A series of short films about Max Fordham
Being a Senior Sustainability Consultant at Max Fordham
Contributor
Brooke Smith
MEng
Sustainability Consultant
I had been through the rounds of working in public, private and third-sector organisations by the time I graduated and discovered Max Fordham. As is the rule for the best bits in any career, it was a happy accident that I found my role in our Sustainability Team. Max Fordham simply floated into my Google searches as a specialist in my niche interests of embodied carbon and circular economy. Little did I know that I had found a home in the form of a better company culture than I imagined possible.
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What I find amazing is, throughout all its growth, Max Fordham has retained the thought-leading, non-hierarchical and transparent foundations set in place by our founder, Max himself. Despite our national reach and prestigious, award-winning projects, each management decision for the partnership feels centred on the personal. This is because there are opportunities for everyone’s perspectives to be heard. We are all encouraged to make our mark, both within the practice and for our clients.
Max Fordham gives me a platform to make my work meaningful and impactful by providing a backdrop of strong values. My colleagues support me in pushing for genuine sustainability impacts and real climate adaptation. The team I work for is well-connected across the industry, which has been essential to enable us to help designers deliver the pioneering approaches that we promote. It is especially satisfying when I can bring climate-leading suggestions from one project to another. Often, the question, “has this been done before?” causes hesitancy. Increasingly, I find myself being able to answer “yes, yes it has” and offer examples to encourage clients.
Being early in my career, It is encouraging to have many colleagues who have been able to grow their careers in parallel with parenting and other personal journeys. This is made possible by Max Fordham not only permitting but championing flexibility. We manage to foster close-knit teams and a continual learning environment irrespective of people’s role or location. It is a unique blend of inclusivity and flexibility that clearly helps individuals thrive as much as the organisation.
