William - is just this guy

For some, mixing rocks and water may appear a little strange, however, for me these represent two themes that have endured throughout my career.

  As a child I greatly enjoyed playing on the beach amongst the wee streams that flowed across the sand, however, growing up some seven miles to the west of Stranraer (I know, you can’t go much further and still be in Scotland) you tend to have a blank spot in terms of geology. All rocks are hard and dark grey – full stop. My interest therefore came via geography and the fact my secondary school teacher enthused about geology. This science discipline seemed to me to allow huge scope to get out and explore the world so I pursued the subject further, eventually graduating from GlasgowUniversity in 1985. The pleasure of guddling about with water matured over the years into a post graduate course in water engineering at SilsoeCollege in Bedfordshire.

  Getting my first job with Norwest Holst Soil Engineering and thereafter Thorburn Associates gave me a solid base of experience from which I could explore a third ambition; community development. Having spent a short time in Kenya and Tanzania after graduating I was sure that I wanted to undertake more of this type of work, so in 1992 my wife Jennifer and I together with two children began a four and a half year stay in Guinea Bissau. Here I undertook the management of hand dug well digging and rice field development as well as studying for my Masters in Environmental Management. I remain proud of the wells that we dug there (over 120 in total serving over 15,000 people) and of the fact that they function to this day. Over the years my interest in community development and relief work has led me to many parts of east, west and south Africa as well as the Balkans where I have met some fantastic people from whom I have learned a huge amount.

  In many ways it was a natural progression to go into business when I returned to Scotland, (now with three children), returning to my engineering geology roots first as a sole trader and then as part of Terrenus. Growing the flood risk and water management limb of Terrenus has been a positive pleasure.

  I have always enjoyed undertaking a task that has real worth and has been built to last and it gives me great pleasure to pass buildings, developments and landscapes that I have been involved with which have been well designed and that fit into the local community.

  The other chief pleasure in my life is my family. Laurie Lee commented that children have the capacity to link you with your childhood and now with four children (the eldest at University and the youngest at primary school) I can wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment.