Describe your role at Barbour ABI and AMA Research…
I am Chief Economist at Barbour ABI and AMA Research. My role is to provide analysis and economic insight for the construction and related sectors, assessing the trends and developments that impact the industry. I am meeting with clients to offer bespoke research and tailored analysis, and will also be speaking at industry events, my first being the House builder marketing forum on 21st June 2019 with Competitive Advantage Consultancy, presenting to manufacturers that supply house builders. Another part of my role is to work closely with journalists and other industry bodies to provide commentary on the built environment.
What made you make the move into the construction industry?
I had been in the water and utilities sector for the entirety of my 12-year professional career – I desired a change of scenery and a new challenge! I hoped, prior to joining, that the skills I had developed in my career up to this point were transferable, and happily I am finding this is the case. I have always been drawn to working in sectors that perform useful societal functions and I’m delighted to be able to do this.
How can you help Barbour ABI and AMA Research customers?
I have been immensely impressed at the detail and scope of the project data we hold – it’s not just planning data – our research team add great amounts of additional information which make it hugely valuable and a very rich data source.
I have a strong analysis and research background which I can apply to our data to derive useful and novel insights. I’m looking forward to applying my knowledge of the macroeconomic environment to the construction industry, to further understand its drivers and help our clients make better strategic decisions.
What new opportunities would you like to explore as Chief Economist?
I enjoy meeting with our clients to understand what gaps there are in their analysis capabilities that we can potentially fill. I have performed a lot of forecasting, econometrics, cost analysis and pricing in previous jobs which I’m hoping to apply in the construction industry.
What does the future look like for you at Barbour ABI and AMA Research?
My priorities for the future are balancing engaging with clients to understand their needs, speaking at industry events and performing interesting and useful analysis. I believe economics delivers the best results when is overlaid with real-world experience and other disciplines’ knowledge, so to be able to deliver useful analysis and insight, cross-checking it against others’ experience is very important to me.
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