Debbie Bewley
Role: Operations Manager – Environmental Unit
Myself
I am the Operations Manager for the Environmental Unit within Schofield Lothian. I have been with the company since 2001 – time flies when you are having fun! I helped set up the environmental unit from scratch. Schofields didn’t have environmental management on their service portfolio but the company had the foresight to recognise the increasing significance of the issue for clients, particularly in the construction and transportation sectors.
I graduated with a First Class Honours in Applied Environmental Science and knew I wanted to pursue a career in environmental management but wasn’t sure in what industry. Environmental management didn’t have such a high profile in those days – there wasn’t the variety of jobs that there are today. My first full time role was with an environmental consultancy mainly undertaking building surveys for hazardous materials such as asbestos. However, when I started to work with a team of consultants on remediation of brown field sites for housing development I quickly realised that my real passion lay in the construction industry. Environmental management encompasses my interest in science and people and working in the construction industry is always varied and challenging.
In my spare time I like to relax by painting the odd landscape - although I wouldn’t inflict the results on anyone but perhaps my husband! Gardening is also becoming a growing past time in our house. Wouldn’t say I have green fingers yet but my herb garden is not doing too bad!
My Role
As Operations Manager I am responsible for managing the environment team, business development and delivery of a range of services to our clients. Working as a consultant and managing a team means that I have to be very flexible with work loads. The nature of Schofield’s business means that my role is extremely varied - working with a variety of clients on a variety of projects in the same week does not lend itself to routine! However, it is great to be working with such a diverse range of people – never a dull moment.
To sum up what the environmental unit do in simple terms for our clients; we help to manage environmental risks and maximise opportunities associated with the delivery of a wide variety of development projects. These issues can range from waste and materials efficiency, noise, pollution prevention and contaminated land through to ecology and sustainable design. We aim reduce environmental impacts and effectively integrate management of the issues into a project life cycle to ensure completion of the works to programme and budget. To successfully manage environmental issues, it is important to consider the potential issues at the very early stages of a project, therefore my work can involve working closely with a variety of professions in the construction industry, e.g. Designers, Planners, Project and Construction Managers, Engineers and Quantity Surveyors. In the earlier stages of my career I used to spend a large proportion of time out on construction sites, where I gained a real appreciation of the challenges a construction project may face.
Working as a women in the construction industry was quite challenging at first and I did have some amusing experiences in the early days! Some years ago, I remember a well known politician at the time, nearly walking into a lamppost as he did a double take when he saw myself and a colleague (another young lady) wearing hard hats, carrying a ladder and a toolbox!!
However, seeing women out on construction sites has become much more the norm these days and women are now delivering a wide range of skills and professional services to the construction industry.
In my role as Operations Manager I enjoy the opportunity to help mentor young environmental professionals joining the industry. I have seen many changes to Schofields since joining the company and am excited to be part of a management team that is developing new business for the future. Working with Schofields enables me to fulfil my ambitions at many levels; working with a close knit management team to develop the business but also working with our construction industry clients to help manage the varied challenges that are emerging in the environment field.
My Work
The Environment Unit has worked on a wide variety of schemes in the construction industry, ranging from major transport infrastructure projects, which have required a formal Environmental Impact Assessment, through to new commercial development. Our clients on these schemes have included Tfl, LUL and DEFRA. With the focus on Carbon Management for the future we are also helping some of our clients to develop robust strategies to meet the challenges of this issue. Schofield’s aim’s to act proactively in client’s interest wherever we can and this is only possible via a deep understanding of their business achieved through close working relationships.
One of our niche services involves designing and delivering environmental management training for a variety of construction professionals such as Project and Construction Managers, Procurement & HSE Advisors in the rail industry. We have been providing training to clients such as Network Rail, TubeLines and Metronet for over 4 years and trained over 5000 professionals.
When I first started in the construction industry managing environmental impacts was not always high on the agenda for organisations. However this has definitely changed over recent years as I think most organisations now realise that effective environmental management is an important business strategy. It’s about managing risks and maximising opportunities. Poor environmental management in the construction industry can result in project delays and increased costs, prosecution for non-compliance with environmental legislation, and damage to corporate reputations. As environmental management has moved up on the business agenda it has become easier to integrate it into construction projects. With the influx of new environmental legislation, which has specific legal requirements for the construction industry and the strive for sustainable development, there are many opportunities in the field of environmental management. I see the construction industry of the future becoming much more sustainable and accountable on environmental issues and Schofield Lothian is in a prime position to help our clients achieve this.
