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Meet our people – Chris

Chris joined Skanska in 2014, working as an operations manager in the utilities division. Previously, he’d spent 16 years in the Royal Artillery. There, he held a variety of roles, including defence intelligence and the battery command of 134 soldiers in Afghanistan. He finished his Army career as a major.

Meet Chris

“I’m managing the delivery of 1,600 kilometres of gas mains replacement for one of National Grid’s strategic gas distribution partners, responsible for the design and delivery of an eight-year, £1.6 billion programme across the East of England and North London networks.“ says Chris.

Chris identified the commercial aspect as a major difference for him. “I’d never written anything down contractually or filled in a timesheet, or asked how much something costs. So that’s quite a cultural shift for ex-forces: we tend to just get on with it and not think about making margins. But all of that is covered in the induction process and it becomes second nature quite quickly.

“Guys like me don’t come into the construction world,” he continues. “But I think the penny has dropped now and the industry recognises many of our transferable skills.”

Last updated: 23/01/2017