How individuals from different industries
transferred their skills to Skanska
Mathematics and medicine
Manufacturing
Video game development
Entertainment and fashion
From majoring in video game development and working in entertainment to leading platoons in the US Army, our colleagues at Skanska have used their diverse backgrounds to shape the way the world lives, moves and connects. Click on each icon to meet the individuals who brought their unique skills and experiences to positions throughout Skanska.
Casino
industry
Politics and government
Military, defense and aerospace
Christopher Westley
Our company values are extremely important to me. Everyone here has a very broad outlook—meaning they tend to look at things from many different angles. Sometimes you’ll find built in tension, but that is because we are looking at things from different perspectives. It helps you get more disciplined.
Embracing both creative and strategic thinking is something I learned at my previous jobs that also applies at Skanska, where I’m responsible for applying strategy and knowledge across our projects. I provide leadership for our marketing, communications, innovation and sustainability teams by removing barriers for them to provide value for the projects, our company initiatives and ultimately for each individual to succeed in their role.
Working at Skanska
Working at Skanska
I would consider my time in fashion as an equivalent of an MBA program early in my career. I worked in marketing for Ralph Lauren, meeting with Ralph weekly and with direct responsibility for the Purple Label and Ralph Lauren Golf lines. I began to see the mix of creative and strategic thinking and how to apply this to brands.
It was there that I learned to use discipline to support my decisions based on my experience—my gut instinct. This was absolutely encouraged by Ralph himself in meetings, and further expected by the CMO at Ralph Lauren.
Transferable Skills
Transferable Skills
After working in various industries, including real estate development, entertainment, media and fashion, Christopher led marketing for Skanska’s U.S. Commercial Development markets.
Location:
Boston, Massachusetts
Current role at Skanska:
SVP, Strategic Services for USA Commercial Development
Christopher Westley
Entertainment and fashion
Our Sixth South project team won an Excellence in Construction award by Associated Builders and Contractors – Greater Tennessee.
I really value the relationships I’ve developed at Skanska over the years. The people on my projects have become my family. When I do move onto another project, I carry those relationship forward so when we do eventually reconnect, we can pick up where we left off as if nothing changed. Additionally, I enjoy getting challenged daily, like figuring out solutions to different issues that arise and utilizing both my expertise as well as those working with me to come to the best resolution possible. Lastly, I enjoy the freedom I’m given to perform my job. That freedom has been earned through the years by gaining the trust of those I work with, but it’s refreshing to work through problems the way I see fit and not through one prescribed method.
Working at Skanska
Working at Skanska
Coming from a mathematics background, I have a very analytical approach to solving problems. I like to make sure I have all my facts and information vetted correctly before presenting my case. I tend to be very detail oriented and utilize my organizational skills to my benefit by pulling together the history on an item as needed for explanation. Additionally, I enjoy taking my knowledge and teaching. Seeing someone work through an issue and coming up with their own solution to a problem is very gratifying, especially when I’ve had a part in their development.
Transferable Skills
Transferable Skills
Russ was pre-med in college, but after taking the MCAT, he decided that a career in medicine wasn’t the right fit for him. Before he graduated, he had an opportunity to intern as a project engineer, which started his Skanska journey.
Location:
Nashville, Tennessee
Current role at Skanska:
Senior Project Manager
Russ Brown
Mathematics and medicine
A holiday toy drive held by our project team members.
A topping out ceremony held for our Fifth & Broadway project in Tennessee.
Lisa and a colleague at the Warner Media jobsite tour in Atlanta, Georgia.
Lisa attending the 2023 New York ConTech event.
I like that each day presents new challenges and opportunities in construction, especially where technology is concerned. I’ve always found when investigating an issue that Skanska has incredible people with the collective expertise to solve any problem.
Working at Skanska
Working at Skanska
Manufacturing is much more predictable as an industry compared to construction, foregoing the recent supply chain volatility. Each day looked like the last. I initially struggled with the transition from manufacturing to construction—I missed the predictability and the routine. But now, I honestly appreciate that I get to explore new tools and processes and connect with people to improve the way we work.
I’ve also made use of my experience in global supply chain and lean principles, particularly in my supporting role with our national Strategic Supply Chain Program.
Transferable Skills
Transferable Skills
Lisa majored in French in college and then worked in manufacturing as a global procurement analyst. Before coming to Skanska, she worked predominantly with suppliers in southeastern France.
Location:
Cincinnati, Ohio
Current role at Skanska:
Emerging Technology Manager
Lisa Neal
Manufacturing
Paul testing a VR project at Skanska.
I love how much Skanska embraces innovation and new technology. Finding new solutions to help us move forward is such an exciting thing. It’s great that I get to use all the skills I’ve learned creating video games and apply them in a different format, and in the process, I learn a ton about a new industry.
Working at Skanska
Working at Skanska
Past jobs have given me various skills on different technology areas and I’ve been able to apply them, depending on what the project team may need. I think the main skill that’s required in both video game development and construction is planning. Terms may be different, but the questions to get us to the final product are the same. It’s just the difference in building digitally versus physically.
My current role isn’t that different to what I was doing before. My workflow is exactly like making a typical video game, but the output just showcases the aspects of construction.
Transferable Skills
Transferable Skills
Paul went to college for video game development and then worked on Xbox and PlayStation games, websites, and outdoor interactive advertising before joining Skanska.
Location:
Orlando, Florida
Current role at Skanska:
User Experience Specialist
Paul Cummins
Video game development
Indira visiting our Lehigh University project site with our local HR team.
Indira working at a client event for the Miss America Pageant during her time in the casino industry.
The thing I enjoy most about Skanska is working with and learning from people all over the country. When I first started, I was introduced to several of my peers throughout the country. I have truly enjoyed collaborating with my peers, and they have helped me grow tremendously.
Working at Skanska
Working at Skanska
My current role is a lot different from my previous one in several ways. My previous role was more external and client focused. The schedule is also completely different. In the casino industry, weekends, evenings and holidays are prime time. During the week, I worked a typical 9 - 5, but on the weekends, I worked anywhere from 1 p.m. to 7 a.m. Most holidays were spent with my casino customers. Luckily, I liked my customers a lot!
My previous role was all about building and maintaining relationships. This has served me well throughout my time at Skanska as I have built relationships with coworkers in various departments all over the country, from New York to Georgia and even California. I have also built great relationships with marketing peers outside of Skanska through my membership with a local professional association.
Transferable Skills
Transferable Skills
Prior to joining the AEC industry, Indira worked in the casino industry for almost 20 years as a customer development executive. She hosted special events, and coordinated parties, tournaments and giveaways.
Location:
Blue Bell, Pennsylvania
Current role at Skanska:
Marketing Coordinator II
Indira Santiago
Casino industry
Michael attending the annual ConTech conference.
Michael was a combat engineer platoon leader and staff officer for the US Army.
I enjoy Skanska’s people and culture in terms of how we’re transforming the built environment. We genuinely live our values, with Care for Life and Acting Ethically and Transparently resonating most strongly for me. Our Be Better Together and Commit to Customers values are the outcomes I’m looking to achieve in my role as we increasingly explore how emerging technologies can deliver value to our project teams, clients and the communities we serve.
Working at Skanska
Working at Skanska
Like construction, the Army is a people business. As a young officer, you learn to trust in the experience and judgement of your non-commissioned officers (NCOs). Every superintendent I’ve ever met reminds me of the very best NCOs I had the honor of serving with in the Army. Like the Army, construction is about managing risk and achieving outcomes in an environment for which safety and the physical toll on people requires constant diligence. In both environments, you strive to achieve excellence for the things you can control so that you’re better equipped to react and deal with uncertainty when it arises.
At Boeing, I started as an analyst and later as an IT Lean practitioner at a time when Cloud and mobile technologies were emergent, so those experiences provided a crash course in continuous improvement and large-scale enterprise digital transformation. The IT department at Skanska is a close partner to our emerging tech team, so having a foundational IT and data analytics background is highly transferable and relevant to Skanska’s innovation and data strategy.
Transferable Skills
Transferable Skills
Michael was a combat engineer platoon leader and staff officer for the US Army before participating in a rotation program at Boeing that allowed him to experience a variety of roles. Afterwards, he joined Skanska.
Location:
Boston, Massachusetts
Current role at Skanska:
VP, Emerging Technology
Michael Zeppieri
Military, defense and aerospace
Meghan touring a Skanska jobsite.
Before joining Skanska, Meghan was in the political consulting, labor and government industry.
I love working for one company and industry that I’m passionate about—public infrastructure and transportation—and building a brand long term. I like that Skanska is a large corporation that builds a finished product while having strong local ties to the communities they’re working in.
Working at Skanska
Working at Skanska
In politics, my work was very cyclical and for a short period of time. There were several issue areas at once, so it was hard to dive into and dedicate the time to one industry. At Skanska, I’m building a brand whereas before I was selling a brand.
The work I was doing at my previous job is similar to what I’m doing now. I built relationships with our current clients that help our relationship on current projects. Working with labor, specifically the building trades, has allowed me to communicate and highlight our partnerships with the carpenters, laborers and operating engineers. I’ve worked in the Los Angeles community for over a decade. That allows me to see the impact our projects have, so I can communicate the “who” behind the construction.
Transferable Skills
Transferable Skills
Before joining Skanska, Meghan worked in the political consulting and government industry. Her focus areas were communications, public relations, ad production and advocacy.
Location:
Riverside, California
Current role at Skanska:
Communications Manager – Skanska USA Civil
Meghan Carvalho
Politics and government
There are many talents and abilities that can be used to build a career in construction and development.
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