What do you do at Murphy?
I manage projects within the Water Section in the Republic of Ireland. It involves a multidisciplinary team of subject matter specialists all working together to delivery projects which improve water / wastewater treatment in Ireland.
What do you like most about your role?
I like the team dynamic the most. The atmosphere in the office is great and being able to positively contribute to that is very enjoyable. The most interesting part is the new technology that we get to explore in our day to day job. Every project brings something new and trying to make this fit with existing infrastructure is interesting.
What has been your biggest challenge at Murphy?
I moved back home to Ireland after 10 years working in the UK. It was a big change all at once and balancing this on top of a new job, role and client was challenging. All the staff and management were great at making this transition seamless and now I feel more at home than ever and am really enjoying my projects.
What attracted you to the construction industry?
I’ve been working in construction since I was young, I always had an interest in pulling all parts of projects together to make the job more efficient (I was likely very annoying to have around). I always had a particular interest in Water from watching the documentary ‘Water in the West’ about irrigation in the western United States. How these systems were constructed and managed using logic, maths and physics allowed me to see from an early age how useful and applicable these subjects can be.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
I enjoy helping people further their knowledge in engineering and commercial matters. I also like to get people together and solve problems incorporating different points of view. It is very rewarding to get to a resolution using an idea that hasn’t been tried before and having everyone agree (as rare as this may be!)
What is your proudest achievement?
I was awarded the ‘Emerging Engineer’ award from the Institution of Civil Engineers for a paper (and follow-up presentation) on Design/Build Contracts. While this was a small achievement in the grand scheme of things, it was early in my career and helped me gain confidence in both my writing and presentation skills which I have taken forward in my roles.
What are your career aspirations?
I hope to be recognised as a person who contributed to the improvement in water infrastructure on a national scale. I’ve always been inspired by Maurice Fitzmaurice and his work on the Aswan Dam amongst other great engineers, so to make contributions like that would be my ultimate goal.
On a typical weekend, what can we expect you to be doing?
I like running, cycling, golf and GAA (retired 2021). So, most weekends you find me out running around whatever location I am in, or if I’m injured (which is often) on my bike. Afterwards, I will be cooking something unnecessarily spicy which my wife won’t be able to tolerate, and in some cases will be too spicy for me also!
Tell us a funny/interesting fact about yourself...
When I was working in Pakistan, I developed a rash on my chest and went to a doctor who diagnosed me with Albinism (without even looking at the rash or allowing me to explain the purpose of the visit). Turned out, I wasn’t Albino, and the rash was a reaction to anti-malaria tablets….which didn’t do their job well as I discovered later that year! I won the spoof company award for ‘Most Tropical Illness’ within the company.