Sean Bradley, commercial director, HBG UK Ltd (now BAM Construct UK)

My most memorable project is…

Building a new children’s hospital in London for Great Ormond Street. The nature of the project was very gratifying and it was great to see such a significant amount of change. We faced some considerable difficulties during the developments but, with the help of the client, solved the problems pragmatically and were asked to build another hospital worth £75mn.

My greatest achievement is…

Completing my MSc in construction law at King’s College, London. I had to attend three evening classes every other week for two years alongside my job – it was very challenging.

When I first started out in the construction industry I wish I’d known…

That people don’t necessarily know more than you just because they act confidently. When I was younger I often felt a bit lost in meetings and imagined that everyone else knew exactly what they were talking about. It’s important to speak up if you don’t understand something instead of presuming you’re the only one in the dark.

Surveyors must be…

Prepared to be unpopular at times. If a client wants a high specification building on an unrealistic budget then it’s better to be honest from the outset, rather than make promises you can’t keep.

I’d like candidates to take more notice of…

Written communication skills and traditional measurement taking. These are both important skills that seem to be diminishing over the years.

Sean Bradley is commercial director at HBG UK Ltd.