Matthew Sumpter

As UK and Europe lead for mixed-use and private sector cost and commercial management , Matthew Sumpter’s ethos is simple: to be the best on every project, every day.

In a career that has spanned the globe, Matthew has worked and lead on projects ranging from key utilities and transport infrastructure to high-end hotels and landmark residential-led developments. 

How did you get into what you do?

As a teenager, I was uncertain about my future, but my family’s history in engineering at Faithful and Gould and Atkins (now Atkins Realis) inspired me. After successfully interviewing for a work experience role, it felt like I’d embarked on a promising career. 

This experience played a pivotal role in exposing me to various aspects of the industry from the sites we visited to the clients we worked with. It sparked a genuine and lasting interest and prompted me to qualify as a Quantity Surveyor, so that I could bridge technical, text-book knowledge with my real-life experience. 

 

My career journey took me through a range of infrastructure projects, including the redevelopment of London Bridge Station for Network Rail, the nuclear energy sector, and even manufacturing projects in China. 

Eventually, I sought new challenges and opportunities to work with private sector clients in London. One of my most memorable projects was delivering two of the tallest residential towers in Europe in Nine Elms. This role was a significant learning experience, both professionally and culturally, and it  ultimately led me to pursue a role with Mace.

What do you enjoy most about your current role at Mace?

Seeing the visible results of what we do is something I love. What you can see, it’s our legacy as an industry, as professionals. I recently took my youngest son to Battersea Power Station and seeing the awe it inspired, that impact, it drives home that what we do is really special.

Another thing I love about Mace is that you can balance leadership responsibilities. You can contribute to our vision and broader ambitions, but you’re also actively encouraged to keep your knowledge fresh. This means I can keep my finger on the pulse with technical developments, which is a great bridge builder, supports an informed oversight and helps maintain engagement with colleagues or clients.

Why Mace?

With my family’s background and Mace’s history of inspirational projects, joining Mace felt like the natural step for me. I also wanted to bring my 10-12 years of private sector experience to the Consultancy business, where I knew there was an appetite for growth that I could be part of. 

Seeing projects like The Shard inspired a fascination and showed the business’s huge ambition. Like London itself, these iconic projects become an integral part of you, they’re the places that we live, work and play in.

In some roles you can reach a limit in what you can learn, which puts the brakes on your growth. This isn’t true at Mace - the scope and variety of work means there's opportunity everywhere. The business nurtures all of its very ambitious people, which means there are no glass ceilings.

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

I’d recommend getting work experience. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in the field that you're interested in working in longer-term – as long as it’s in a professional setting where you can see how things are done first-hand. My experience has been that this is an invaluable way to learn and grow. 

Be curious and gather insights, particularly on the why and the how when you’re starting out. There’s no such thing as a stupid question, so never be afraid to build your knowledge, develop your capability, learn from others and build your network.

In terms of skills that you need, I think they’re quite wide-ranging but I find that communication, passion, and drive are the most impactful. If you love what you do and are genuinely interested in the industry this will reflect in what you deliver. 

Enthusiasm is infectious, so – on the personal side – having the right attitude, being personable, collaborating positively and being willing to continuously learn and develop is sometimes more important than the technical side. 

What has been your proudest achievement at Mace so far?

My team has delivered some great work already since I joined Mace but, from a personal perspective, I’m proud to be part of the leadership team that is welcoming emerging talent into the business and working with them. 

Being able to use my experience to influence and help shape the development of our future leaders and the career journeys of the next generation of professionals is one of the most rewarding aspects of my role. Showcasing what we can do, how we do it, encouraging future generations not just to join our industry but to really commit to it. 

I love people to share the excitement that I feel about what we do and what we're a part of. It’s redefining what we want the future to look like.