TALKING TO… DR KAINE LYNCH
The new Director at Turner & Townsend talks about the challenges around infrastructure delivery in Ireland
Congratulations on your new role. What does it entail?
I’ve been appointed Director at Turner & Townsend, working across projects in the utilities, energy and transportation sectors. My role is really about supporting John Robinson [Head of Infrastructure, Ireland] in his leadership role on the infrastructure side of the business and ensuring we deliver exceptional results for our clients. It’s an exciting time to join the company; large-scale expenditure on national infrastructure projects as part of the National Development Plan is continuing and Turner & Townsend is playing a key role in supporting an ambitious capital investment programme across the country.
Can you tell me about your career to date?
I’m a Chartered Civil Engineer and a Fellow of both the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT). I was actually the youngest Fellow of ICE when I was admitted last year. The first 10 years of my career were spent in the civil service in Northern Ireland. I was lucky enough to be involved in a variety of project types, despite the fact that the civil service isn’t typically known for its career progression. The right opportunities came up for me at the right time and I was appointed to the role of Director of Major Projects and Procurement in the Department of Infrastructure, leading NI’s major capital programme. Projects I worked on in that 10-year period include the A6 Dualling between Derry and Belfast, the A5 Western Transport Corridor and Phase 2 of Belfast Rapid Transit. I also spent time working in other departments within the civil service delivering time critical capital projects conceived during Covid. I have also spent time in two of the Big 4 firms, providing strategic advice on major infrastructure projects across the island.
Why did you leave the civil service?
After 10 years or so it got to the point where in order to progress, I needed to expand my horizons. I could see that some of the capital projects going on across the island of Ireland were innovative and exciting so I thought, I want to work on them. My aim was to work in a company where I would have the opportunity to work on a project end-to-end; from strategy right through to complex issues on site and delivery. Turner & Townsend provided that.
Are the challenges around infrastructure delivery in Northern Ireland similar to those in the Republic?
Yes, very similar. Many of the challenges to project delivery are driven by environmental legislation and issues around supply chains. You’re dealing with a limited supply chain that’s working across the entire island and with a skills shortage that’s also hampering project delivery. We’ve been tasked with delivering the NDP and with reaching Net Zero by 2050, both extremely big asks that will require significant infrastructure to support them. We’re going to need major transport projects such as BusConnects and Metrolink and projects of this scale take a long time to deliver. On average, major infrastructure projects take around half a dozen years in development and the same again in construction. When timelines like these are taken into consideration, you very quickly start to see that if we want to try and meet Net Zero, we have limited time to really get moving and deliver infrastructure that will meet the deadline, while also supporting quality of life and economic growth. Prioritisation is also an issue; how do you figure out what to tackle first?
Do you ever get frustrated at the pace of infrastructure delivery?
No, I wouldn’t say so. As infrastructure professionals, that’s what gets us up in the morning. We need to recognise those challenges and work to try and find a solution. That’s why people like me are in this game, to build the infrastructure that will support quality of life for the future and reach environmental targets.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career so far?
Someone said to me early on in my career that listening and understanding the problem before trying to develop a solution was key. Sometimes there’s a tendency to think you understand a problem or issue before you’ve really taken the time to listen and get to grips with the real detail.
What are your ambitions in your new role?
Over the next couple of years, my ambition is to bed down in the role and really support John in the delivery of services that we provide to key clients across the island. It’s also to continue Turner & Townsend’s strong growth across the board, not just in the infrastructure space, but across the entire organisation. It’s also to be the number one in terms of an end-to-end infrastructure offering in Ireland.
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Michael McDonnell Managing Editor of Irish Construction Industry Magazine & Plan Magazine
