Welcome to our In Focus series, where we shine a light on our Project Management team around the country. This week we learn a little more about Ken Ng, National Head of Project Management.
- What is your current role and main responsibilities?
As National Head of Savills Project Management Australia and New Zealand, I am responsible for the overall direction and business operations of the Project Management business. - How did you get into this industry?
Graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Hons) Degree and started my career with Concrete Constructions who were a Tier one builder. My first project was being involved in the construction of a 900-bed prison. - Tell us a little bit about your career
From the start of my career I steered away from the traditional design aspect of my degree, and more into the management field. I had worked in a structural design practice for work experience, and found I enjoyed the on-site building parts of the job and dealing with the people side of the industry. I started my career as a Site Engineer with a tier one builder, where I spent several years learning how buildings physically went together, programme, quality and managing cost. I also had a steep learning curve in how to communicate and deal with all sorts of people. On any given day I could be talking to construction workers, consultants and executives as an example. - What has been your hardest career decision?
When I was young and early in my career, leaving family and friends and moving away from home for the first time to work away in the Atherton Tablelands. This proved to be a significant growth phase for me. - What do you love most about your job?
Every day is different and working together with people to solve problems and creating things (buildings etc) that you can say you were involved with and take family and friends to see and experience. Learning something every day. - What has been your biggest challenge on a project and how did you overcome it?
Sometimes it is the smaller projects that are the most challenging, due to the tighter timeframes, lack of resources and the need to make immediate decisions. One particular project was a bank fit-out in the heart of Brisbane’s CBD. To finish that project within an extremely tight programme, in a constrained site, requirement to conduct the majority of the building work out of normal business hours, obtaining the necessary approvals from numerous stakeholders and having to be responsible for making on the spot decisions that you had to deal with the fallout from, was intense. Significant planning and negotiation skills were required to achieve the outcomes of this particular project. - What motivates you?
Being the best I can be, and to strive to be better tomorrow than I was today in whatever I do. - What makes a great National Head of PM?
Leadership, empathy, honesty and communication. - How can clients, consultants and contractors work together better?
Understand and commit to the team approach. We all want to do a good job, enjoy the journey and make some money along the way, so understanding that a win-win approach is always better than a them versus us approach. - What are some of the trends you are seeing in the industry?
The speed in the advancement of technology and the availability of information. Many years ago, the best project managers were usually the oldest, as they had experienced and solved the most problems. Now with the internet, information is readily available for project managers to upskill themselves or be knowledgeable on many topics in such a shorter timeframe. - What is three words that describe you?
Positive, committed and loyal. - How do you manage stakeholders?
Build a relationship on trust and communication. Make the journey enjoyable and memorable. - What do you do to keep learning and growing in your career?
Keep putting myself into situations where I am challenged. Some situations could be quite uncomfortable and stressful; however, these situations often present the greatest opportunity to learn and grow. I enjoy reading biographies on people who have gone through some sort of adversity or challenge, and how they dealt with it to come out the other side. - What advice would you give to someone starting in the industry?
Be willing to give things a go. Every opportunity, whether you initially think it will be a good or bad experience, will be a learning experience and shape you in your career, and how you deal and react with issues in the future. - What advice would you give to someone wanting to get in to Project Management?
We have many people in our organisation and team that have come from non-traditional backgrounds, such as law, marketing and IT. The key to our industry, and with many others, is that it is a people orientated industry so building relationships and communication skills need to be learnt and developed. Be willing to start somewhere, ask questions and learn. - What do you do in your leisure time to de-stress?
Exercise, health and fitness is important. Spending quality time with family and friends, travel and experiencing different cultures and places.
Learn more about Savills Project Management services.