Fraser Porte, Mott MacDonald

Young Consultant of the Year

I started my career as a fresh-faced graduate, battling impostor syndrome and unsure of what I could achieve as a management consultant. Through a series of secondments, I quickly developed an understanding of the common challenges facing infrastructure asset owners and operators, regardless of sector. I delivered several projects for public and private sector clients who were implementing new technology and systems. Without necessarily realising it, I began to specialise in digital transformation.

In many ways the pandemic has acted as a catalyst for digital transformation in the infrastructure industry. I’ve led major industry-wide groups like the Infrastructure Client Group, made up of Chief Data Officers from organisations in numerous sectors, through the process of measuring and improving their digital maturity as they seek better ways of working. I authored an industry benchmarking report which informed the UK Government’s Covid-19 recovery strategy, as well as thought leadership articles about the behaviour change required to make the infrastructure industry more sustainable and the human challenges associated with digital transformation. I’ve researched how digital solutions can help the infrastructure industry achieve their carbon resilience and net-zero targets.

I’ve done this while performing many internal roles: I’m an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion, I’m the Global Early Career Professionals Lead for Digital, and I’m the Professional Excellence Lead for Digital and Advisory.

Helping my clients in this most challenging of years has inspired me to keep finding innovative, collaborative ways of solving problems as we continue to digitally transform the infrastructure industry.