Career view: Adam Clark, BRAC Group

Adam Clark, managing director of BRAC Group, tells us about his role and the career path that got him there.

Please tell us a little about the Group and what you are currently working on.

BRAC Group comprises BRAC Contracts, our construction business which carries out everything from small scale fit-out and renovation properties to large scale government funded projects, and BRAC Developments, our specialist Airspace Development business.

Through BRAC Developments, we are nearing completion on Tait House, a project where we’ve constructed three luxury penthouse apartments on the roof of an existing residential building in Tufnell Park, north London. We’ve worked on numerous rooftop developments of this kind as lead contractor, but this is the first where we’re both contractor AND developer and with the huge potential of airspace development we’re looking forward to working on many more similar projects.

Through our BRAC Contracts business, we’re working on a diverse range of construction projects ranging from a significant film studio development in west London, through to cladding refurbishment projects for large multi-national property fund managers.

When did your career in property begin?

My career in property really began in the construction industry almost 30 years ago when I was involved in the construction of trading rooms in the City of London. I was initially working for someone else, before deciding to establish my own business delivering standardised trading rooms for all the largest global banks including Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.

Over time our work diversified in to other projects including full residential refits and major remodelling projects and, more recently, rooftop developments.

Have there been particular highlights along the way?

It’s hard to pinpoint individual projects as there has been such a diverse mix of buildings and bespoke requirements over the years. That said, one notable success was our construction work on The White Building near to the London Olympic Park.

Here, we were commissioned by the London Legacy Development Corporation to redevelop a former print works to provide artists’ studio spaces. Not only was this a great project to be involved in given its links to the 2012 Games, but it also helped to significantly strengthen awareness of our own capabilities amongst a wide range of architects and specifiers.

Have formal training and mentoring played a role in your career journey?

In all honesty, my grounding in property and construction comes from learning on the job. Having made the decision to establish my own business relatively early on, there was a lot of learning around what works and what doesn’t that I’m not sure I’d have received from more formal training.

All that said, when I did work for someone else the owner of that business employed a very high level of honesty and integrity and that’s something that has stuck with me – sometimes it’s the less tangible skills that can mean the most.

What are they key roles and skills that BRAC needs in its workforce?

First and foremost, honesty and trust. The first thing we build on any project, before any spades hit the ground, is trust with the client. So regardless of what level the team member is, from quantity surveyor, through estimators, project managers and skilled labourers, we need to be sure that they’ll work with integrity so as to not damage that trust.”

There’s been a skills shortage in the construction industry for years – how have you found finding and retaining the right people?

There’s really no easy answer to this. Yes, there certainly has been a shortage of skilled personnel in construction for a long while and attracting the right people with the right skills can be tricky.

At an entry-level, we actively recruit in to graduate roles and even sometimes pre-degree level to support these future team members through their studies. This ensures they become fully qualified without the worry of funding their whole degree.

At a more advanced level, referral is always a great way of getting the right people through the door initially, but that’s not always feasible and we often have to follow quite a long-winded process of advertising and interviewing.

Skills set aside, I think you can often tell if an interviewee is the right fit for the team. When they are, you obviously want to hold on to them. For me, the way to deal with this is through a combination of offering them a fair and competitive remuneration package, providing (when Covid allows) the opportunity to partake in fun, social activities and, importantly, providing all team members with a voice and an opportunity to really contribute to each project they work on as well as the future direction of the business.

I’m a firm believer that if a member of the team has a good idea that it should be shared and if it makes sense for us to then adopt that idea, then we go for it. I’ve been in the business a long time, but I’m not going to get precious about always making the decisions.

For people starting or changing their career, what’s your advice on considering construction?

I think it’s a great industry to get in to so long as you show commitment from the outset to get the right professional qualifications.

For those in carpentry, electrical or other skilled manual roles, there’s the potential for a long career with a certain level of job security over the long-term which is great.

For roles such as quantity surveying, estimating, project management and the like, there’s a huge opportunity to progress quickly and by showing an interest in innovative and progressive approaches to construction, the world can be your oyster.