Our People

Rakulan Kuhanathan - Graduate Engineer

'No matter what age they are or what level, people are ready to give you their advice and help and knowledge.'

Rakulan Kuhanathan

"Everyone is really open"

Rak Kuhanathan has wanted to be a civil engineer since primary school. And having landed a job working on Battersea Power Station Phase 3, Graduate Engineer Rak says he feels like he’s hit the jackpot.

Rak completed two work placements at Bloomberg while studying for his bachelors and masters degrees in civil engineering.

And it was the first of these placements that confirmed to him that this was the career for him and we were the company he wanted to work for.

“I liked the lifestyle, being on site and in an office, and I liked the people,” says Rak. “The thing I heard was you have to find the construction company that’s right for you. And what I found when I got to Sir Robert McAlpine was that they are the most down to earth people. They just seem to be genuinely nice.”

“No matter what age they are or what level, people are ready to give you their advice and help and knowledge. Everyone is just really open.

“It is definitely the family vibe. You get it from day one. I was new to the company when I started my placement and now I feel part of McAlpine.”

Rak is delighted to find himself at Battersea which has the UK’s largest concrete package outside the nuclear sector.

“As a civil engineer it’s like I’ve hit the jackpot. It’s very busy but I’m enjoying it and I’m learning a lot, applying my knowledge while learning the practical side of things.”

Meet the team

  1. Max Hacon

    Max Hacon - Graduate Engineer

    After graduating in Civil Engineering at Bristol University, Max joined us in January 2018. We caught up with him to find out more about the start of his career with us.

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  2. Ella Mills

    Ella Mills - Apprentice

    Ella is undertaking a Planning Apprenticeship, whilst studying Construction Management at London Southbank Uni. We caught up with Ella to learn about her experiences so far.

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  3. Ciara Shaugnessy, Trainee Quantity Surveyor

    Ciara is studying an accelerated BSc in Quantity Surveying, studying one day a week, every week throughout the year as opposed to having a summer break. This enables her to complete the day-release course in a reduced timeframe. As part of the course she is working towards chartership and completing an assessment of professional competence.

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  4. Jack Arnold

    Jack Arnold - Engineer

    Jack joined the business in 2014 after two placements with us during his degree in Construction Engineering Management at Loughborough University. We caught up with him to get his take on working at Sir Robert McAlpine.

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  5. Shauna Farrell - Construction Manager

    Shauna joined us a graduate after studying Civil Engineering at the University of Nottingham, and has since worked on projects including the new American Embassy. We spoke to her about her career to date – and what it’s like to work on her current project, the Elizabeth Tower.

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  6. Placement Student Sam Davey

    Sam Davey - Student Quantity Surveyor

    Sam is one of the undergraduate students we are sponsoring through their studies. As he is currently on his Industrial Placement year with us, we took the opportunity to chat to him about his experiences and plans for the future.

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  7. Charmaine Myers

    Karla Motts - Quantity Surveyor

    Karla is one of many members of our team who’ve achieved over ten years’ service at Sir Robert McAlpine. Unusually for a Quantity Surveyor, she initially graduated and worked in Human Resources. We spoke to her about her switch and her career here.

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  8. Helen Denham - Sustainability Manager

    Helen started her career as a Veterinary Nurse and went on to work in Wildlife Conservation and Land Management. After achieving an Open University Human Geography Degree at 38, she joined the construction industry.

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  9. Mark Boyland - Design Manager

    Mark studied architecture in New Zealand and worked in a small design practice in Wellington before heading to the UK. Once here he completed his professional qualifications, and worked in a number of roles, before joining us. We caught up with him to learn more about his experiences.

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