Q&A with Stuart McCreedy
Join us as we get to know our Managing Director, Stuart McCreedy!
January 24, 2023
What is your job role at pm Connections?
Having founded the company in 2005, I am the Managing Director and Co-Owner of pm Connections. If I’m being honest, it’s hard to believe just how far we’ve grown since our very humble beginnings – it was a hard decision to go it alone, but fate and circumstances were in my favour, even if at the time, it didn’t appear that way.
What are your main responsibilities as a Managing Director?
My main responsibility is to steer the pm Connections ship and work closely with the management team. Making sound decisions and getting everybody involved is really important.
What is a typical day (or week) like at pm Connections for you?
A typical week can vary from internal business meetings, visiting our various work sites, and attending client meetings to discuss their requirements. I even still get my boots on and run sites sometimes; however, this is less often nowadays!
What do you like most about your work?
Every day is different, and there is always something new to learn. I meet clients to discuss exciting projects and how we can work together as a resource partner.
What kinds of problems do you deal with?
I wouldn’t say problems but challenges. Every day throws up different challenges in many forms, but our great team at pm Connections always comes up trumps.
What kinds of decisions do you make?
Working with a great team makes decisions easy with their support and much input. We discuss company strategy as a team and are always planning and reacting to events that may take us down different paths.
How did you become interested in this field?
I liked the H&S side as it initially gave me a lot of flexibility to work with many clients rather than getting stuck on one project at a time as a Project Manager.
How did you begin your career?
Now that’s a good question. I have a strong background in mechanical engineering but never really seemed to settle into a role until I got into the Food & Beverage industry in the late 1990s. I established pm Connections with the goal of using my engineering background and project management skills. Within a short space of time, I fell into the H&S side and gained a lot of experience running CDM sites. I was also encouraged by my peers to get involved with PUWER assessing and CE marking.
What skills, abilities, and personal attributes are essential to success in your job/this field?
I can only put this down to experience. Experience in dealing with tricky situations, gained over a number of years.
What hobbies / interests do you enjoy outside work?
After many years of not playing due to work commitments, I’ve recently started playing my trombone again with “The World Famous Wingates Band”. Rehearsals are twice a week, plus concerts, contests and recordings. This has really helped with a lot of mental well-being and having an outlet besides work.
Long walks in the Lake District and a good pub are also always high on the agenda!
