Why did you choose Strathclyde?
My older sister went to Strathclyde two years before I enrolled, but ultimately what brought me to Strathclyde was a career advisor who suggested I enrol in the 5-year Manufacturing Sciences & Engineering degree, which combined a range of disciplines across mechanical, electrical and manufacturing alongside exposure to some business topics. I was very young at the time, starting my course while I was still sixteen years old, but I enjoyed the variety of engineering disciplines that it exposed me to and the opportunity to do an internship for six-months in what was a thin-sandwich course. In my opinion, engineering provides a great base for logical problem-solving skills which have been useful throughout my career. I really believe that engineering is a fabulous undergraduate degree for any career path.
Where are you now?
Since 2017 I’ve mainly been living in the US in various roles with Weir, a FTSE 100 global mining technology company, and I’m currently the President of the Minerals Division. I’ve spent almost 15 years with Weir and I am truly grateful for the opportunity to work for a global company headquartered in Scotland.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Weir bought a $1.3bn business called ESCO in 2018 and, having been involved in the origination of the purchase, I then led the integration of the business into Weir before becoming President of the ESCO Division. I am really proud of that part of my career with Weir. We were able to reduce safety incidents in the Division by two-thirds. In manufacturing, we always have the goal of Zero Harm, and I will never be satisfied until all Weir employees go home safely, so that felt like a great accomplishment. Also, through growing the business globally and driving efficiencies, we were able to double profits in less than 5 years.