I kicked off my career in construction whilst living in London with a small, family run, building contractor at the age of 18, initially assisting in allocating and invoicing works under various Schedule of Rates Contracts (SOR) for Local Authorities – my then MD must have seen potential because, at the age of 23 I was placed in charge of manging the prestigious SOR/single project framework agreements for the City of London, covering the historic Square Mile, as well as any and all City of London owned properties/estates within the Greater London Area.

This instilled in me a love of historic buildings and traditional methods of construction using both age old techniques and materials – I was fortunate to be allowed to manage projects on some amazing Grade 1 listed buildings, such as the iconic Tower Bridge, Guildhall, Mansion House and the Barbican, among many.

Following this, I segued into the social housing sphere whilst also specialising as a QS/Commerical Manager – during this time I was project lead, or commercial second, on various Decent Homes, Void and Estate Regeneration projects as well as completing projects for the City of London – at the same time I was seconded to a subsidiary company that dealt with passive fire protection and obtained my fire surveyors accreditation through FIRAS/Warrington as well as assisting in getting the company up and running, ensuring the commercial side was being managed efficiently.

Also, between 2010 and 2012, I undertook a self-funded distance learning degree in Construction Management and achieved a 2:1 with Hons – not easy with a young family!!!

I am the proud father of twin girls and a son, as well as husband to a long-suffering wife and it was after I had gained my degree that our family looked to pastures new and decided that a move to (very) rural Kent would afford us a better quality of life.

We made the move in 2016 and I had, in 2015 (in preparation for the move),  gained employment with a Housing Developer as their Customer Services QS, dealing with all commercial issues arising after handover of the plots to the purchaser – this could range from cost recovery from defaulting contractors to various remedial projects to either single or multiple plots.

In 2022, I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML), which necessitated a 6 month stay in hospital and three rounds of intense chemotherapy – I am currently in full remission and making the most of life!!

In December 2022 our company was taken over and the usual raft of redundancies ensued throughout 2023, but the timing was fortuitous as I found a place at AW Construction in 2024 as a Project Manager, managing SOR/Social Housing contracts for 2 local councils – a position, although it is early days, I am thoroughly enjoying.

Outside of work my hobbies are gardening (with varying levels of success), cooking (I bake a mean Crème Brule….) and enjoying quality family time (when they are not too busy!!)