"OHL has a lot to contribute in the markets where it operates and excellent professionals with a great desire to grow and contribute to large projects"

alberto garcía arroyo

OHL Construcción Northern Europe Director.

What are your expectations for the new position as Northern Europe Director?

My expectations are the same as when I started my career in this industry, to work hard, learn and, above all, enjoy. I believe that OHL has a lot to contribute in the markets where it operates and excellent professionals with a great desire to grow and contribute to large projects. In my opinion, Northern Europe has all the potential necessary to increase the enthusiasm of our teams and my objective is to achieve this.

What responsibilities does this new position entail within the company and, in particular, in the Construction area?

The truth is that I have always taken responsibility very personally, I get involved to a personal extent, perhaps too much.
Basically, the responsibility of supporting the teams in the projects in progress, ensuring rigor in the achievement of the objectives that have been set and being able to create efficiency in management. But the greatest responsibility is to be an example for my colleagues and partners, representing OHL in a firm, professional and close way at the same time.

Reviewing your career at OHL, if there is one thing that characterizes you, it is your mobility. What is it like to live outside your home country? What experiences have you faced? Do you miss Spain or do you consider yourself a citizen of the world above all?

It’s been many years since I left my city, Madrid, although I feel Zamorano because of all my genetic background and the time I spent in that land. Above all, mobility has allowed me to continually get out of my comfort zone and face up to difficulty. Each country is culturally and professionally different, and that enriches you a lot and you learn to respect what we have in Spain more. I consider myself a flexible person, keeping a family balance. We recently moved to Madrid from where I will constantly travel, as required.

"I believe that OHL is made up of an excellent group of professionals, very capable and eager to do great things."

Tell us briefly what your path to the current position was.

I began my professional career long before finishing my university studies, as an assistant Construction Manager at Ferrovial, where I worked for nearly ten years and came to lead projects in central Spain. Later, I joined Sacyr in the Aragon and Navarre area, where I worked as a Building Delegate for five years, until OHL recruited me to join the Centre Hospitalier de la Université de Montréal (CHUM) project in Canada. After six years living there, I moved to London as Regional Director for the United Kingdom and Ireland, where we ensured the continuity of projects for more than three years, until OHL recently offered me the great opportunity to expand the scope to all of Northern Europe.

Of all the projects you were involved in, which one do you feel particularly proud of?

Perhaps, because of the effort, intensity and difficulty, the CHUM was the project where I evolved the most and where I faced continuous difficulty in all possible areas. In any case, all the projects that are currently active and under my responsibility are very interesting and generally satisfactory from an economic performance point of view.

 

Give us a message for the future for all of us at OHL, please.

From a discrete and respectful position, I believe that OHL is made up of an excellent group of professionals, very capable and eager to do great things.

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