Critical Careers - Women Building Careers in Digital Infrastructure - Book - Page 30
Critical Careers
E A R LY C A R E E R
How did you 昀椀rst discover digital
infrastructure, and what led you to the
role you’re in today?
I studied biomedical science at university because it was what I enjoyed
at school and felt like the natural next step. Like many people, I followed
the academic path before really understanding what careers were available.
By my second year, I realised that although I enjoyed science, I did not
want to pursue it as a career. At the same time, I was working part-time
for a recruitment company that placed people into tier one contractors.
That role gave me my 昀椀rst real exposure to construction.
I had always associated construction with site-based roles and had no
awareness of the wider career opportunities. Through recruitment, I was
speaking to project managers and quantity surveyors every day, and I
started to understand the structure of the industry and the range of roles
within it. The more I learned, the more it appealed to me.
I am naturally quite active and enjoy working with people, so the pace
and environment of construction felt like a good 昀椀t. I spoke to my
manager at the time and asked whether a role like quantity surveying was
realistic for me. He was very encouraging, which gave me the con昀椀dence
to go back to university and complete a master’s in quantity surveying,
despite having no direct experience.
From there, I joined Mace Consult, but soon realised I wanted to be
closer to live delivery, which led me to move into Mace Construct.
Through that transition, I was given the opportunity to work on a 96 MW
hyperscale data centre. That experience immediately stood out due to
the pace, technical complexity, and scale of the sector.
Millie
Davies
GRADUATE COMMERCIAL MANAGER | MACE CONSTRUCT
28
Now, just over a year on, I’m working as a Graduate Commercial Manager
and have progressed from initially managing a single metalwork package
to taking responsibility for multiple high value CSA packages. I also work
closely with both the subcontractors and the client team managing the
project’s change control process.
Gaining experience on a project of this scale early in my career has
been invaluable; I have not only developed the fundamental skills of a
Commercial Manager but have also developed great appreciation for the
fundamental role digital infrastructure plays in global connectivity.
