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. Robert Leach - BIM Co-ordinator

    Robert studied Computer Games Modelling and Animation at the University of Derby, and then joined a major contractor in their Building Information Modelling function. We spoke to Robert about working in BIM at Sir Robert McAlpine.

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  4. James Campbell, Apprentice Engineer

    James Campbell - Apprentice Engineer

    James is undertaking an engineering apprenticeship with us after joining the company as an assistant engineer. His role allows him to work on live projects whilst taking one day out a week to study at college. Here he tells us more of his typical working day.

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  5. Emma Hawkins Apprentice Design Manager

    Emma Hawkins, Trainee Design Engineer

    Emma attended a 12-week work experience programme in year 12. She's now studying a BSc in Construction Management and a Trainee Design Engineer at Northgate Hospital in Northumberland

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  7. Luigi Pettinato

    Luigi Pettinato - Graduate Engineer

    Luigi completed his studies and started out on his engineering career in his home country of Italy. We were pleased to welcome him to our team in May 2018, after he had relocated to the UK. We spoke to him about the move and his experiences with us.

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  8. 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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  9. 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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