Following the recent promotion of Michelle McMillan to Director for Canada, we took the opportunity to catch up with her in this Q&A.
Why did you choose to specialise in the resolution of construction disputes?
I am a Civil Engineer by education. One of my first assignments was working on the Owner’s team for the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, at the time the tallest buildings in the world. I just naturally fell into the role of negotiating disputes on the project and my project manager suggested this might be a career path for me. I have now been loving working in the dispute resolution area of construction for over 25 years, so I guess it was good advice.
Why did I choose to join Driver Trett?
There are so many reasons I decided to join Driver Trett in 2020 but on the top of my list was the people I would be working with and Driver Trett’s values and ethos. Driver Trett has the most talented group of people I have ever worked with. They are not only technical, project and claims specialists, they are also experts at collaboration and communicating knowledge. Driver Trett’s ethos is “Worldwide Expertise, Delivered Locally”. Driver Trett is a global organisation with extremely skilled people, but we also excel in understanding the intricacies of our local markets. This enables Driver Trett to give our clients the best of all worlds. Driver Trett Canada has assisted clients in every Province and Territory, with the exception of Nunavet, and just this year have also assisted clients in Germany, Turkey, the US and the UAE.
My promotion to Canadian Director
I am excited to take on the challenges as the new Canadian Director, but I have big shoes to fill. Kevin O’Neill who was the previous Canadian Operations Manager, was the second employee of Driver Trett Canada when Driver Trett moved into the Canadian market in 2014. Following in Kevin’s footsteps, I’m looking forward to leading our diverse and talented Canadian team and continuing to expand Driver Trett’s Canadian and global presence. I am particularly looking forward to collaborating with my American colleagues to continue to grow in all regions of the Americas.
What am I looking forward to most as the new Canadian Director?
Outside of my daytime responsibilities at Driver Trett. I enjoy teaching at the University of Calgary as part of their Project Management Certificate program. I am looking forward to continuing to learn from and teach others, both inside and outside of Driver Trett. Approaches for resolving constructions claims in Canada has evolved over the past 25 years and I hope to continue working with the construction industry to resolve construction disputes quickly, fairly, and in the most cost-effective ways possible.
Something you would never guess about me.
Prior to my career as an Engineer, I spent many years studying to be a classical singer. However, I promise to never respond to my cross-examinations in song.
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