Direct from our directors: Kriston Harvey

‘Direct from our directors’ is back for the final time, and to complete the series we heard from Kriston Harvey, who took us through the roots of his interest in engineering, his words of wisdom for new engineers, and the highlights and challenges from his 25-year career at Rodgers Leask.

First joining us in 2000, Kriston became a director in 2014 and is responsible for the civil engineering and transport planning teams across our UK offices, as well as business development. Along with experience working on projects in both the public and private sectors, Kriston’s technical capabilities include land development, infrastructure, value engineering, flood risk, and sustainability.

Why did you choose a career in engineering?

My interest in engineering emerged around the time I was studying for my GCSEs. I had taken a design subject which I found really interesting and, following a couple of work experience placements, I was quite fixed on studying civil engineering at university.

What are you most proud of in your career to date?

Probably seeing the number of young engineers that have joined over the years, develop their careers with us and progress through the business. I feel proud to have played a role in their development.

What has been the biggest challenge of your career to date?

The financial crash back in 2008 was really tough. I was a senior engineer at the time and can remember the uncertainty in the industry. In 2009 I took over running the civil engineering department at Rodgers Leask and it was certainly challenging trying to maintain a constant stream of work coming in to keep the team busy. We had to adapt and improve our offering, which has ultimately made us more robust.

What single piece of advice would you give to someone starting out in your profession?

I would definitely recommend anyone starting out as an engineer to start networking as early as possible in your career. The relationships that you establish at the start of your career will develop as you gain experience and provide really strong connections across the industry.

What’s your favourite book/film/album?

I’m going to cheat on the favourite album and go for what are my favourite 3 albums – ‘Troublegum’ by Therapy?, ‘South of Heaven’ by Slayer and ‘Hard to Kill’ by Raging Speedhorn.

The best book I have read in recent years is ‘Sing Backwards and Weep’ by Mark Lanegan.

My favourite film is Goodfellas.

What is the best piece of advice you have received?

I don’t think it was necessarily advice received, but I remember starting at Rodgers Leask in 2000 as a fresh faced graduate engineer and in no time being taken along to various black tie events, dinners and race days by John Rodgers – it was really useful being introduced to the networking side of the industry so early in my career.

Do you have a life philosophy?

Just to enjoy it!

What keeps you excited about the engineering industry?

The fact that it is ever evolving – whether it is new legislation to consider, working in a new sector or with a new client. I like the fact that every day is different and there are always new challenges to consider and overcome.

What is the single biggest change you have seen throughout your career?

Probably the advancement of technology and design software – particularly 3D infrastructure design tools which have developed significantly since I started in the industry.

What makes a good engineer?

I think a good engineer should be able to interrogate the detail but also have the ability to consider the bigger picture.

What do you do in your spare time?

I enjoy getting out to the Peak District whenever possible with the family and usually manage to get to a number of gigs throughout the year – where I can enjoy listening to music without my wife or kids telling me “It’s just noise!”

With two young sons, a lot of my spare time is also spent being ‘dad’s taxi’, taking them to various clubs and activities, and being a football coach for my youngest son’s team.

What three items are you taking to a deserted island?

A good book, a hammock and a pair of sunglasses.

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