Blog – Understanding the importance of intercultural collaborations in Cardiff

Quest is an international transfer program which connects Arcadians from all over the world. Quest is sponsored by the Lovinklaan Foundation. Every week we are highlighting one of the stories our employees who went on an exchange. In this blogpost we cover the Quest story of Maheswaran Boompandi who traveled from Bangalore (India) to Cardiff (UK).

Why did I apply for a Quest

As a Senior Mechanical Engineer located in GEC India MEICA team – each day I am communicating with the relevant UK MEICA Project Managers/Engineers from various offices in UK via Skype to complete assigned projects. Therefore I was interested to meet all UK project leads in-person and share/gain knowledge about project deliverables and learn new skills, which would eventually help improve the GEC India project output quality. I applied for Arcadis Quest to enhance the collaboration between GEC India MEICA team and UK MEICA team.

“This quest not only improved my professional relationships, but it also increased my confidence level”

Highlight of my quest experience

The highlight of my quest visit was learning new skills in surge analysis software, sharing/gaining knowledge about pumps and pump station design from the UK – Cardiff MEICA team. I travelled to various UK offices (Exeter, Plymouth, Birmingham and London), met UK MEICA team members, discussed ongoing projects between GEC India MEICA team/UK MEICA Team and identified opportunities to improve project deliverables. I also went to the Mayflower project site to witness the transformation from drawings to project construction In real life. This collaboration increased the professional bonding between me and the UK project leads and also increased my confidence levels.

On a personal note – I went trekking and explored Cardiff with one of our UK MEICA team colleague during the weekend (see below photos). The most amazing experience for me was travelling by car with Nik John from Cardiff office to Birmingham office where we discussed a lot about projects, UK office expectations from GEC India and a general discussion about UK and GEC culture, people, etc.

My Quest in one word

Quest visit to UK gave me a rich experience on professional front as well as on a personal front. I consider it to be one of my most amazing experiences

Learnings and experiences

I have learned and experienced that collaborating and connecting with people leads to understanding their expectations for successful project delivery within time-frame.

The international transfer program Quest, which connects Arcadians from all over the world, is sponsored by the Lovinklaan Foundation.

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