Louise Gorringe
Senior Project Manager, Defence and Security, United Kingdom
In our career journeys series, we put the spotlight on team members from different areas of the business to share their career stories and daily experiences.
Here, we introduce you to Louise Gorringe, Senior Project Manager in our defence and security sector.
Louise has worked with us since February 2023 as a part of our London office.
Louise’s Turner & Townsend journey
Q. Hi Louise! Why don’t we kick things off by going through a typical day for you in defence and security?
A. I don’t really have a typical day! Since I joined Turner & Townsend I’ve worked with three different clients, and they’ve all had very different requirements and needs, so I’ve had to adapt accordingly.
My current project is very dynamic and fast paced, so I’m required to be flexible based on what the client needs. My time is split between delivering for my client, as well as supporting Turner & Townsend with its business goals.
Q. What aspects of your job do you appreciate the most?
A. I’d say it’s probably the level of trust that you get at Turner & Townsend. I really like that you can make your role your own and pursue various interests that you’re passionate about.
The people here really encourage you to take charge of your role and support you in forging your career path in the way you want to. So, I think that’s what I like the most: the freedom and the trust.
Q. Can you describe the culture at Turner & Townsend in three words? Can you explain why you’ve picked those three words?
A. Trusted, empowered and ambitious.
Trusted follows on from what I’ve described already and feeling empowered is what comes from that trust. We have a foundation to pursue the paths we want to and are supported in the initiatives we generate. This environment results in a real sense of ambition across the organisation which I really enjoy.
Q. Great three words! Now on to your role, has there been anything about it that’s surprised you?
A. The opportunity to work in new sectors and being encouraged to try your hand at something outside of your comfort zone! This is something I seized the opportunity to do across the aviation sector and have seen considerable benefit in doing so.
Again, it’s this theme of trust – they trust you to just dive in and try something different.
I’m in the right place to gain the skills, experience and capabilities to continue to progress.
Q. How do you feel about the opportunities available for career progression and development in defence and security?
A. They’re pretty vast to be honest. The footprint that we have as an organisation across defence and security is really broad.
So, no matter what you’re looking for, there are so many options available to you. As for how I see my career progressing, I think I’m in the right place to gain the skills, experience and capabilities to continue to progress.
Q. Turner & Townsend’s three company values are ‘love a challenge’, ‘bring out the best in everyone’ and ‘stronger together’. What company value do you align with most and why?
A. I’d say that ‘love a challenge’ is the value I align with, because there is just so much opportunity to get stuck in. You’re encouraged to come up with your own initiatives and stretch yourself. And that’s from both your client work to the work you do within the business itself.
Q. Inclusivity is a valued aspect of working at Turner & Townsend. How have you personally experienced inclusivity in your workplace?
An example that jumps out for me is the establishment of the team I’m currently in, which was started out last year as a small group of individuals but has grown quickly. From the offset, the team put inclusivity at the heart of its day-to-day and ensured it was, and continues to be, an ongoing discussion about what more we can do to make it a priority in our team.
I love working for Turner & Townsend because I’m surrounded by experts in their field... It’s amazing to learn from them and absorb some of their experience by osmosis.
Q. Okay, we’ve talked about how you’ve experienced inclusivity. Now can we touch on what you do to encourage inclusion at Turner & Townsend?
A. I think it’s in the small things. I recently did a presentation to our team on how you can encourage inclusivity through meetings – making sure you’re giving everybody a voice, acknowledging people’s achievements, and actively taking their points of view into account to name a few.
It’s important to check in with yourself and make sure that in everything you do, you’re considering how you’re treating others.
Q. In your role as a Senior Project Manager in defence and security, why is Turner & Townsend a great place to work?
A. I love working for Turner & Townsend because I’m surrounded by experts in their field. We’ve got people who have had incredible defence and security careers, whether that’s in the military or various other defence organisations. It’s amazing to learn from them and absorb some of their experience by osmosis.
Also, the projects we get to work on and clients we work with are amazing. They’re dynamic and engaging – something you might struggle to get exposure to in other organisations.
Q. Brilliant, thank you Louise! One last thing, do you have any tips for anybody applying to work at Turner & Townsend?
A. I would say reach out and chat with us before you start the application process. It’s good to familiarise yourself with what we’re looking for and see how your experience and skills might fit in.
I think that sometimes people feel like they can’t have that chat before they hit the apply button but come and get to know us and start the conversation as you’re thinking about applying!