After several years as an integral part of the GEO-Instruments UK team, Larisa is pursuing a new career and moving on to fresh challenges.
We took the chance to chat one last time about her work and experiences.
What is your role at GEO-Instruments?
I’m a Monitoring Project Engineer
How long have you worked at GEO?
5 years and 7 months, though people keep telling me that they think I’m still new!
Tell us a bit about your time at GEO UK?
I started in 2021 as surveyor on the HS2 project and in 2022 was promoted to senior surveyor. It was great time in the job, working with a big team with fun and supportive colleagues.
After a while I decided wanted to work more in a more coordination or management role.
I pushed for a chance and despite having no experience, they took a chance on me. I became a project engineer on the Euston section of works on HS2.
The new responsibilities meant a lot to learn at first, but my experience as a surveyor helped me a lot and I worked well with Mihhail who taught me so much.
The work since has got much busier and I have learned to be very independent. In the last year I’ve managed a lot and have been the main point of contact between the Joint Venture and the client.
How did you get started in the industry?
My mum is a surveyor, so I have always had some familiarity with the industry and the career felt natural to pursue for me.
In 2019 I finished my civil engineering degree in Romania and qualified as surveyor (the system there works a bit differently than it does in the UK).
Since coming to the UK I’ve only worked at one company before this one, but coincidentally I worked with my current manager Anna there as well!
Tell us about your day-to-day work?
It’s very varied, I do anything and everything I can to keep the project running.
Whether that’s ordering PPE or talking with the client and agreeing scopes of work.
Every day is different, the only thing that stays the same is meetings!
You’re a representative for Keller Women In Construction (KWIC). What made you want to get involved and how important are initiatives like KWIC to you and the industry?
I feel a responsibility to be involved in movements like this as a woman in construction. I want to support any initiative to further women’s wellbeing in this industry.
Movements like this shouldn’t be necessary but they still are for now. I believe supporting them will help get us to a place where we no longer need them.
You’re soon going to be making a career change and leaving the field.
What’s next for you? What prompted this change?
I am starting a PGCE in secondary maths at University College London!
I decided to make the change for a variety of reasons, but mostly I just love maths and working with children.
In my spare time I teach dance at a school that my husband and I manage. It’s called Up Top Dance School, and we have taught and mentored over one thousand children! It’s one of the most rewarding parts of my life.
This opportunity to teach maths allows me to more directly follow my passion for helping and working with young people.
My engineering degree and experience in the industry were essential in securing a place on the program. My degree also included studying a lot of maths which I think will help me a lot going forward.
What will you miss most about the GEO and the industry?
There are some really great people on the team, and I made a lot of friends over the years. I’ve formed some especially strong friendships with female coworkers and I will really miss working with them.
How do you like to spend your time when not at work?
I spend most of my free time being a mum and working on the dance school. I’ve also opened a Community Interest Company Up Top Arts that secures funding and opportunities for children to access dance classes and train at a high level.
What are you most looking forward to in the future?
My most important priorities are having a happy and healthy family, peace of mind, and stability.
I’m working hard to build on these through success in my teaching career, dance school and CIC.
Piotr Konieczny, General Manager of GEO-Instruments UK said: “It was a great privilege to have Larisa working as part of our HS2 team. It is sad to see her go, but we are all very pleased that we had the opportunity to be part of her journey towards her dream job. We’re excited to see where she goes from here."
We wish her all the very best. Good luck, Larisa!