Suzanne is Head of Defence at Gleeds, responsible for supporting client outcomes and shaping the business to meet future defence and industry needs. Her work contributes to national security and the effectiveness of the UK’s’ Armed Forces through infrastructure investment planning and delivery of an improved defence estate.
A typical day for Suzanne involves communicating with a wide range of people including her team, clients, wider colleagues and industry partners. It’s important for her to offer support and share ideas while also listening to what’s happening in the market and the department, so she can anticipate and respond in the best way.
Complexity, scale and impact are what attracted Suzanne to work in the sector. Her first defence role was for the US Department of Defence as a founding member of a long-running research and development programme, later established as a Congressional Program of Record – meaning it has enduring funding.
The work she carried out took her to Iraq, Afghanistan, Australia and the US, creating a foundation for later appointments within the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the defence infrastructure services industry.
She is proud to have played a part in some of the UK’s highest value advisory, equipment and infrastructure programmes of the past 20 years – which continues at Gleeds. However, Suzanne’s proudest achievement is securing a programmatic support commission within a very large and ongoing MoD infrastructure scheme. Essential for national security, this project created an effective and truly multi-disciplinary team with a “one Gleeds” ethos.
Suzanne continues to be motivated every day by good work done by good people. There are so many ways this can be achieved including making a difference, enabling a client to make an important decision, helping her team progress a key work stage, or supporting a colleague to take on a new responsibility.
Originally drawn to Gleeds so she could add leadership value, Suzanne is also motivated by the opportunity to have the freedom to grow her sector and continue to add leadership value. If Suzanne had to choose one Gleeds value it would be ‘personality with professionalism’. The best feeling for her is achieving high-quality results in an open, supportive environment where everyone can be themselves. She focusses on the fact we are all human – including clients and teammates.
Outside of work Suzanne loves nature, culture and being outdoors! In particular, she enjoys literature, theatre, architecture and social history – and anything that involves fresh air, open water and green grass. A lifelong rider, she spends much of her time with her horses who compete at various levels of eventing. In a parallel world she would be a Master of Wine, combining her love of wines worldwide with speaking the French language. Perhaps on horseback!