Jai Lane

Associate Director | Procurement Advisory, Arup

It is unlikely that I would have pursued a career in the construction industry had I not undertaken the course I did. It had all the foundations that I needed to get into this industry.

Why I chose to attend Leeds Trinity

Leeds Trinity offered a place to study in the vibrancy of Leeds but outside the congestion of the city centre. The Horsforth location was perfect for me and I liked the fact that it was a smaller university than other potential places to study.

Setting me up for my career

Throughout my course I got to study key modules on business, economics, marketing, law and accounting. It is unlikely that I would have pursued a career in the construction industry had I not undertaken the course I did. It had all the foundations that I needed to get into this industry.

I learnt everything about the world of business as part of my course. The biggest driver to getting me into procurement was studying the accounting module. Back in 2007, we were taught accounting on paper with lots of squares on it, no spreadsheets for us!

My best memories

My memories seem a little bit retro, but I vividly remember going into the computer room, in the library, to type up essays. This was before I was able to afford my first laptop. In the library I could also read all the newspapers, books, journals and learning materials available.

Throughout my time at Leeds Trinity, I also enjoyed working in Horsforth, at the Suburban Bar on New Roadside (now The Forge).

My career since graduating

I work in the construction and engineering sector, but in the discipline of procurement - so the accountancy part of the course I studied was particularly useful.

I started my career working in accounts for Balfour Beatty, which was the result of the degree I studied. I worked in the procurement team, moving up to Senior Buyer, then as a Procurement Manager, and then I went into consultancy with Turner & Townsend for a few years.

In 2018, I began my career at Arup. Arup is a British multinational professional services firm that provides design, engineering, architecture, planning and advisory services across every aspect of the built environment. Arup are dedicated to sustainable development.

After being promoted within the company, I am now Associate Director. I  lead the entire procurement advisory business for  Arup in the UK, Europe and Africa on many exciting large-scale projects.

My career highlights

I am very proud to have worked on several large projects throughout my career, classed as nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPS).

Some of these include working on the Great British Nuclear Small Module Reactor Scheme - I was part of the team that developed the procurement approach to the market for the technology provider. The Small Module Reactors (SMRs) are smaller and can be made in factories and can also transform how power stations are built by making construction faster and less expensive, unlike conventional reactors.

Another highlight has been advising on is Xlinks, which is the UK to Morocco interconnector Energy project. This project involves creating an interconnector to carry solar and wind generated electricity from the Moroccan desert to the UK. This project looks to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels.

I have also worked on the scheme for North London Waste Authority where we procured the new energy from waste facility, which is a £1 billion recycling facility. In addition to this we provided the procurement advice for demolishing the old building. Staying involved with the project past the procurement stage enabled us to see the new building being built, this meant I have now been involved in this project for over five years.

Connecting again with Leeds Trinity

I was delighted to hear from our office leader in early 2024 after Leeds Trinity reached out to Arup for one of the staff to be on a panel supporting the new degree programme of Construction and the Built Environment that Leeds Trinity added to its portfolio of courses. As soon as I heard it was my old University, I was pleased to put my name forward as an alumni.

My advice to others considering Leeds Trinity

Based on the student experience I had, I would definitely encourage other people to study at Leeds Trinity.