Leighton International's Magazine, Perspective, Issue 6 2010

PROFILES
15
How long have you been
working in the industry and
with Leighton
Started work as a chain boy on the M55
motorway project near Preston in the UK
in 1974, so I’ve been in the industry for
36 years. Studied Civil Engineering at
Bath University. After university I worked
in Eastbourne as a Graduate Engineer
for Sir Robert McAlpine for three years
on a “training under agreement” scheme,
which in those days enabled you to
complete your MICE and Chartered
Engineer course within three years. After
that I worked for COSTAIN in the UAE
as a Geotechnical Engineer on a large
underpass project in Abu Dhabi and on
DAS Island, an offshore installation, of
two kilometers long by one kilometer
wide in the middle of the Arabian Gulf.
Following this I worked for 18 years
with Freyssinet International from
France in many interesting bridge
and viaduct projects in many exciting
locations such as Turkey, Prince Edward
Island, Canada, Hong Kong, Vietnam,
Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
I joined Leighton in 2002, working
in the Singapore office in Business
Development. Since then I have worked
in Kuala Lumpur, Abu Dhabi and now
back in Singapore.
Building Construction
Singapore
What do you think sets
Leighton apart from other
contractors in Singapore
We shall bring a new style of contracting
to Singapore, where everybody is part of
the project team and the ‘Leighton Way’
will be seen by our stakeholders and
peers as the right way. We shall become
a contractor who is seen to deliver on
time and with a Quality and Health &
Safety Standard above the other
contractors.
What do you see are the key
strengths of the business
We have a good brand and a great
product, we just need to get that first
project and prove it to everyone. Our
Australian attitude will bring a fresh
breeze to the Singapore market and we
will build up a good team.
Where do you see the
construction industry in
Singapore placed for the
year ahead
Singapore is booming, it is the preferred
place for people to live and work in Asia
because everything works. We see the
Singapore Government is always
continually re-inventing itself to stay
ahead of the competition and stay
productive, consequently, there are
many new projects coming up in the
new Medical Hub, Mediaopolis, Seleter
Aerospace Park, Clean Tech Park,
Biopolis and the I-Park - just enormous
and it goes on like this for the next ten
years.
How do you find living and
working in Singapore
Hard work and great fun.
What attracts you to
the work
Working with Leighton is always
exciting and challenging. The energy
and enthusiasm in Leighton is
tremendous, everyone wants to be part
of the team that wins the projects. We
work long hours and we practice very
much the doctrine of ‘work hard, play
hard’. It’s a great atmosphere.
What do you think are the
key challenges for your job
Winning our first major project in
Singapore is by far my greatest
challenge, which depends greatly on
support from all levels in the
organisation.
INVESTING THE LEIGHTON IN LEIGHTON WAY
NAME: SENTHIL STEPHEN KUMAR HEATH
JOB TITLE: SENIOR PROJECT PROJECT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
LOCATION: MANAGER MUMBAI, INDIA
PROJECT: LOCATION: PIPELINE SINGAPORE REPLACEMENT PROJECT,
PROJECT: CORPORATE SEASON 2 (PRP2) OFFICE