Pathway to leadership series: Career Development Tools & Techniques

This webinar held on 2 September 2025, equipped you with valuable tools to progress your career. Not only will you have come away with a greater understanding of the fundamentals needed to set up a project for success, you also learned some valuable stakeholder management skills and understood how to move your career forward by using goal setting techniques and growing your network.

Key themes:

Essential tools and techniques for effective project management
Using performance, image and exposure to improve your network and utilise career connections
Strategic planning for career advancement
How APM Chartership and Qualifications can enhance your career trajectory

Host: Mo Al Taleb, Senior Project Manager, Mott Macdonald

Mohammed Al Taleb is a Chartered Project Professional (ChPP) and Chartered Engineer (CEng), currently acting as a Senior Project Manager at Mott MacDonald in the UAE.

With experience across major infrastructure, transportation and master planning projects in the UK and Middle East, Mohammed is passionate about mentoring emerging project managers and advancing professional excellence within the industry.

Speakers:

Mat Simmonds, Senior Project Manager, Infrastructure, Turner & Townsend

Mat Simmonds is a Chartered Project Professional with over 25 years of experience delivering high value projects across Europe, the Middle East, Central America, and Africa. His expertise spans Defence, Government, Justice, Health, Urban Development, and Wastewater sectors.  Building on his previous experience of delivering project in the military, leading large, multi-disciplinary teams, Mat brings strategic clarity and strong interpersonal skills to every initiative. 

A dedicated mentor and performance-driven leader, Mat was recognised in the late Queen’s Birthday Honours for his pivotal role in designing and implementing regional COVID-19 test centres and mobile testing facilities.  
Mat has been an active member of the APM for many years and now volunteers as a mentor for the APM UAE Regional Network.  Mat also drives the principles of Responsible Project Management and the benefits of PRUB-Logic in project delivery whilst also exploring the impact of AI in project management.

Chris Harrison, The Healthier Life Coach

Haady Sherif, ChPP MAPM AMICE, Associate Director, Turner & Townsend

Chartered & award-winning Project Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the construction industry. Skilled in Asset Management, Aviation, Rail, Cost Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Integrated Project Delivery, Project Control, and Procurement. Strong programme and project management professional. 3 years with Turner & Townsend, previous experience of working with key clients such as HAL, Qatar Airways, Highways England, HS2. Consultants such as Mace & Motts. Contracting background. I also have an operational background having worked for Heathrow Operations, Facilities Management and led ISO55,001 asset management programmes namely in 2 global airports – Heathrow Airport (Europe's Busiest Airport) and Hamad International Airport (the home of the 5-star airline – Qatar Airways (one of the worlds largest commercial airline fleets). 

I have been involved with the APM as far back as 2011, when I did my PFQ fundamentals course, at the time I was carrying out an operational/asset management role with the intention to move into Project Management. 10 years on I decided to obtain my chartership in 2021, and since returning for my second stint in the Gulf I decided that I wanted to support others with their professional development. I work closely with the APM also as key volunteer externally supporting them with a mentoring structure, I also mentor our internal candidates supporting them with qualifications applications and chartership submissions etc. This part of my role I see evolving into eventually a Fellow of the APM and continuing to be an ambassador to the APM on behalf of Turner & Townsend. The value it brings is 10 fold as I am able to manage my projects across the 12 core competencies using techniques to support my delivery.
Currently commission lead for the Mubadala Reconnect Project – largest fit out project in the Abu Dhabi Emirate. 

The speakers have very kindly allowed their presented material to be made available for viewing. The webinar recording on Vimeo is now available in our APM resources area and also embedded below for reference.