Leighton International's Magazine, Perspective, Issue 6 2010

10 PROFILES
WORKING IN SINGAPORE
NAME: BRIAN TICCIONI
JOB TITLE: AREA MANAGER
LOCATION: SINGAPORE
PROJECT: CORPORATE OFFICE
Leighton in Malaysia and since then I’ve
had over 12 thoroughly enjoyable years.
What do you think are the
key challenges for your job
Currently, the focus is pointed towards
gaining sufficient local knowledge and
expertise to identify the edge that will
enable us to successfully compete in
what stands as a hard dollar based,
highly competitive, mature market.
Foreseeably, the challenges will change
from the point we secure our first project
and as we develop from a fledgling
business into an established
operating unit.
What are you initial
impressions of starting work
in Leighton Singapore
First and foremost, I’m extremely happy
to be back working in South East Asia
with Leighton International following my
three years in the Gulf with the Habtoor/
Leighton Group. Upon arriving what
immediately hit me was the apparent
health of the construction sector in
Singapore. The volume and scale
of projects that are currently being
undertaken coupled with the
Government’s future plans to further
expand what is already a highly
developed core infrastructure means
that the present S$20 billion per annum
construction spend won’t reduce in the
foreseeable future. For Leighton
Singapore in the short to long-term
that means a wealth of opportunities to
pursue, albeit recognisably in a highly
competitive commercial environment.
I’ve also been enthused by the level
of sophistication of our Joint Venture
partners, the knowledge and capability
of the local consultants we’ve interfaced
with, the professionalism of prospective
clients we’ve been introduced to and
the strong capability and work ethics of
the staff we have employed.
How long have you been
working in the industry
I’ve been in the industry for over 25
years and essentially I finished fifth
form on a Friday and started work the
following Monday. I started my career
with Bovis Construction in Glasgow
where I was placed on a five year
traineeship where during a working
week I was on site three days and
studying at university two days. It was a
great way of combining theory with solid
practical experience but sadly, such
opportunities for new blood entering the
industry are few and far between these
days. After graduating I left Bovis and
joined Wimpey Construction where I
had eight terrific years working with a
young, vibrant team of construction
professionals and undertaking a number
of highly successful building projects
during that period. In the late nineties,
I decided to venture overseas, joined
What is the most rewarding
thing about your job
I find working in this industry to be
intrinsically rewarding. We work in an
industry where every day is different,
each project opportunity is unique and
where every project brings its own
multi-facetted type and degree of
challenge. In my mind there is nothing
more satisfying than having played a
part in delivering a successful project
and in so doing, returned the optimum
bottom line.
How do you find living and
working in Singapore
Having spent the previous three years
in the scorching, sandy wastes of
Abu Dhabi, Sunderland never mind
Singapore would have been a
substantial step up! Kidding aside, there
does exist such an ingrained national
culture and pride in delivering superior
levels of service. Singapore is resultantly
a highly livable city and a location that
you become immediately comfortable
with. A similar maxim stands for the
business world where extremely high
rates of proficiency and efficiency and
an emphasis on delivering quality results,
minimizes the frustration levels.
“Singapore is resultantly a highly livable city and a
location that you become immediately comfortable
with. A similar maxim stands for the business world
where extremely high rates of proficiency and
efficiency and an emphasis on delivering quality
results, minimizes the frustration levels.”