INTERVIEW: Warren Lisher, Greenway Associates
Greenway Associates are delighted to welcome Warren Lisher to our team, as a Senior Quantity Surveyor. Warren has extensive QS experience and comes to us from Cape Town in South Africa. As he had 10 days of quarantine to while away in a Heathrow hotel, we decided to keep him busy (for at least 10 minutes) by asking him to share some information about himself with our readers.
GA: Welcome Warren! First up, why would you leave sunny Cape Town behind to come and work in rainy old London?
Warren: Thanks very much! My family and I initially moved here 20 years ago. After a few years I returned to South Africa to commence studying Quantity Surveying. When I completed my studies, life took a fantastic detour where I moved to Cape Town and met my amazing wife. While we will miss Cape Town, London life had planted its seed all those years back and I had always wanted to return.
GA: How long have you been practicing Quantity Surveying, and what kind of projects have you worked on in the past?
Warren: A little over 11 years now. My experience is predominantly public sector based, most recently for the education department which has included many different schools throughout the Western Cape province. I’ve also been involved with fire stations, clinics, prisons, and few administration and office buildings too. Probably the most internationally recognised project I've worked on that the UK would be familiar with is the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth which was first used during the 2010 FIFA world cup. As a fresh out the blocks candidate intern, that was one of the first projects I was involved in.
GA: Do you have a particular specialism?
Warren: Previously I was often the "go-to guy" in the office for a speedy measure and compilation of BOQs. With my last role being more management based, one of the functions was as a member of the bid spec committee where I was heavily involved with the procurement and tendering process of all projects going out. As a result I would get quite a few questions or queries relating to that thrown my way.
GA: In your opinion, is Quantity Surveying very different between South Africa and the UK?
Warren: I think I'd be able to give you a much better answer to this one in about a year's time! But from initial impressions it seems that there are a lot of similarities. For example the form of building contracts used. In South Africa, the NEC contract which originated in the UK, is being utilised more and more on projects. The project design stages seem to also be in line with the way projects flow in South Africa. What does seem a bit different is the level of detail in the South African BOQs where almost every single material or action is itemised. This does mean a very detailed costing which is beneficial. However it can result in longer estimating and procurement times which sometimes delay projects. I believe in the UK it is often more of a schedule of tasks or activities and lump sums which might not give you the same level of detail, but does mean less time is needed and thus projects can often be completed faster.
GA: What aspect of QS work, and what kind of projects, do you enjoy the most?
Warren: I enjoy being able to provide accurate financial reporting to the client and team so that all can work together to successfully complete a project. Seeing a building develop from the initial sketch designs to looking at the finished product is very satisfying. Particularly on the more unique buildings or complex structures. Although often challenging, I enjoy being involved in these projects as they often require the need for less traditional construction techniques and new types of materials.
GA: What appealed to you about Greenway Associates and which of our projects are you most looking forward to working on?
Warren: In addition to being a long standing company, Greenway Associates have a lot of very experienced individuals that I can learn a great deal from. The variety of exciting projects that they have worked on and are involved in, is also something that I found very appealing. It stems far beyond just buildings. Their involvement in cultural and experience-based projects is very exciting to me. Of the current projects, the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre is probably the one that stands out the most.
GA: Work aside, what do you like doing in your spare time, and what are you looking forward to enjoying here in the UK?
Warren: Being active and keeping fit is important to me. I'm a big mountain bike enthusiast, so much so that we brought our bikes with us on the plane. So I'm excited to start riding some of the many trails that the UK has to offer. My wife and I also enjoy travelling as much as we can. We can't wait to start exploring the UK as it's mostly new territory to us. Mainland Europe always seemed so far away from South Africa. With it being so close now we are looking forward to travelling there and learning about new cultures too.