Q&A: Conversacion with Contracts Manager & surveying expert Juan Ceballos

Hi Juan, thank you for speaking with us! How has this year been for you?

Hello! It’s been very busy for all of us and a very exciting one for me!

My role means that I work closely with plenty of our landscaping, sports and civils consultants when organising new projects on CAD, so our Contracts Managers are reliant on me. I also meet regularly with our team to make sure drawings are exactly what our client wants us to achieve.

Having an in-house CAD team and people who can use it is really valuable to us. In the early stages of planning, we regularly discuss projects with expert consultants and clients ready to adjust any key areas that we might be able to improve.

You’ve lived in the UK for 7 years, what is something you’ve had to adapt to since you’ve been working with White Horse?

I’d say the biggest challenge is the UK climate in the construction industry. Since moving from Spain, I worked at a couple of companies who weren’t as weather dependent. I didn’t have to check the weather forecasts as much for projects.

I originally worked in housing development in Spain which is very different. Working in sports and agricultural construction you must be adaptable to weather. We have a responsibility to our customers to always do our best to reach handover dates!

What is the most rewarding part of your role?

One of my favourite things to do is to work on the CAD design of a project, manage that project from the early stages, then follow through all the way to handover. Each day is different for me here!

You worked for White Horse Contractors prior to The Slatter Group* acquisition, how have you progressed personally since 2019?

For me personally, I have been given opportunities to grow within the company. When I joined the company 5 years ago, I had plenty of surveying experience, which I still use today for projects. In 2019 when we joined The Slatter Group, I was very keen to add more variety to my role. Not just surveying projects but also running them myself.

Having both the CAD design skill and project management element within my role is very important to me, I’m really pleased I was given the opportunity to grow.

*The Slatter Group incorporates White Horse Contractors and S&C Slatter. Across the Group, we offer a full service of natural, hybrid and artificial sports services, as well as wider infrastructure service offerings for a huge range of clients.

Tell us what projects you're working on at the moment?

I have managed various country park & green open space projects for White Horse, I have just handed over a large project in Bedfordshire and I’m very happy with how that project has developed over time. We are currently working on a business park project in Berkshire with our Group partners S&C Slatter that is coming along nicely. Apart from this, I am working closely with our team, designing some new land drainage projects for 2022.