Company: DNV
Student/Degree: Amelia Weir - General Engineering (Cambridge)
Project title: Project Indiana
Project summary:
I have been involved in a wide range of projects, but Project Indiana was one where I was given a high level of responsibility. It was a technical and environmental buyer due diligence project regarding the potential acquisition of a portfolio of chemical parks in Germany with a budget of £200k. I acted as project coordinator in this project, a role which is normally filled by senior consultants. In this role, I made sure that all deliverables were handed over to the client in a timely manner and to a high standard. I also made sure that the project stayed on track throughout the 2 months, leading a team of 7.
Some of the tasks that I carried out were as follows: ensuring complete oversight of every aspect of the project, communicating daily with all team members, writing sections of the report, tracking and managing budget spend, communicating directly with the client and working with them to cover all the topics they were interested in, attending technical meetings and submitting questions to the vendor twice a week.
Project Results
We submitted 5 reports in total, with the final report being over 150 pages long. Each of these reports were delivered on time and were praised for their high quality. This project brought in ~£200k for our team, which is 5% of our annual revenue. Beyond this, we improved our relationship with the client, proving ourselves as very capable technical advisors, meaning we would likely be a very strong candidate for future opportunities with this client. I managed to keep the project on budget and on time in addition to writing aspects of the report and balancing contributions to other projects. I received an exceptional performance award for my role in this project.
What have you gained from your placement?
My placement has given me invaluable insight into the workplace and has shown me how an engineering degree can be applied in a career. I have improved a variety of skills from organisation to communication and taking initiative. It has allowed my confidence to grow greatly and I have become much more willing to push myself outside of my comfort zone. I would recommend doing a placement to anyone!
Company Manager’s Comment
Amelia is an exceptional young person. She works hard, has good attention to detail and a very friendly and collaborative working style. Her contributions have been much appreciated by the DNV team and our client and we wish her all the best. Amelia would be welcome to come back and work with us again. Elizabeth Hillier, Project Manager for Project Indiana.
