Astrid Boumans

As Transformation Lead across Europe, working out of the Amsterdam office, I actively drive and hold the Europe Board accountable for progress against change programmes, like our digital transformation, the launch of our proposition framework and the corporate-responsibility roadmap. This includes our commitment to inclusion and net-zero targets.

In the end, we want to see ourselves in the communities we work in, be inclusive and be stronger together in delivering great outcomes for our clients and the built environment.

I joined Turner & Townsend in London in 2008 as part of the programme and change team. After participating in our Your Professional Future programme, I was asked to join the Chairman’s Group, which I chaired in the second year. In 2013, I moved to Turner & Townsend Canada, working out of our Toronto office in several roles before moving back to Amsterdam in 2015.

My career and development continue to be a jungle gym, with a common theme of transforming and change management. This includes growing our key clients, leading business generation, tripling the size of our infrastructure sector, and leading the M365 roll out across our 10,000+ colleagues around the world.

Q. What attracted you to join Turner & Townsend?

A. The fact that Turner & Townsend was a global company, so that I could move with them and advance my career in that way. At my first job, which I also loved, I missed out on this opportunity as they were ‘just’ a Dutch company. They also focused on change management (the people side) where my interest was and still is – how do we help people shine (in a work sphere)?

Q. How has your career at Turner & Townsend developed?

A. I was recently asked by a 13-year-old during a corporate-responsibility event with JINC, a Dutch social community charity partner: “Do you now have your dream job?” My response was that I have been fortunate with brilliant line managers helping me find my way through the many options that we have within our company to add value. And I’m not a person to have ‘one dream job’. I love it when I learn, grow and get to work with great people. This is still happening every day.

Q. Which project are you most proud of being involved in at Turner & Townsend?

A. Too many to mention. Working on the London Olympics project (LOCOG) was something unique that I will never experience again. The sheer energy of the Olympics and the fact it was a start-up that knew it would be gone in six months’ time led to many unseen experiences and behaviours. We also wrote a contract-management manual in six weeks locked in a room in early 2010, which enabled LOCOG to ramp up its capabilities within 48 hours, to prepare a multi-million pound claim when a supplier wasn’t delivering against their promise of a large outsourced contract. A great outcome for our client in a time of need.

More recently I was proud to be part of the team that launched our digital HIVE environment to our Europe colleagues. It sets us apart from our competitors with great insights for clients and allows our colleagues to spend more time on value-add activities