Recognised for his genuine care, dedication and loyalty, Jay has been critical to Newpol’s success over the past decade and will continue to play an instrumental role in leading our business into the future.
Jay joined Newpol as a young 21-year-old with drive and ambition. He has now spent a third of his life with our business, and what a pleasure it has been to watch him grow and excel, both personally and professionally.
His passion, diligence and empathic nature have continued to make him not only an invaluable team member, but also a natural-born leader.
Throughout his career, many, despite his youthful appearance, have overestimated Jay's age because his precision, influence and instinctive leadership skills are qualities often assumed to come only with decades of experience.
Leader, mentor, colleague, friend, whatever capacity you require of him, Jay will be in your corner.
Q: What attracted you to Newpol all those years ago?
J: I saw two young directors in the early stages of their own journeys, with the courage and ambition to establish Newpol and a clear vision for what they wanted the business to become. Their personalities, drive, and willingness to back themselves really resonated with me.
Equally, knowing they were prepared to take a gamble on me was incredibly empowering. I recognised an opportunity to grow alongside them, contribute to what they were building, and hopefully, play a part in turning that vision into a reality.
Q: When you look back on the last 10 years, what are you most proud of?
J: I am incredibly proud of the wins that helped shape Newpol into the business it is today. Many of those projects represented an important step forward for the company, giving us the opportunity to continually grow, strengthen our capabilities, and take on new, bigger challenges.
While I’m proud of the projects we’ve delivered, I’m even prouder of the team and reputation we’ve built along the way. Being surrounded by good people, seeing them develop, and knowing that Newpol is respected for what we do, truly means the most to me.
Q: Ten years in one business is an incredible achievement, what has made you stay and grow with the business?
J: The opportunity has never stopped evolving. The role continues to challenge me, something new to pursue and, probably most importantly for me, there is always that next win to chase.
I have been given enormous trust over the years and the ongoing opportunity to grow alongside the business has been incredibly empowering. As Newpol has evolved, I have been able to evolve with it, taking on greater responsibility and continuing to develop both personally and professionally. After 10 years, I still have that same hunger to win and contribute to where we go next.
Q: Is there a project, achievement or milestone that you’re particularly proud of?
J: Q4 of the 2024 calendar year will always stand as an important period for me. Personally, I was faced with an extremely difficult few months, while also navigating one of the most demanding periods I had experienced professionally. To get through that, remain focused and ultimately secure the projects we did, is something I am genuinely proud of.
One project in particular capped off that period and continues to hold significance for me, for reasons that go well beyond the project itself. Securing it was an achievement that, for a number of reasons, will always stay with me.
Q: How has your role evolved over the past decade?
J: When I joined Newpol, I was the only Estimator, so in those early years my role was extremely hands-on and centred around delivering tenders. As Newpol has grown, I have had the pleasure of watching the Estimating Team develop and diversify, which has enabled my role to evolve.
Over time, my responsibilities have shifted, and I now lead and develop the Estimating Department. More recently, my role has expanded to include business development and generating our next tender opportunities. My focus is not only on how we win new work, but also on where our next opportunities lie and how we position Newpol to pursue them.
One of the things I have enjoyed most about the last 10 years is that my role has never stood still. It has evolved alongside the business.
Q: What motivates you to continue growing in your role?
J: There is still so much opportunity ahead of us. I cannot wait to be part of Newpol’s continued growth, strengthening our team’s capabilities and challenging what we can achieve as a business.
At this stage of my career, it is not just about my own personal growth. Rather, developing the people around me and seeing them grow alongside the business is incredibly important to me. I have benefited enormously from the trust, responsibility, and opportunities Newpol has provided, and being able to create similar experiences for others is something that genuinely motivates me each and every day.
Q: What’s your favourite memory from the past decade?
J: There have been plenty of great memories! Industry awards nights are always a lot of fun, and getting to work alongside my family is pretty special too. But getting to witness my younger sister step up and win the 2024 NAWIC Emerging Leader Award might have topped it all off!
Q: Is there a project or challenge that really tested you and helped you grow?
J: Some of the biggest moments of growth for me personally have come from the projects we didn’t secure. There have been opportunities where we put forward a proposal I was genuinely proud of, interviewed extremely well and left a strong impression on the client, but for one reason or another, the result just didn’t go our way.
I am naturally a very competitive person and deeply invested in Newpol’s success, so those outcomes can be difficult to accept. Over time, however, I have learnt that I can only control putting Newpol in the best possible position to succeed. Sometimes there are factors outside of our control, and a significant part of my own development has been learning to accept that, let it go, and focus that energy on the next opportunity.
Q: Which project has had the most lasting impact on you and why?
J: The Coolock Learning Centre at Padua College. I believe securing and successfully delivering this project created numerous opportunities for Newpol to undertake projects of similar scale, value and complexity.
Q: What do you hope to achieve over the next 10 years?
J: Over the next 10 years, I hope to continue growing Newpol and expanding our capabilities, project by project. I want us to keep taking on new challenges, pursuing bigger opportunities, and continually improving what we can offer our clients.
Just as importantly, I want to contribute to the growth and development of our people. I have been incredibly fortunate to have been given the opportunities I have, and I look forward to helping create similar opportunities for the current and next generation of people at Newpol.
Q: What does being part of Newpol’s journey mean to you?
J: It means a great deal to me. I have given a lot of myself to Newpol over the last decade, and in return, the business, led by our directors, Alastair and Lukas, has given an enormous amount back to me. Newpol genuinely feels like home, and the people I’ve shared this journey with feel like family.
So much has changed over those 10 years. Together, we have experienced the high and lows, celebrated some incredible wins, and no doubt worked through some difficult periods, but I wouldn’t change the journey.
It has been incredibly fulfilling, rewarding and, most importantly, enjoyable to have done it alongside some truly great people.
