With a long, successful career involving some of London’s landmark projects, Alec Vallintine of Canary Wharf Group tells us how he reached his senior role and what he enjoys about working in the industry.
Please tell us a little about yourself and your role at Canary Wharf Group.
I’m a director of Canary Wharf Contractors (CWCL) with specific responsibility for the Newfoundland project, a 62-storey tower comprising 636 residential apartments on the Canary Wharf Estate, overseeing the designers, contractors and CWCL team building the project.
What’s your career path since your first job in the construction industry?
After school I joined John Lelliott Group as a sponsored undergraduate studying a four-year Construction Management degree at university. Following a very brief spell at what is now ISG, I joined CWCL in 1995 and have worked exclusively on the estate since, being responsible for the construction of some of our landmark buildings.
Did you always want to work in construction?
My father was a local builder so I was exposed to the industry from an early age. There was an almost inevitability that I would end up in construction. I found large buildings and structures interesting and my aspiration through school was always to be involved in large, complex projects.
Have there been key people who have had a major effect on your career?
When at university in the early 90s we were regularly given copies of articles from magazines such as Building which featured the people and work that were being done at Canary Wharf at the time. On my first day at university in 1989 we were sent down to look at the Docklands areas, so it was a development and group of people we all looked up to and aspired to. I never believed for one moment I would end up working here two years after graduating and with people such as George Iacobescu (now Sir George) whom I’d studied a few years previously.
In the early days I was lucky to work closely with John Pagano and Eugenio Caruso managing our major fit-outs and then after five years, Dan Frank returned to Canary Wharf, who would become a great inspiration and mentor. When I looked over the fence in 1989 I would never have dreamed that one day I’d not only be working for the company but would become a director, or that when I joined I’d still be here working for Sir George and Eugenio nearly 25 years later.
What are the challenges and achievements that give you the most job satisfaction?
Building completions; it’s an old adage but the last 10% takes 90% of the effort. Whilst it’s rewarding putting up large structures and managing big teams, for me the biggest challenge and the one with the most satisfaction is getting a project completed and handed over successfully.
How have things changed about working in construction since you started?
We have lost the ‘macho’ attitudes that were once prevalent; health and safety is now at the forefront of what we do whereas once it was sometimes an afterthought or seen as a hindrance. Our sites and workforces are far safer these days. It is also a far more inclusive industry where we now have many more females working on or managing our projects in key positions. I have two daughters and I would have no problem with them entering the industry or working on our projects, which wouldn’t have been the case when I first went onto sites.
Is mentoring something you do, and what do you get out of it?
Mentoring is a major part of our job role as senior managers, be it with younger graduate members of our teams or older managers progressing into new roles and needing help or advice. I find it a very rewarding two-way experience – you get the satisfaction of seeing them develop but you can also learn from them. I firmly believe you can teach an old dog new tricks and it can and should be a mutually beneficial experience.
With the industry skills shortage, have you found it particularly difficult to find the people you need on and off site?
There is a clear dearth of experienced trades and managers with the right sort of experience/attitudes and we have struggled to get good quality residential managers. Luckily we have a core team of long-standing, very experienced managers so we have not suffered too much in this respect.
What’s your advice to young people considering construction and housebuilding careers?
I would have no hesitation recommending it as a career. It is varied, rewarding and can allow you to work in many different and interesting places. Saying that, I always thought my career would take me around the world working on major projects, instead I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have spent nearly a quarter of a century here at Canary Wharf building major projects – so it can work both ways!
