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As chief resident engineer from our Water business line in Hong Kong, Cherry Yau shares one of her most impactful Water projects: the transformation of a traditional sewage treatment plant into a safe and green ecological campus for all.

The project started end of 2019 and involved upgrading the capacity and treatment levels of an existing Shek Wu Hui Sewage Treatment Plant to become Shek Wu Hui Effluent Polishing Plant (SWHEPP), for which we continue to provide design, project management and construction supervision services. Our primary goal for the project in conjunction with our client, the Drainage Services Department (DSD) of Hong Kong SAR, is to deliver the facility in a safe, cost-effective and collaborative manner while building strong relationships with different stakeholders and the surrounding local communities. Upon completion, SWHEPP will become the largest tertiary sewage treatment plant in Hong Kong and will meet the needs of the new development areas in the region.

I am the chief resident engineer for the project and lead a team of 130 staff overseeing four construction contracts. Given the multidisciplinary nature of the project, I’m also involved in the implementation of digital technologies such as Blockchain, BIM, CDE and electronic site supervision systems. Safeguard is one of our core values at ArchTam. Due to the nature of the project and the potential hazards involved, safety is of paramount importance, especially when it comes to protecting the workers on-site.

The construction of SWHEPP is a complex project that involves various risky construction activities such as deep excavation, construction of large reinforced concrete tanks in special shape, working within running sewage, and installation of hefty mechanical and electrical systems. Safety measures are in place to prevent accidents and injuries and minimize various risks such as confined space, work at heights, heavy lifting and electrical hazards.

Together with the project team, we have implemented a comprehensive safety program that includes training on safety protocols, providing appropriate personal protective equipment, deriving alternative construction method to avoid risky construction operations, conducting regular safety inspections, and promoting a culture of safety on the job site.

These safety measures have ensured that the project is completed with minimal incidents. They’ve also received wide acclaim. SWHEPP has won the Best Construction Sites Safety and Housekeeping Award (E&M Works Contracts Category) from DSD’s Construction Sites Safety and Housekeeping Award Scheme 2021, and Merits in 27^th and 28^th Considerate Contractors Site Award Scheme by the Development Bureau.

Additionally, the project team conglomerated a unified BIM execution plan covering the four contracts under this project and adopts BIM360 as a Common Data Environment (CDE) to serve as the project’s centralized design information and data exchange platform. The CDE allows each discipline and each interfacing contractors to gather synchronized information with up-to-date models, based on which project team members can carry out cross discipline discussions to identify interface issues which require coordination, as well as to visualize construction methodologies and future operation modes with animations to identify potential safety concerns prior to implementation.

With advanced technologies such as the Membrane Bioreactor, the plant will be able to treat effluents efficiently and meets the tertiary standards to avoid extra pollution to the nearby Deep Bay which has high ecological value for the neighboring community. Through improved water quality in the area, the project will create a positive impact on the general public and will help preserve the local marine environment.

We were also able to increase the treatment capacity of the plant two-fold within its existing footprint. This upgrade allows the plant to treat more sewage and meet the needs of a growing population in the New Territories. The project ensures that there is sufficient capacity to treat sewage, reducing the pollutants and improving the overall quality of life for the local community.

This project was selected as Winner of Water Project (2021), Winner of Contract Innovation (2022), and Runner-up of Consultant (2023) of the Year under the Martin Barnes Awards, which recognizes excellence in project delivery and showcase examples of good practice through collaboration from across the world. 

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Get to know some of our engineers from our Water business line as they share how they are delivering sustainable water solutions by prioritizing safety for the community and the environment.

Erika Bender, Environmental Engineer (Denver, Colorado, United States)

“I provide condition assessment and alternative analysis for water infrastructure, such as treatment plants, to ensure they are fit for purpose, now and in the future. This involves site inspections to visually inspect the assets, determine their lifespan, and recommend any corrective measures to ensure they produce clean drinking water and safe discharges.” 

After a stint as an intern in 2018 in our Ohio office, Erika joined ArchTam full time in the Colorado office in summer 2019. She immediately became involved in the Lead Service Line Replacement Program through which Denver Water is replacing customer-owned lead service lines (the pipe that brings water from the water main in the street to the plumbing in the home) with copper service lines. 

Denver Water estimates there are 64,000-84,000 properties that have lead service lines in its service area. To better understand the magnitude of the works, Erika worked with machine learning to support the comprehensive inventory of known and suspected lead service lines. She also applied a prioritization tool to understand who are most vulnerable and at-risk from lead exposure, underserved areas, and planned construction activities.  

Kuang Ping, Executive Director, Water and Urban Development (Singapore)

“I am passionate about advancing sustainable solutions that contribute to increased water security. I apply my knowledge of advanced water and wastewater treatment technologies to optimize every drop of water to meet the demands of Singapore’s growing population.”

Kuang has almost 24 years’ experience in advanced water and wastewater treatment technologies, including membrane, water reuse, desalination, UV disinfection and advanced oxidation projects. She was the project director for various industrial and domestic water and wastewater treatment plants, including the iconic Keppel Marina East Desalination Plant in Singapore, and the Kranji Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) relocation feasibility study.

She is also a certified WHO Water Safety Plan trainer and has delivered training workshops in Singapore and China to professionals involved in the management of drinking water safety. 

Lucy Pugh, Industrial Water and Wastewater Technical Practice Director (Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States)

“I provide condition assessment and alternative analysis for water infrastructure, such as treatment plants, to ensure they are fit for purpose, now and in the future. This involves site inspections to visually inspect the assets, determine their lifespan, and recommend any corrective measures to ensure they produce clean drinking water and safe discharges.” 

As industries seek to be better stewards of water and the environment, Lucy and her teams are helping industrial clients make the most of their valuable resources through water use reduction and zero-liquid discharge, which involves treating wastewater to a level that it can safely be reused in the clients’ operations.

One of Lucy’s recent projects involved developing a treatment process to remove radionuclides and other chemical constituents from wastewater that will be produced from a new low-level radioactive waste disposal facility. Since the radioactive waste disposal facility hasn’t yet been constructed, Lucy and her team prepared simulated wastewater to perform testing and selection of the best process for treatment. This activity involved bench-scale testing in a treatability lab followed by larger-scale and longer-term pilot testing. Lucy and her team then designed a full-scale treatment system including chemical precipitation, membrane filtration, activated carbon and ion exchange.

Nicky Lee, Team Leader, Water Resources (Melbourne, Australia)

“As the team lead for the water resources team in Melbourne, Australia, I focus on flooding, drainage design, water sensitive urban design, water quality and integrated water management. My technical area of expertise is assessing the impacts of industrial and wastewater discharges into surface water bodies. I make sure the level of contamination entering streams and rivers is minimized to an acceptable level based on the water’s use (i.e.: drinking, recreational or ecological purposes).” 

Nicky was recently involved in a project to transform an abandoned mine site into a pumped hydro storage facility in Queensland. The plan was to pump water between two adjacent mine shafts, one higher than the other, to generate electricity. However, the mine wells contained elevated levels of contamination, meaning if the water needed to be released into the nearby stream it could pose an environmental and human risk. Since the facility would operate as a closed-loop system, the only time the water storage capacity would be exceeded would be due to a heavy rainfall event.  

By looking at the dilution rates, she determined the water could safely be released during a storm as there would be enough flow in the stream to dilute the contaminants down to an acceptable level. The state provided environmental approval for the scheme based on the minimized risk to human health and the environment. In using her in-depth knowledge of industrial and wastewater discharges into surface water bodies, Nicky unlocked the mine’s potential to generate clean energy. 

Sabah Fanaiyan, Geotechnical Engineer & Project Manager (Orange County, California, United States)

“In my role, I provide geotechnical design, inspection, and construction support for large infrastructure projects, such as dams, levees, and reservoirs. This includes coordinating geotechnical field investigations, seismic studies, and laboratory testing to inform safe dam rehabilitation and expansion programs.”   

Recently, Sabah provided geotechnical engineering services for the Trampas Canyon Dam and Reservoir, an earth fill dam in Rancho Mission Viejo, California. The project involved converting an existing tailings dam into a recycled water supply reservoir to provide seasonal and operational storage for the district’s existing and proposed recycled water system. 

Sabah and the project team undertook soil and rock borings, seismic surveys, and laboratory testing to understand the condition of the dam. Equipped with this information, she then designed the new infrastructure required to transform the asset into a recycled water reservoir and increase its capacity — including water transmission pipelines, a higher capacity spillway, pump station, drainage facilities, and water quality systems.    

By repurposing the reservoir and increasing its storage capacity to 1.6 billion gallons, the project is contributing to a sustainable future water supply for Southern California and reducing the areas reliance on imported water. 

Zena Smith-White, Associate Director Water Planner (Sydney, Australia)

“As an integrated water planner, I consider the whole urban water cycle, from supply of safe water for drinking and other uses, through to treatment, safe reuse, and disposal of wastewater to protect the environment, and the role of water to provide liveable spaces for communities. I seek to understand how urban water systems operate now, and when impacted by future population growth, aging assets, and climate change. This understanding allows me to identify how and when systems will need to adapt in the future to continue to safely service communities and protect the environment.”  

Zena was involved in delivering a project that integrated drinking water, wastewater, recycled water, and stormwater services within a growth area of Western Sydney to develop an adaptive water servicing plan for the next 30 years. 

A key focus of the plan was the Greater Sydney Commission’s (GSC) ‘Parkland City’ vision for Western Sydney, based on a network of healthy waterways, green parks and tree canopy to provide urban cooling and amenity, which required more water than a traditional approach.

The integrated water solution included both increased recycling of wastewater along with harvesting stormwater run-off for beneficial use. This would reduce the volume of run-off reaching the local waterway, where it could impact the water quality. By keeping the water in the landscape, it can be used to support green spaces, tree canopies, and urban cooling thereby improving liveability in the new communities. 

Her holistic view of water and reuse within urban environments ensures the value of water is optimized within integrated water plans. 

Quirien Muylwyk, Technical Director, Water Quality (Ontario, Canada)

“I consider water quality from source to tap. I work with water systems to manage toxins in their water sources, plan for treatment to control pathogens responsible for waterborne diseases and advise on how to optimize water quality in drinking water distribution systems. My role involves anticipating threats to water quality and supply, managing risk, and helping water systems strategically plan for future investments.”

Over the course of her career, Quirien has seen the focus of water quality expand to include the role water plays in helping communities thrive. The quality — and reliability — of drinking water systems goes beyond public health considerations and extends to its influence on economic development, community resilience and social equity.

Reliable, good water quality benefits all members of a community. It helps to reduce disparities in health outcomes, promotes equal opportunities for economic development, and fosters social cohesion within communities. Likewise, water quality is essential for various economic activities, including agriculture, manufacturing, and energy production. Industries must be able to access adequate and dependable water supplies for their operations. By maintaining high water quality standards, communities can attract businesses, support job creation and foster sustainable economic growth.

Quirien is currently supporting the City of Ann Arbor in Michigan, U.S., to develop a strategic plan for rehabilitating the City’s water treatment plant. The project aims to ensure reliable, high-quality water for generations to come. Quirien is leading a team that is advising on regulatory requirements, treatment for contaminants of concern, cost and maintenance of treatment.

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Holly Brown did not begin her career with safety at top of mind. An admitted risk taker in her younger years — she spent two months in frigid Antarctica creating the first-ever U.S. map of the Dry Valleys — Holly came to appreciate the importance of safety as her career progressed.

The Germantown, Maryland-based senior geologist holds numerous project management and team leadership responsibilities within ArchTam. While her work is diverse, there is a common thread running through it all: a commitment to safety. This is exemplified by the safety trained supervisor (STS) certification she earned from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals, her numerous internal ArchTam recognitions — including the Safety Star, Rising Young Star and Safety Challenge Coin awards — and appreciation from our clients, from whom she earned the SH&E Excellence Award and the prestigious Global Contractor Safety Council Award for demonstrating exceptional commitment to safety that led to zero incidents at a high-profile project site in the northeast U.S. For International Women in Engineering Day, we talked to Holly about her career and dedication to safety.

What is your role at ArchTam?

I wear many different hats. As a senior geologist, I’m a subject matter expert on geology, where I focus on soil and water remediation and lead a team of 10 professionals. We’re dedicated to remediating contaminated media with expertise in chlorinated solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons, heavy metals, PFAS and PCBs. In 2022, I helped develop ArchTam’s Chemical Center of Excellence that provides standardized quality of chemistry deliverables across the firm, coupled with enterprise capabilities engagement for various client portfolios. I’m currently the project manager for a major remediation effort for a U.S. military base where I also serve as a site safety and health officer.

How did you develop your focus on safety?

Being attuned to safety came naturally to me, having worked on many job sites in different sectors of the environmental business and seeing the lessons learned from safety incidents and near misses. I’m of the mindset that these incidents were all preventable, with the proper safety training, education and communication. I believe that everyone should be brought into a culture of safety so it’s of utmost importance for all team members, regardless of their role on the project.

I took the Board of Certified Safety Professionals STS exam early in my career, which helped me obtain numerous site safety and health officer roles and led to tracking account metrics for safety observations using dashboards like Industry Safe and Lifeguard. Early on as a task manager, I saw the need to improve safety processes, and now as a project manager I weave that into the fabric of how I operate and how I ensure the teams I lead are working safely.

How has safety impacted your approach to client work?

Safety is number one. Always. On my projects, I’m constantly assessing ways we can do things more safely. My experiences as a professional and a project manager compel me to build in enough time to address the safety needs of my teams and my clients. I also carefully consider how I’ve incorporated safety planning into every project, and how I’ve communicated safety risks and procedures. I take a very firm approach toward safety, and it’s respected and appreciated by our clients.

Prioritizing safety starts with foresight and preparation. I think about what could go wrong and how to prevent those scenarios from happening in the first place. I make it a point to share the means I use to consider and calculate risks for the work that we’re doing, as well as the procedures we have in place to mitigate risk. I continually communicate with our clients regarding annual health and safety plan refreshes and reviews to make sure they’re aware of all the different requirements. And I’m always keeping an eye on what’s next, evaluating best practices and procedures to plan ahead for the next project.

Please share a project example that demonstrates your commitment to safety principles.

I understand the importance of standing up and stopping work, if necessary, when it’s not being done safely — a capability that resulted in safety recognition from two of our major clients. Coming across an unsafe work scenario, I immediately recognized the risk in proceeding. I stood my ground and escalated the situation up the management chain, while simultaneously identifying best practices and procedures that could be followed to complete the work safely. Our clients greatly appreciated this alternate approach, as it protected their interests and their people, and I can’t think of anything more important than that.

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Dana AlQadi, an associate vice president in our Energy business, shares examples of how she is prioritizing safety in her work and for her team.

Tell us a little bit about your career journey and your role at ArchTam?

I just celebrated my 10-year anniversary at ArchTam and have had an incredible career journey. I have an academic background in civil and environmental engineering, with a focus on drinking water quality and treatment and am a licensed civil engineer. My doctorate degree was in engineering management and my dissertation focused on quantifying the impacts of stakeholder engagement, particularly early engagement, on urban water system resilience. When I first joined ArchTam, I worked as an engineer in our water group.

After a few years, my work began to expand into emerging topics, like sustainability and resilience. Today, I lead operations for Energy’s west region and lead our strategy and growth around transportation decarbonization, an exciting and important technical area.

My career at ArchTam has been filled with lots of wonderful mentorship, especially from other women colleagues, and incredible project opportunities that have shaped my career in a way that feels very meaningful to me.

How do you prioritize safety in how you approach work for our clients?

Currently, one of the largest programs in my region is our Strategic Undergrounding Program (SUG) for San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E). We are working with SDG&E by providing program management services and supporting their wildfire mitigation efforts to reduce the risk of public safety power shutoffs and improve community safety and reliability. Managing this program is a significant undertaking and is a great example of how our teams prioritize safety both in our program level execution but also in terms of the type of work we do.

Our work with SDG&E represents a core principle of how we approach our work in Energy, where we often address safety by protecting our communities from the impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather events. By delivering innovative solutions to reduce the risk of wildfires, this work will have a long-lasting impact on communities in San Diego and a legacy of community safety that we are very proud to be associated with.

In addition to our work with SDG&E, we promote healthy and safe communities by supporting our clients on important work, such as fleet electrification, grid modernization, renewable energy, decarbonization, and measuring equity impacts of infrastructure investments on disadvantaged communities. Our collective focus on sustainability and resilience through our delivery helps our communities navigate through the world safely.

What are some examples that demonstrate your approach to strong safety principles?

Demonstrating strong safety principles is often about creating a sense of safety among project team members. This includes ensuring a culture of trust, where everyone has confidence in the direction of the work and feel empowered in knowing where to seek support and raise concerns. We want our teams to feel like if they see something, they can say something. When that culture is present in a team, we are all are more likely to collectively embody strong safety principles and support one another in doing so.

Our larger projects can involve a range of subconsultants and contractors and it is important that they all adhere to our high standards of safety. We implement a ‘one-team’ approach where we emphasize consistent communication, prioritize safety moments at the start of our meetings, and appoint designated safety individuals to support our work.

We also make sure to focus on upfront planning — really assessing the potential risks of a project and developing site safety plans for our work that have an on-site component. We make sure that all our team members are trained on our safety protocols and understand how to report incidents.

We also address safety from a digital perspective. Our teams regularly interact with sensitive information and we make sure that all of our team members know how to properly share, save and protect information related to our projects and our clients. In doing so, we can help maintain safe data quality practices.

ArchTam has so many wonderful safety professionals and I am grateful that I have the opportunity to work with them and learn from them on our projects.

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Get to know some of our women engineers from the Middle East and Africa region as they share what safety means to them, how they are prioritizing safety in their work, and career and growth advice for young women engineers looking to pursue careers in this industry.

Alya AlHosani

Alya is a graduate electrical engineer in our Buildings + Places business line in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), where her role is to design and review electrical systems. Describing herself as always having had a passion for math and science, Alya says she loves a challenge — and this is what engineering presents to her daily. “The basic job of any engineer is to solve problems,” she says.

“As a graduate engineer, we really need to know how the different project stages work,” says Alya. Here she is referring to Schematic Design (SD), Design Development (DD) and Construction Documentation (CD), all CAD drafting stages to ensure that the client’s budget and vision are adhered to.

For example, a project she has been involved with, a hotel and residential development, has just entered SD stage. “I started out with this project when I joined ArchTam. What has been really interesting is that I have seen it progress from pre-concept to where it is today.” Alya adds that electrical engineers play a critical role in any project, especially in terms of fire and life safety.

Her message to other women on the occasion of INWED 2023 is simple: “Do not let anyone else determine your own path. This is a journey you undertake to achieve your own goals. Study what you love, which will ultimately empower you in your career,” says Alya.

Pinar Hatipoglu

Pinar is the Engineering and Architectural Director for the NEOM International Airport project in Saudi Arabia. She has 26 years’ experience in design, construction and project management roles in a range of multicultural and international companies like ArchTam. She has focused on the airport sector for the last 19 years, from Turkey, Russia, Qatar, Oman, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

Commenting on the INWED 2023 theme of ‘Make Safety Seen’, Pinar says, “Safety is a must and plays a key role in the day-to-day working approach of any project. It is a prime requirement in the design, project management and construction stages to offer smart, and integrated human-centred solutions. The biggest gap occurs when the safety of the human factor involved is ignored.”

Her message to young women embarking on a similar career is, firstly, to acknowledge the fact that continuous learning is vital. “A career in design and engineering keeps you in constant learning mode, while reminding you how humble you need to be regarding what you believe you know. There is always room for improvement, and it is a lifetime journey. If you are in a job that you appreciate and enjoy, success is inevitable.”

Indu Jose

Indu, a technical associate director in our Water business line, cites her favorite project to date as one that completed construction last year, namely the mixed-use Dubai Harbour Precinct (DHP), which includes high-profile residential areas, several marinas and a cruise terminal. “I was inspired by my father, who was also a civil engineer and a well-recognised figure in the field.” She opted for water and wastewater as her speciality as this represents the basic infrastructure that empowers local communities and allows for sustainable legacies.

A career highlight to date was fast-tracking the DHP masterplan to allow the client to register the development officially and launch the project. This required identifying all the risks and hazards from the outset and implementing mitigation measures as part of the design. Indu also had to ensure that the masterplan incorporated all the relevant infrastructure elements, including stormwater ponds to attenuate any flood risk and potential property damage.

A major challenge was to manage client expectations and at the same time comply with local regulations. “By implementing the correct technical approach, we were able to safeguard the proposed development and provide a higher level of service from an infrastructure perspective,” says Indu. Her message to women engineers is “to be well-versed with the design principles and parameters of your relevant disciplines, and therefore to be strong and confident in your technical approach.”

Debbie Govender

Even though she has only been at ArchTam for five months, Debbie, based in our South Africa office, has already worked on three major projects in railway engineering. She says it has been intense as it has involved a lot of work in a relatively short span of time. With a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Civil Engineering, she has a decade’s experience at a major parastatal under her belt, working in geotechnical, railway design and project and program management.

“What keeps me motivated is gaining more knowledge by being involved in infrastructure projects that stand to play a vital role in empowering local communities and the quality of life and economic development of the country,” says Debbie.

Commenting on the INWED 2023 theme of ‘Make Safety Happen’, Debbie says it is vital for engineers to integrate safety and environmental considerations into their designs. “It is changing the mindset from a traditional focus on the bottom line and pushing for the most cost-effective design to now where we have to think much more about the people factor.”

Her message to young girls contemplating a similar career path is to “pick a career that makes you excited to get up every morning. Working in engineering, especially in this country, makes you feel you are making a difference, improving lives, and making South Africa a better place for all to live in. It is challenging and interesting. You should just go out there and do your thing, as it is a great career path.”

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Over the past few years, I have worked on various major projects in Victoria, Australia, including the Metro Tunnel Project, Level Crossing Removal Projects, Geelong Fast Rail, and the North East Link. Currently, I’m the design delivery manager for the North East Link – North Package.

The North East Link program will build Victoria’s longest road tunnels, overhaul the Eastern Freeway, build Melbourne’s first dedicated busway, complete the Ring Road and build a North East Trail with more than 34 kilometers (21 miles) of walking and cycling paths. The project will fix a missing link in Melbourne’s freeway network, change how people move around the city and take around 15,000 trucks off local roads daily.

My role is to ensure we deliver the hundreds of design packages on time and on budget. We have just commenced the design phase and are ramping up to 300 full-time equivalent employees over the next few months. What I love about this role is the opportunity for ArchTam to partner with the engineering and construction teams across other collaborating companies to deliver a quality design solution that solves complex design problems and achieves best-for-project outcomes. I love being a part of city-shaping projects and seeing something my team has designed be built.

Major projects involve mobilising a team of hundreds of designers and sub-consultants across different companies, backgrounds, and skills — many of whom haven’t worked together before. It’s vital to bring them together as one team and create a culture where each of us can thrive.

These large-scale projects are challenging, complex and fast-paced, and I thrive on this, but the construction industry can also be tough, with mental health being a challenge for many professionals. This is a cultural problem that needs to be addressed.

When I think about this year’s theme #MakeSafetySeen, the aspect that stands out to me is psychological safety. To me, this is fundamental to the success of a project. Psychological safety means it’s okay for team members to bring their whole selves to work, take risks, express their ideas and concerns, speak up with questions, and admit mistakes — all without fear of negative consequences. 

When team members are psychologically safe, they are more engaged and motivated because they feel their contributions matter. We make better decisions because people are more comfortable voicing their opinions and concerns, and we hear and consider a more diverse range of perspectives. We also create a continuous learning and improvement culture because team members feel comfortable sharing and learning from their mistakes.

I do my best to create psychological safety by ensuring everyone has a voice in meetings, openly admitting my mistakes, seeking input from others where I need it, and encouraging open communication. I don’t always get this right! Some people think psychological safety is about everyone being ‘nice’ or ‘polite’ or making everyone ‘comfortable’, but it’s not.

For me, it means being vulnerable and pointing out my mistakes and weaknesses when I would rather hide them. It also means I need to have honest and uncomfortable conversations with individuals and teams about attitudes and behaviours damaging to the team. It means that I need to welcome difficult news and feedback myself. But the results are totally worth it.

I wake up every day to a project that I am thrilled to be working on, a team in which people have each other’s back, and a team where I see people grow, flourish and feel empowered to take risks and try new things.

Header image credit: State Government of Victoria, Australia

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