Sean Bowles

I’m Sean, and this is my story.

Young people sometimes ask me, ‘what if I don’t know want to do with my life?’

I didn’t, back when I was their age. I don’t think many people do. And that’s OK. It’s normal.

When I left school, I wanted to continue my education — but I also knew I wanted to work. To earn. I wanted a job with prospects, and the opportunities to progress. They were big priorities for me, and even though I considered lots of different apprenticeships, it was construction that ticked the right boxes. Early on, I was able to get a trainee position with a structural engineer, then as a trainee quantity surveyor with a contractor, and it was that same contractor who ended up sponsoring my studies.

That’s where my story really begins.

I chose NTU because it was the perfect fit.

When it came to the built environment, NTU was known for offering some of the best education, teaching and learning in the country. I’m a local lad, and it just made sense.

I did seven years at NTU, starting in 1990. The British economy was in a bad state at that point, and the construction industry was really feeling the pinch. I was made redundant twice during that period, and it really made me question whether I was in the right industry. But my studies — and the encouragement and support I received — helped me keep going. Through some very tough times, the University was something I could count on. I studied part-time, which obviously brought challenges in terms of balancing that with my job, but doing both at the same time instilled a bit of grit and resilience in me.

The University was an incredibly important part of my development. It introduced me to the network of friends and professionals I’m still connected with today. In time, we’d all go on to do well in our careers, and I’ve always believed that a big part of that success was down to our shared experiences at NTU. We’ve all learned along the way that you can’t do it alone, and those early relationships ended up being vital.

After graduating, things got busy — quickly.

A lot happened in a short space of time. It was an intense period, moving from quantity surveying to project management, getting married and raising children, but I’d developed a plan by that point, and I never lost sight of it. I managed to get chartered, and within a decade of graduating I’d secured an Operations Director role, then a Managing Director position with a major contractor a couple of years after that. Every job added something to my experience; I’d always been good with people, but I learned so much about managing expectations and dealing with conflict. Construction sites can be colourful, pressurised places — lots of ideas, lots of opinions, a few egos, and naturally some tension. But you learn through experience to keep your emotions in check; to be that calming figure. A good leader’s responsible for setting the culture, the environment, the standards, and I’ve always relished that.

Today, I’m a Regional Managing Director for Morgan Sindall. I love my job. Working with people from all walks of life, there’s loads of variety. But what really gets me out of bed every morning are the things we build: the impact we’re having on communities, the facilities we’re creating for our friends and neighbours, the ways we’re improving the places they live, learn, and work in.

One of the most gratifying things has been going full circle to return to NTU, and to develop a professional relationship with the University. I still feel they’re delivering the best built environment education in the UK, and we’ve partnered with them to develop a degree apprenticeship programme that’s attracting fresh talent from across the country. It’s so important to create those opportunities for young people, because while the sector’s come a long way, it’s not yet where it needs to be in terms of diversity and genuine innovation.

The best advice I could give is to maintain the right attitude… and to be patient.

As employers, we can develop someone’s knowledge and skills — but not their personality. That’s on you. Personally, I’d much rather hire someone with the right mindset; someone with the interpersonal skills to work well with everyone from brickies to CEOs. My advice is to stay humble, surround yourself with the right people, learn from them, and don’t get intimidated by their talent. Use it to grow and push yourself on.

Challenges and knockbacks are inevitable, and that’s why patience is a real virtue. I’ve found that what really sets people apart is their resilience, and their ability to stay focused on the bigger picture. Once you’ve graduated, not everything’s going to happen at once, so make the most of every opportunity, expose yourself to different experiences, and soak up everything you can along the way.