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A proactive and highly motivated professional who demonstrates a strong work ethic and genuine care for clients and peers, and is approachable and a team player. As I reflect on my journey and experience, both professionally in the construction industry, and personally as an expat who embraced the opportunity to relocate from Ireland to Australia, these are some of the words that colleagues and friends have used to describe me, and I believe that the winner of the Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce Young Professional Award will also embody these very characteristics.
I am currently an Associate Director for Linesight, a construction consultancy headquartered in Ireland. Moving to a new country, no matter how exciting, comes with unique challenges, especially without the support system you would have, by way of family and friends, as you would in your home country. However, I am lucky to have colleagues who continue to provide invaluable support, not only during my transition from Dublin to Sydney, but also as I continue to progress my professional development. I believe that learning is a two-way street – I take pride in being part of a team that allows me to take initiative and lead by example, while at the same time, I value team interactions that give me the opportunity to learn from others.
It is for this same reason that I am extremely passionate about giving back to colleagues and contributing to the wider construction industry as well as the local communities we work in. Internally at Linesight, I successfully set up and run the APAC Learning & Development (L&D) support team. This consists of organising learning hours for all staff, ensuring regional alignment with our global approach to L&D, and the establishment of a regional chartership programme, the ‘Linesight Chartership Pathway’. The programme is specifically designed for staff pursuing chartership as a Quantity Surveyor, and includes a balance of ‘on-the-job’ learning as well as formal training courses to help them pass their Assessment of Professional Competence (APC).
I am also one of the founding members of the APAC Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) committee in 2021 – something I am equally passionate about and will continue to champion, especially in the male-dominated construction industry. Ultimately, my vision is for DE&I not to be something we have to constantly push for as its ingrained at the core of any business. Since the committee’s inception, we as a group have sought to make our company a more inclusive place and to ensure all staff are both represented and heard. One of the initiatives we have introduced was a ‘company catch-up day’ where we paired staff members who do not usually work together to encourage relationship building across our global team.
Outside Linesight, I champion the same initiatives and maintain close ties with my Irish roots by being involved in related associations, such as the Young Ireland GAA Club Sydney, given my hobby of playing football, and participating in social events, such as St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. This serves to further strengthen my network and broaden the reach of my impact on the community.
