Introducing our DIY enthusiast Commercial Director, Hugh Daniels. Hugh, sitting on our board of directors, has years of experience in the quantity surveyor space and a deep understanding of the complexities of the construction industry.

Due to this, we decided to sit down with Hugh and find out a little bit more about his career, how he came to join COEL, his advice for anyone thinking of becoming a Quantity Surveyor and more – keep reading or watch the video to find out more.

Can you tell us a little bit about your professional background?

I studied quantity surveying at university  and it’s always been my career path. I wanted to do something that was a combination of business studies and engineering – well, that was my thought process. As a result, I did a sponsored university degree with, who was at the time Taylor Woodrow Construction.

I then worked my way through the ranks, from assistant to quantity surveyor onwards, and about three years ago I joined COEL. Shortly after, I had the pleasure of becoming the commercial director.

What attracted you to commercial construction?

I think it’s more varied, which is what I was after. If your career takes you down the civil engineering route, you get involved in very large schemes and projects that span multiple years – which some people really like. Me, on the other hand, I like the scenery to change a bit more frequently and commercial construction provides that variety.

What does a typical day look like?

My days are quite varied and depend on where we are in the month. As I’m involved in the pre-construction and tendering side of the business all the way to through to the running and finalisation of live projects, my day will inevitably be different.

So, my days might involve preparing for a tender submission or interview, resolve an issue with one of our live projects or bring a project to completion.

In addition to this, I also have quite a few internal responsibilities as I sit on the board of directors here at COEL.

It really is tricky to capture a ‘typical’ day, as depending on where we are in the month, my days can be either very internally focused or externally focused.

Did you always want to work in construction?

Yes, pretty much. I wanted a role that touched on the business world and when I combined it with the real interest I had in engineering, construction naturally bubbled up to the surface.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking of going into Quantity Surveying?

When you first start out, you might feel like you want to work on the biggest projects in the country or in the largest construction firm. However, in my opinion, the younger you are, the better off you are working on smaller projects.

This will enable you to not only gain experience quickly, but also provide you with an opportunity to manage projects independently setting you up to take on larger projects.

What is your favourite thing about COEL?

What I love about COEL is that we’re big enough to be professional and to provide a really high level of service, but we’re not so big that we’re inflexible. So, we are able to tailor to the client’s requirements and be fluid in our approach as well.

That’s not just in terms of our external approach, but internally as well, we really focus on the most efficient way to get things done.

What do you like to do outside work?

I have a vintage VW camper van that I attempt to keep on the road as much as I can and I’m a also bit of a DIY fiend although my partner isn’t so keen on that.