars of opening this incredible UNESCO World Heritage Site to the world.

Tell us about your career journey and how you got here.

I always wanted a career in the construction and engineering industry. I wanted to be responsible for the delivery of iconic projects, for leading teams of people to success and to travel the world while doing it. I couldn’t draw, and mechanical mathematics was not a strong suit but as a Yorkshireman I had a natural ability to focus on commercial and value issues!

I began my career as a project engineer with Mobil Oil Co. and then moved to Gardiner and Theobald and took on a role as a project and commercial manager in Prague. The next two years were among the most formative of my career, delivering everything from a Planet Hollywood restaurant to a five-star hotel to high-rise commercial office developments. This role took me weekly around Warsaw, Budapest, Bucharest and Sofia.

The next stop was back in London where I took a site-based role on what was then our most challenging commercial project in London at Berkeley Square.

My first major project opportunity came next in the form of the Ascot Racecourse Redevelopment. By this time, I was an associate partner. I saw for the first time how leaders of our industry reached and implemented decisions and how they gained the trust of clients to invest not only many millions of dollars in capital expenditure, but in the case of Ascot Racecourse, the future of the entire enterprise over the next 25 to 50 years.

Next stop was Australia and leading the delivery of an engineering, procurement and construction contract delivering remote accommodation. Finally, I joined ArchTam as a senior program manager based in Doha. I was excited to finally introduce my family to the Middle East region. I spent a lot of time during my childhood in Abu Dhabi and then Bahrain where my father worked.

Over the last 16 years, I have had the opportunity to lead people, build businesses and deliver amazing and lasting legacies for clients all around the world. It is truly a privilege to provide leadership to such a dedicated and talented ArchTam team – being part of ArchTam’s story means that it will be challenging and professionally rewarding.

That is an incredible journey. What would you say has been a career defining moment for you?

The ArchTam Safety for Life Program has come a long way from where we started back in 2006. Many people talk of having a safety value and where it comes from but for me it was from a fatality on site in Qatar.

Until that point Safety was something theoretical, an intellectual exercise in making sure that systems were in place and that we complied with regulation – which is important – but after seeing the consequences of a failure of safety the effect was profound.

Safety is absolutely at the core of everything and those that have experienced my leadership know that not only will I promote this as being so but that it is non-negotiable.

The education we now have available is incredible if you choose to seek it out, and we have some great safety professionals in our teams who go above and beyond every day.

If not this path, what would have been your career plan B? The older I got, the better I was at rugby. If I could have been anything else, it would have been a World Cup winner in 2003 with England.

Jason Morris – Career Path

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This time, we caught up with Mel Collett, Director of Technical Excellence for Australia and New Zealand, to discover how she chose the path she’s on today.    

Hi Mel. What do you do for ArchTam?

I’ve been at ArchTam for 15 years and my current role is the Director of Technical Excellence for Australia and New Zealand. When my son was in kindergarten, he used to say I was a “teller builder.” I tell people where to build things and what to build.

Tell us about your career journey and how you got here.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering from the University of Melbourne. During my final years of study, I worked part-time at a small consultancy. After university, I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to go into consulting, so I spent a couple of months as a research fellow to explore whether I wanted to do more postgraduate work. I decided to accept a full-time role with the small consultancy and focused on flood modelling.

After a few years, I was offered a scholarship by the University of Melbourne to return for postgraduate work and spent two years undertaking my master’s degree by research while working part-time. By the end of my thesis, I realized that academia wasn’t the path for me, and I was more interested in solving problems for clients – real world problems where I could work toward an outcome.

I joined ArchTam looking to work with bigger, more exciting projects so I could see where my work fit into the bigger picture. When I joined, I was the first water resources person in the Melbourne office, and I grew the team to 15 people over several years.

I came to a point where I was a team leader, a project manager, and a technical lead. I was trying to do it all, and I knew I had to make a change, and in a career-defining moment, I chose to pursue a technical career pathway, which led me to my current role as Director of Technical Excellence for Australia and New Zealand.

Wow. Can you tell us more about that career-defining moment?

When I was on parental leave with my youngest child, I realized that I couldn’t keep doing it all and I wanted to spend more time with my family. I had to decide which career path was best for me. Being a project manager and people manager was reactive – I needed to be available and respond when something came up. That made it difficult to work part-time and plan around my family. By going into a technical role, I had more control over when I worked, and could get a better balance between work and family.  

From that point, I was offered a role as Technical Practice Leader for Water Resources and had some amazing opportunities to work with people in Australia and New Zealand, as well as globally through the Water Academy.

I was then offered the Director of Technical Practices for the Civil Infrastructure group, which is our transport and water group, and last year I stepped into the role of Director of Technical Excellence for all business lines across Australia and New Zealand. I now choose how I spend my day and I get to prioritize what I work on. I still work on projects and love helping our clients solve problems.

What’s something you wish someone had told you years ago?

I was always scared to ask for help. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and I didn’t want to tell people in case I failed. I think something a lot of engineers have a problem with is saying what they want, and not wanting to say it in case they don’t succeed. I wish someone had told me that I shouldn’t be afraid to talk to people about what I want to do. Once you start telling people what you want out of your career, they can help you succeed.

What advice do you have for people who want to chart their careers? 

My advice is to think about what makes you happy and the day-to-day tasks that you enjoy at work because that is what you are most likely to be successful in. Although, you also need to align what you enjoy with the business strategy and drivers. So, put your business lens on and look at what parts of your role make you the happiest and see if you can form a career pathway in that direction.

If not this path, what would have been your career plan B?

I grew up on a farm so I probably would have worked on the family farm!

Mel Collet

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