Can you rise up in the industry without an engineering degree? Kirsten Watson, AECOM’s Transit Market Sector Lead, is a case study in how continuous passion for learning and a celebration and honing your strengths—even when they don’t appear to be the perfect fit for a role—can lead to a varied and rewarding career. Co-hosts Riccardo and Shormila sit down with the transit executive on the interpersonal side of the industry in this episode of the Master Builder series. They break down the challenges and wins of major infrastructure projects and explore Kirsten’s career trajectory from private to public and back again. Their conversation explores the reality of the skills you really need (and don’t) for leadership, particularly as a woman in the industry. 

Kirsten’s background in employment law and HR have instilled in her a deep respect for listening—to clients, to stakeholders, to the smartest person in the room. As she explains, that’s how she’s become the one who brings the right people to the table, and it’s how even now, as a master builder, she leads with learning and pushes herself to say yes to even the most challenging opportunities.

Key Takeaways:

• Why the ability to bring people together in agreement and collaboration transcends industry;
• How to challenge the misgivings of both internal and external skeptics when accepting a position in an unfamiliar field;
• The truth of the often undervalued HR skillset;
• The disconnect in big projects between the technology and civil components and who’s in charge of them;
• The ongoing challenge of providing proof of capability again and again as a women in infrastructure.

Quote: 

“I ​think ​that's ​what ​I ​bring ​to ​the ​table, ​is ​the ​ability ​to ​bring ​other ​people ​to ​the ​table. ​And ​when ​we're ​talking ​about women ​in ​leadership ​and ​women ​saying ​yes. Bring ​the ​right ​people ​to ​the ​table ​and ​solve ​the ​problems through ​that ​team ​and ​that ​collaboration trying ​to ​learn ​other ​bits ​of ​the ​business ​so ​that ​you ​can ​actually ​do ​that ​work.” - Kirsten Watson

The conversation doesn’t stop here—connect and converse with our community via LinkedIn:

• Follow Navigating Major Programmes: https://www.linkedin.com/company/navigating-major-programmes/
• Follow Riccardo Cosentino: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cosentinoriccardo/
• Read Riccardo’s latest at https://riccardocosentino.com/   
• Learn more about Kirsten’s work at https://aecom.com/en-ca/about-us/our-leadership/kirsten-watson-2/

Music: "A New Tomorrow" by Chordial Music. Licensed through PremiumBeat.