Calvin Chiu, Senior Manager, Hong Kong

I was raised and educated in Hong Kong, having received my Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Hong Kong. My Ph.D. study in the same university focused on flexible manufacturing systems – a choice I made because I felt that I had an ‘engineering mind’ that fit perfectly to my chosen field. 

It was only after graduation that I joined a manufacturing company as a graduate engineer – working on material and product standardisation, process planning, internal coding, etc., – where I then found out that though competent in my field, the nature of my job then was dreary to me. I adore travelling, visiting new places around the world – that’s my dream. Take for example the year I graduated, my friends and I backpacked around Europe and visited more than 10 countries in two months. My passion for projects has definitely evolved along with the different stages of my career: The first time I wrote a report, the first time I was project manager, established capabilities from scratch for new areas of work, etc., are all memorable moments for me. 

I joined the legacy Environ in 2007 before we were acquired by Ramboll, having worked in the environmental consulting field in Hong Kong for the past decade. As part of the founding employees – who helped establish the legacy Environ’s office in Hong Kong – it was nothing but exciting and challenging for me and served as a major factor in coming out of my comfort zone and taking the plunge.  

But why Ramboll? Because like Ramboll, I feel passionately for some of our environment’s most pertinent issues. For example, environmental noise is a recurring key issue to be tackled in metropolitan cities such as Hong Kong. In the past, environmental noise would have been an imposed constraint, pertinent enough to halt many development proposals. However, with Hong Kong now facing a genuine housing shortage supply, both the government and private sectors are now hard-pressed to find a solution to overcome this environmental challenge.

Innovative acoustic window measures have been explored since 2010, and I even had the opportunity to participate in the first public rental and first private housing projects to employ such innovative noise mitigation measures. These housing projects were a collaborative effort by institutions, acoustic laboratories, and the Hong Kong environmental authority. Working together, we developed this new measure, which ultimately achieved success and paved the way to influence subsequent housing development projects in Hong Kong. This is my great sense of accomplishment and answers the question of ‘Why Ramboll’.

Another great plus point of working at Ramboll – which is truly an impressive experience – is that we are encouraged to work both cross-culturally and cross-continentally. Having the opportunity to consult with offices around the world and tap on their expertise provides us with stronger support, especially when dealing with our clients – who are then reassured by our broad range of global skills and expertise, which we believe to be a huge contributor to success. Moreover, this works both ways, and global offices worldwide can tap onto our special knowledge groups in information sharing, personally giving me the chance to oversee and collaborate on ongoing overseas projects. 

In my opinion, it never hurts to have a third party opinion, especially when the topic involves one that I may not necessarily be familiar with. Different viewpoints and advice is always a good thing, as it allows you to look at the issue from a different perspective. 

At Ramboll, I believe my duty is to anticipate what the client needs and expects – even before they know it themselves – to provide a holistic consulting experience. Anyone can efficiently finish the job, but taking it a step further and anticipating the needs and wants of our clients is something that we have proven success in. It’s no longer about satisfying the client, we want to go above and beyond their expectations – and at Ramboll, we have. Good communication also plays a key role in this success – having open lines of communication with your supervisor and understanding their expectations of you is important. Ramboll excels in this area, we have clear job descriptions which are conveyed to us transparently, and is something I greatly value.

Ramboll has four value pairs – of which I believe insight and excellence relates to me most. My role in the Hong Kong office involves regular and direct interaction with clients and authority agencies and keeping close track of market and technology trends. For example, our world today is driven by Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR and our concerns around carbon footprint reduction and sustainable living. As a result, we take all these insights into account when sharing our ideas and proposals to the client, being open with them on the various issues of green building, how best to minimise wastage and resources, the various certified green products for construction in Hong Kong, etc. These are all insights and excellence that we at Ramboll believe are useful and will better inform our clients on how best to approach their projects. 

Insight and excellence are definitely key to me excelling in my role.