David Williams

Director, Pure International

What can a former professional triathlete bring to the world of project management? 

 

Quite a lot. Projects are like ultra marathons. There are different skills required, a lot of hard work and a deep passion for the process. Well if you swam two kilometres, cycled for 180 then ran a marathon, you’d want to love it too.

 

A founder of Pure Projects, David was previously a senior executive and regional manager for a major ASX listed consultancy, and he held senior positions in other Asia based companies.

 

Project management can mean different things to different people. David’s young son thinks he’s a builder, and in may ways he’s right. He builds teams that build things. He does this using more than 20 years experience in Australia, India, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam, a wealth of technical knowledge (he’s a mechanical engineer) and a laser-focused professionalism, disarmingly delivered in a low key, easy going manner.

 

Putting together great teams is an art. It’s about getting people you trust, who you know will perform well, have a great mix of skill sets, and importantly, will enjoy their time together on a project. Invariably that means they’ll go the extra yard for the client.

 

“Of course we adhere to the principles of cost, quality and time, that’s project management 101. But the team has to be enjoying the job.”

 

“I think in project management you need good communication abilities, be able to provide clear direction and get the best out of people. For this you need ‘emotional intelligence’ – the ability to read people, and know when to push and when to back off.”

 

A great day for David involves variety. He can be talking about a casino refurbishment in the morning, a retail complex at lunch and an aged care facility in the afternoon. The great thing is, skills learned in one area can give fresh insight into another. In effect, it’s an organic problem solving process.

 

“In the end though, nothing comes without hard work. Like with sport. If you want to be the best you have to work hard at it. It’s not always the most talented who wins, it’s the one who works the hardest.”

 

A bit like tackling an ultra marathon.

 

 

QUALIFICATIONS & AFFILIATIONS

• Masters Degree in Business Administration

• Bachelor of Engineering, (Mechanical)

• Graduate Diploma International Business

 

SELECTED PROJECT EXPERIENCE

• Marina Bay Sands - Retail Design and Tenancy Coordination - Singapore ($5.5b)

• The Star Casino, VIP Gaming Extension - Sydney, NSW ($25m)

• Wentworthville Leagues Club - Sydney, NSW ($20m)

• Shangri-La Hotel, Refurbishment - Sydney, Australia ($5m)

• Wesley House 5 Star Green Star Commercial Development - Brisbane CBD, Australia ($30m)

• Saigon Pearl Residential Development - HCMC, Vietnam ($250m)

• Woolworths Regional Distribution Centre - Wyong, Australia ($100m)

• Nitesh Broadway Commercial Development - Bangalore, India ($20m)

• Pan Pacific Hotel, Kuala Lumpur International Airport - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia