David Martin

Drawing on years of experience in delivering major programmes in Europe, Asia Pacific’s Managing Director, David Martin, leads the region towards integration and service excellence. With his extensive experience of delivering high-profile projects for key clients, David brings globally aligned expertise and locally relevant knowledge to project delivery in Asia Pacific’s diverse and dynamic landscape.

What motivated you to lead Asia Pacific?

After finishing my degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Leeds, I joined Railtrack, the company that used to be responsible for running the UK’s train stations, track and signals. Then, I joined the West Coast Route Modernisation, where I gained broad experience across design and construction. From there, I went on to work for London Underground, Heathrow Airport, the London 2012 Olympic Games and on a commercial delivery project for the Ministry of Defence at Abbey Wood, before taking on overall responsibility for Mace’s Defence and National Security business.

It has been a meaningful eight-year journey of growth for me in the UK. Now that Mace has evolved to become a truly global business, it’s a perfect time for me to take on a new challenge, and I’m excited to share my knowledge of the organisation beyond the UK to help propel the APAC hub forward.

What excites you most about your new role at Mace?

The opportunity to grow something always excites me. It’s a pleasure to be part of the impactful and iconic projects and programmes that our teams are working on across the Asia Pacific region.

Being immersed in this diverse and dynamic market drives me to do better every day. I am looking forward to fully integrating our hub as we accelerate growth for our people and clients in the region.

How do you redefine the boundaries of ambition?

Mace’s portfolio includes a lot of impactful projects and programmes around Europe, MEA, the Americas, and Asia Pacific. As we unlock more opportunities in Asia Pacific, we create better solutions for our clients and continue to challenge our stakeholders to improve the business, the planet, and the people.

What skills, traits, or values do you need to be good at your job?

Through my experience in several leadership roles, I have learned that resilience is key for success. The past few years taught me that there will be good times and there will be bad times. Being able to navigate through the changes is very important.

In addition to this, I value inclusivity and empowerment in the workplace – both for myself and for the people I work with. I believe that organisational success becomes inevitable when you ensure everybody is capable and accountable.

What advice would you give to someone looking to get into what you do?

You have to be inquisitive and willing to break the barriers of your own understanding.

There must be humility and recognition that we can learn from one another through open communication. As a regional lead with a very diverse set of markets to navigate through, being open to knowledge sharing and transformation is important.

To be an effective leader, good communication and strong decision making are vital. These are key in translating your purpose into actions and your visions into reality.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

When I am not working, I am most probably spending time with my family and friends. I love playing sports with my kids!

I enjoy being outdoors, so I do a lot of running and a lot of cycling. It has been bliss exploring different terrains in Asia Pacific.

If you hadn’t got into this line of work what do you think you might be doing?

I always loved playing football growing up, so maybe in another universe I can be a professional football player.

In addition to that, maybe I can also be a teacher. Both my parents and my sister are teachers. I wonder what that would look like for me.