Astrid Boumans

As Operations Director in the Netherlands, I lead our core services team - creating an even better place to work for our colleagues, delivering our corporate responsibility and guaranteeing our corporate governance. The goal is to provide such value to clients with a team of happy colleagues that clients and new joiners will call us, rather than us calling them!

I joined Turner & Townsend in London in 2008 - as part of the programme and change team. Two years later I was asked to join the Chairman’s Group, which I chaired in the second year (which was the first globally operating team, representing our business). In 2013, I moved to Turner & Townsend Canada, working out of our Toronto office in several roles before moving back to Amsterdam in 2015.

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 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 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 JINC CR event – “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. I’m not a person to have ‘one dream job’. I love it when I learn and I 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. 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 claim when a supplier wasn’t delivering against their promise of a large outsourced contract.