Haziq’s Incredible Journey From KYS To Managing The Most Iconic Construction Project In London – Part 2
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5th# GreatHeights Series – An Interview With Haziq Ramli, Class of 2006 - Part 2
By Norfarah Mohamad,
Head of KYSER Content, Cemerlang
The Cemerlang Editorial Team had a chance to interview Haziq Ramli, Commercial Manager at Battersea Power Station, UK. This is a continuation from Part 1 published previously.
Lets Talk About Love And Family...
Haziq was born and raised in Kota Bharu, Kelantan before moving to Ayer Keroh to study at KYS. He is the youngest child of four and his parents are both doctors. He married Diana, a doctor by profession, in Nov 2014. They met in International Baccalaureate course at Kolej MARA Banting. She went to Galway, Ireland and Haziq went to London, UK to pursue their studies. Their lovely daughter was born in early 2018.
“My ultimate goal in life is to have a decent life with my family. I am quite traditional like that. I just want to be able to do what I love during the day and go home to spend my time with my family”
"The journey, I must say, has been amazing and one that I didn’t quite expect...."
When Haziq started his career, he realised that studying and working are two different world. “What I learned at university was only scratching the surface of what I really need to know professionally. So a lot of it was learn-on-the-job kind of thing and I am still learning”
“I had a lot of mentorship from the more senior Project Managers working on the project and I did Masters part-time in Construction Project Management. Also, professionally, I was working towards getting charter ship from Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) this year so I was constantly learning!”
What he love most about being a Project Manager is the highly dynamic environment. No two days are the same and one project is so different to the next. “We have one big project here that is to deliver the Battersea Power Station development. But the project is so big that we have so many mini-projects scattered around the site. So there’s plenty here to keep me constantly excited”
His proud moments are when he have finished a project and see the end-users enjoying the projects/buildings that we had been working on for the last weeks/months/years. This is when he feels most satisfying in work.
“I think developers now need to think more about how their products/buildings can improve the society. A lot of developers settle on the fastest and easiest way to make money which usually means a lot of houses in vertical box-shaped buildings. However, we now know that those developments are not adding value to the society in the long-term. For example, poor maintenance, ghost buildings, increased traffic.”
To him construction industry is relatively slow to adapt to changes, especially technological advances but it is now evolving. Surveying industry however is constantly changing. What you build will largely depend on the market and the market constantly evolves depending on the economy and geopolitics. For example, Brexit and Trade ‘Wars’ create uncertainties in the market and no one wants to invest in that kind of market. So it’s always good to have Plan B, C and D if Plan A does not work out.
“Additionally, I think it is important that developers develop something timeless. They need to think more about how to develop a future KLCC, future SMART tunnel, future Houses of Parliament, future Taj Mahal. I always think that a good building is something that people will want to see or use for the next 100 years. Buildings can create a sense of belonging to people. I would like to return to Malaysia once Battersea Power Station development is complete, whenever that may be. And I would like to be leading the delivery of major civil engineering or infrastructure projects if opportunities present themselves. Maybe the construction of the world’s tallest building? Who knows… “
The Construction Of Battersea Power Station By The Malaysian Consortium
Battersea Power Station is a 42-acre regeneration site jointly developed by S P Setia Bhd, the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Sime Darby Property Bhd, that was acquired in 2012. The consortium set up Battersea Power Station Development Co Ltd and plans to capitalize on the site’s historical and iconic status as one of London’s premier landmarks. Battersea Power Station comprises of seven phases, with ongoing construction. Phase 1 of the Circus West Village that was completed in 2017, is home to 1,000 residents and is 95% leased. Its commercial assets (of Phase 2) is owned by EPF and Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB). It is anticipated that 25,000 people to be living and working there, with an estimated 40 million annual visitors.
Battersea Power Station is definitely an extraordinary working experience for Haziq. “Working at Battersea Power Station has provided me with invaluable experience. It can also be quite intimidating at times when you are dealing with big names in the industry such as Foster + Partners, Gehry Partners, AECOM and countless contractors such as Sir Robert McAlpine, Keltbray etc. But when you have the knowledge and are confident in what you say, people will listen to and respect you.”
Due to the highly pressurized environment, a good Project Manager needs to know when to take a step back and stay calm. Problems will come aplenty so it is important not rush in making decisions and to get all your facts first before solving the problems. Project Managers also do not necessarily need to be an expert in everything. You just need to know enough to enable you to manage others such as architects, engineers and contractors. Inter-personal skills always come in handy.
“We have a department called Placemaking who makes sure that the design of our development is consistent throughout and add value to the surrounding community and neighborhood. As a Project Manager, it is my job to make sure that they are consulted.”
A Special Message For KYSER and KYS...
In Haziq’s opinion, KYSER has so many potential but is still a young and small group of people compared to other alumni organisations such as MCOBA which mainly consist of Baby Boomers and Gen X. KYSER is mainly millennials and soon, Gen Z. We should try to focus on the attributes of our generations and challenges facing our generations to get the best out of KYSER.
For KYS on the other hand, here are some tips from Haziq :
- Find out what you enjoy doing the most and give your best to have a career out of it. If you like traditional professions such as accounting, engineering or medicine, then pursue them. If you like cooking, look at careers related to cooking such as chef and restaurateur. If you like running, look into producing sportswear for runners or being a physio. If you like dancing, be a professional dancer or run a dancing class. And so on.
- KYS has been set up to get the best out of you, so please do not be afraid to experience KYS to the fullest. Venture out to new territories and discover yourselves.
- A good decision is always informed, but not necessarily the best decision. So try to gather all the facts first before concluding. Granted, some of them are a hunch, but a good hunch comes with experience.
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