How long have you worked for Summers-Inman?
Since January 2023.
How did you get into your current role?
Through personal connections. Due to my experience within the construction industry regionally, I first started working with the Summers-Inman team on various projects about ten to fifteen years ago and I have been incredibly impressed with their business ethos and care for clients ever since.
As such the opportunity to join the business was most welcome.
You are an Associate Director, based in the Newcastle office, can you tell us a bit more about your role?
I am predominantly responsible for bid management and business development, and I manage a small but very efficient team of two within the Newcastle Office – Claire and Adina – who are an enormous support with getting tenders submitted on time and keeping me on point!
My business development role tends to be dictated by my bid schedule as those dates are predetermined and fixed, therefore I try to get out into the regional market on the rare occasions when bidding slows. The construction business development world in the Northeast is relatively small compared to some other regions but it is vibrant, diverse, fast paced and the clients, consultants and contractors are a pleasure to work with.
What type of projects do you work on?
I work across the full range of diverse services that Summers-Inman deliver which includes Quantity Surveying, Project Management, Building Surveying, Health, Safety and Environmental and Programme Management.
We undertake this work for private, public and third sector clients, working on projects across a broad spectrum of both complexity and value. We are increasingly working on a greater number of multi-disciplinary projects, which are great to get involved in and this enables us to add real value to these schemes and ensure they remain aligned with our clients’ key drivers.
What would you say is the most important aspect of your role?
Being aware of the market is vital: its opportunities and the future direction and needs of the industry.
At a time when sustainable design and carbon reduction measures/Net Zero technologies are of primary importance, it is essential that our business remains at the forefront of these developments to be able to best support and advise our clients.
From your own experience, what would you say are the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the industry today?
The biggest challenge we face regionally (and I suspect the national picture is very similar) is the lack of young people entering the industry.
Whilst those coming through are very capable and of a high calibre, it is essential that students become more interested and knowledgeable about construction careers and all the industry has to offer when they are much younger – not just at undergraduate level. They need to take time to decide on which roles to pursue and the education sector needs to gear up to provide better advice.
The earlier students can be working towards a construction career by choosing the right subjects for GCSE and A-level studies, the better.
What advice would you give anyone wanting to get into the industry?
Do your research, develop an understanding of the breadth and variety of construction opportunities that exist – not just the role itself but whether your interest lies client side, consultant or contractor, private sector or public sector the options are very diverse and rewarding in different ways.
What’s it like working for Summers-Inman?
It’s a breath of fresh air. The atmosphere in the office is both incredibly positive and vibrant and everybody works in unison with one another.
Summers-Inman comprises of a great team of people who are all determined to ensure that clients get the service they expect at a fair and reasonable price which makes for an incredibly rewarding working environment.
Increasingly we have a young and vibrant team and it’s a pleasure to see them grow in knowledge and confidence each day. The older contingent, of which I am sadly very much a part of, aren’t too bad either!
And finally, what would career plan B have been?
That is a difficult one, as a teenager I always wanted to be a helicopter pilot but that does not appeal as much now. I think now if I could have my time again, I would choose construction again but perhaps client side!
