After 18-months at Soben, Paul O’Hare has gone from Managing Quantity Surveyor to Associate Director. We caught up with him to talk about his journey to where he is now.
Tell us about your career journey to date
I started my journey at The College of Building and Printing in Glasgow. I was interested in construction processes and had initially pursued architecture as my path of choice. During the first year of my studies my parents were in Portugal and befriended a Scottish couple. Serendipitously, the friend, Alan was a manager at an architectural office in Glasgow and was looking for an office junior. When they got back, I had an interview with him and started as a Trainee Architectural Technician at Unick Architects. I then moved into the Quantity Surveying and Project Management team, supporting construction operations.
I then pursued a part-time BSc (Hons) Degree in Quantity Surveying at Caledonian University. Although the early years lacked glamour, my job instilled a strong work ethic in me, and I had the privilege of learning from influential people.
In 2003, I successfully completed my course, and the graduation coincided with my honeymoon! At the end of the year, I joined Dunn Mitchell Aikman, where I oversaw managing the financial aspects of diverse projects across residential, commercial, leisure, and industrial sectors. I was in that role for around two years until the birth of my first child prompted a desire for greater proximity to home and a more flexible work arrangement.
By 2006, I joined Stewart Milne Homes, a Scottish house builder whose main office was close to my family home. Over the next 11 years, I honed my skills and gained invaluable management experience. During this time, I progressed as a leader and was promoted to Senior Quantity Surveyor. During my time, we achieved 5-star builder status and solidified our position as one of Scotland’s premier house builders, despite facing the challenges of two global recessions.
In 2017, seeking fresh challenges, I made the transition to contracting and joined GMG Contractors Ltd, a family business. My arrival at GMG coincided with a need for commercial leadership. As the newly appointed Commercial Manager, I focused on enhancing the business’s stature.
Throughout my career and particularly in the last 18-months as an MQS with Soben, my expertise in construction, people management, bill production and QA has been instrumental in maintaining the success of the Specialist Services Team in that period. I have successfully managed numerous teams and delivered over 30 multi-million-pound projects for Soben in a relatively short period. The projects range from education centres, office and residential buildings, hotels, to life science centres and more prominently data centres of varying sizes. This achievement not only showcases my construction knowledge and strategic planning and quality control acumen but also my commitment to fostering a collaborative and efficient work environment.
You’ve worked on many projects over the years – which stand out for you?
At GMG Contractors, I had the opportunity to work on a significant project—the first major refurbishment contract we secured. This contract was part of a £40 million framework aimed at upgrading existing housing stock. The tender process was managed through a public procurement website, and meeting the criteria was a challenge. To position ourselves for the win, we meticulously worked on smaller public sector projects, gradually building a profile that allowed us to target larger frameworks. The project spanned three years and necessitated a complete shift in discipline and procedures within our company. Managing the quick turnover and high volume run rate was both exhilarating and demanding. Monthly payment applications required precision for approval by the appointed Quantity Surveyor (QS) from the councils. Additionally, all our work was KPI-driven and underwent various stages of sign-off before handover.
What’s your favourite project you worked on?
In life, I try not to have favourites. I enjoy the fruits of my labour and cherish my friends and family, so the same principles apply to my work. Every new project is a challenge with a beginning, middle and end. In saying that, one thing I do enjoy about projects is the people and learning new things from them.
What has been the most challenging project you’ve worked on, and why?
In my experience, every project has its unique challenges, but the project which stands out was a recent data centre. We were required to input measurement and cost data into a customised template, however, the template provided by the client was entirely new and didn’t align perfectly with the method of measurement used to quantify the works. Despite this significant task—requiring input across over 63,000 rows—we successfully created a new template that the client can use moving forward for cost appraisals in future projects.
What have been the defining moments of your career?
A defining moment in my career was when I joined Soben. This set me in a fresh direction and allowed significant professional growth. Despite my extensive 20-year experience in the industry, the past 18-months have thrust me into an entirely new dimension. Working on multimillion-pound projects from their inception has reshaped my construction profile. I’ve swiftly adapted to my role and now view both myself and the broader Soben team as experts in Data Centre and Life Science construction—a perspective I hadn’t previously considered.
Did you always want to be an Associate Director? If not, what would you be doing?
I would probably be running my own business, most likely in the construction industry as a property developer. I believe in working to your strengths and I feel this would lead me to follow a similar profile to my existing career.
What career advice would you give your younger self?
Understand that success takes time to keep building.
To find out more about Soben’s specialist services in EMEA you can contact Paul on the details below:
Associate Director
