Nadia is an Environmental Manager at Laing O’Rourke, Manchester, responsible for leading their northern environmental team within construction business. Her work spans all aspects of environmental management and sustainability at various stages of construction projects, from early design and preconstruction to completion and handover. Further to this, Nadia trains and mentors junior members of the team as well as delivering wider environmental awareness training to the rest of the business.
After finishing an undergraduate degree in Environment Protection, Nadia undertook an MSc in Ecology, giving her a strong grounding in issues across the full spectrum of environmental disciplines. She then progressed onto a year-long placement with a Local Authority’s Planning Department, learning about the applications of the theoretical knowledge she gained at the University and complexities of the planning system. Since, she has spent four years working in the waste industry, helping her to appreciate the basis of our recycling industry and the scale of the country’s waste problem. In the last five years, Nadia has been employed in the construction industry and has worked on a variety of projects from simple buildings to large-scale multimillion-pound developments on a regional scale.
In her work, Nadia relishes the sheer variety of environmental issues she gets to be involved with. One day, she can be working on the translocation of a protected species and the next, on a rainwater harvesting design project. For Nadia, there is never a dull day in construction environmental management. She visits a number of flagship construction schemes in the country and watches them progress knowing the role she has played in the development. Nadia considers herself fortunate to work with some of the best professionals in the construction industry, from engineers to site supervisors, all aiming to resolve complex technical challenges in a responsible and sustainable manner.
At the moment, Nadia is working on an environmental strategy for a refurbishment of a Grade 1 listed building. In this overlooked area, there are exciting opportunities to preserve the historical nature of important heritage buildings whilst, at the same time, improving their environmental performance to ensure a long-term sustainable future. For Nadia, this project is immensely challenging; it aims to integrate traditional trades with modern construction techniques. It is also heavily focused on local economy spend and local responsibly sourced materials.
Nadia became a Full Member of the IES in September 2016 and has been a Chartered Environmentalist since January 2018.
“There are several recognised and well established environmental associations and institutions but the IES seems to be most closely aligned with my professional development needs and aspirations. It offers excellent grounding with the depth of technical training and assistance I look for in a professional body but, at the same time, it is a friendly and accessible institution. It is also a well-known name highly regarded in the environmental circles which provides with me with a professional recognition I need for my current and future career.”
Looking to the future, Nadia plans to continue to learn and develop her environmental knowledge and skills to keep up with emerging developments in this scientific field. In the words of Albert Einstein, Nadia concurs “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious”.
