Member profile: James Arrow MRICS, Principal Specialist, Project Risk Management, KBR, Inc.
08/24/2009 22:12
| James Arrow MRICS Principal Specialist, Project Risk Management KBR, Inc. Q. What is your current job role and what does this involve? My current role is primarily concerned with fostering a best practice risk management culture, largely through the facilitation of Risk Identification workshops, subsequent Risk Management training and development and/or review of project cost contingency via Quantitative Cost & Schedule Risk Analysis. Projects range in nature from FEED to full EPCM oil and gas to renewable energy, utility and other infrastructure or government initiatives. These projects could be valued in the range from a few million to several billion. Q. Why did you opt to pursue a career in this industry? I wanted a job that did not tie me to a desk. Q. Do you have specific areas of expertise or specialist interest? My current expertise is in Risk Management, though I am also interested in IT or Project Systems and their synergies with Knowledge Management. Q. What has been a career or project highlight? My career highlight or highlights really spin off the opportunity I first had to work overseas. Without wanting to be corny, it was my desire to attain chartered status that first put this chain of events in motion. Q. How has being a member of RICS helped your professional career? This item is really linked to the former. If it wasn’t for the RICS, I’m sure there would have been a lot less opportunity for me to work overseas. Q. Have you attended any networking or industry events that RICS Americas participated in? When I first came over here to the States I decided that I should Americanize my understanding of Project Controls. As a consequence of attending a local AACE training event I befriended Martin Darley FRICS (Director, Turner & Townsend Inc.) and he encouraged me to attend the local chapter events. The RICS Americas have allowed me to learn about and subsequently work with AACE International (Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineers). Because of my involvement with RICS I have attended the last three AACE Annual Meetings and I am currently a member of AACE’s Risk Management accreditation task force. Truly invaluable networking! I believe RICS members here in the U.S. have got a similar appetite for events as I do. Q. Why carry the RICS letters in addition to AACE accreditation? Take my experience as an example: for those who want to work overseas, the RICS designation does open doors. It provides an opportunity to travel and we should get that message out to people. I could also tell you about a guy I’ve met a few times at AACE events, he’s a Canadian guy who is well respected in AACE, and he often delivers seminars. He wants to join RICS because he sees how international clients recognize and respect the RICS qualification. RICS doesn’t compete with AACE. That’s another great thing as well. If it wasn’t for the great relationship between AACE then it’s likely that I wouldn’t have been able to develop my risk management knowledge as quickly as I have. If it wasn’t for RICS then I wouldn’t have been able to join these AACE forums. There’s tremendous benefit to my membership in both organizations. We should encourage others to build on what both membership opportunities can offer. <script type="text/javascript" src="http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#publisher=0aa3ac38-1520-4a71-b187-e5ce6202147d&type=website&buttonText=Share%20this&style=rotate&post_services=linkedin%2Cfacebook%2Ctwitter%2Cdigg%2Cdelicious"></script> |