Can you tell us about your career with rhi so far?

I completed a BS Mathematics degree at the University of the Philippines and had been in the financial industry for several years before I finally found my niche in estimating and quantity surveying. Prior to joining rhi I had been involved in small residential projects, until in 2004 I secured a QS role in Malaysia Marine & Heavy Engineering, a fabrication yard in Johore, Malaysia. My work there was mostly on the construction and refurbishment of vessels into Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) systems for Single Buoy Moorings, Inc (SBM) and Malaysia International Shipping Corporation (MISC).

I have been with rhi for over 15 years, initially supporting Shell Singapore on their Ethylene Cracker Complex Project as a Contracts & Procurement Administrator.

Since then, I have been involved in two multi-billion-dollar Australian LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) projects as Senior Quantity Surveyor. Since 2019 I have been working on the Tengizchevroil Future Growth Project (TCO FGP (Future Growth Project)) as Singapore team’s Lead Quantity Surveyor, supporting our UK and Kazakhstan teams remotely.

What is the most exciting project you have worked on during your time?

All of the projects that I have worked on have had diverse levels of excitement and challenges that are unique to the project, however if I had to pick one - the current TCO FGP Project is the most exciting by far.

This is the first time I have ever supported a project remotely, with all my prior projects requiring me to be physically on site. Being on site, I have been able to see the actual structures being fabricated and constructed, and able to verify and confirm what I see on layout drawings. With this remote support, we rely heavily only on the documents sent to my team and require coordination with the UK focal and Site team. Although at times difficult, communication has always been key, and our global team has been able to work together successfully to deliver the best solution for our client.

At rhi we are passionate about our values; Care, Commitment, Courage, and Our behaviours (Listen Up, Lift others up, stand up, team up, speak up, don’t give up). What resonates most with you?

“Commitment,” “team up” and “don’t give up” resonate with me the most because in all aspects of our lives, if we want to succeed, we must have that determination and focus to finish what we have started knowing that we have given our best. There might be times when our best might not seem enough, and we just want to walk away. But our commitment will make us persevere and if we work in unity with the rest of the team, we would be able to accomplish even the most difficult tasks. That for me has never failed to work!

Describe how you have grown professionally since you started working for us.

When I was interviewed for my first rhi assignment (a C&P Administrator), I advised the interviewer that my experience was mostly with estimating and measurements. I remember I was asked “are you willing to learn” and that was really the start of my journey of professional growth.

From then on, I have worked on other aspects of Quantity Surveying from Procurement, Cost Estimation and Contracts Management and I never stop learning. Even when I think I have come as far as I can in my career, a new opportunity comes along for me push myself outside of my comfort zone; with my latest challenge being to improve my communication and presentation skills.

I love to read books, to spend time with my family and friends whenever I am back home. When I am on project assignments, my husband and I love going on trips or for walks around the diverse and colourful communities and parks of those project locations, immersing with locals to learn their culture and at times even learning how to speak their language.

Any advice you have for someone who is looking to further their career / Are there any key learnings from your experience you would like to share / advice?

Always be aware and on the lookout for what else you can learn every day, and then how you can use those learnings to improve not only yourself but also to help your whole team. Then prepare and visualise yourself facing issues you have never encountered before and think of ways on how to overcome them because when you are faced with adversity (which you will undoubtedly face at some stage in your career), you will be so much more prepared.