Where are you from, and where did you go to school?

I am originally from Sedico, a little town in the Italian Dolomites between Venice and the ski town Cortina D’Ampezzo. Due to sports (I used to play soccer professionally), studies, and then work, I have not lived there anymore since I was 15 years old. I have a master’s degree in civil engineering, specializing in infrastructure, from the University of Trento (a city in northern Italy).

What’s something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know?

I grew up in the Dolomites doing lots of trekking and climbing. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, I could only do my first proper Himalayan trek (I have been based in Nepal since 2016) a few months ago. I was becoming a joke among my friends in my hometown…

Where do you work?

After graduating from the university, I moved to Australia for two years and then to work in China, where I worked for four years. I have been based in Nepal for the last seven years, but I am currently traveling for work in Indonesia and Ethiopia. I started on tunneling and hydropower projects on the contractor’s side and, in the last three years, switched to the consulting sector. I mainly consulted for an Italian engineering company called ELC Electroconsult, based in Milan, on feasibility studies, detailed design, and construction supervision of hydropower, geothermal, and HV transmission lines projects. 

What do you love most about your job?

The opportunity to travel, meet, and discover other people, experts, various and different cultures, and obviously, always new challenges to face and try to overcome. 

Do you have a project story to share?

It’s unrelated to cost estimation, but I still remember it: during a dispute board session, the board chairman said, “Cash flow is the lifeblood of the construction industries” and “No matter what, fairness and good communication between all the parties.” Nothing is truer. I’ve seen this a few times in my short experience from both the contractor and the engineer supervision sides. There is always a belief that the other party is there to cheat you, which starts the contract with prejudice. Clients and supervising engineers “cut” and delay payments, sometimes for no valid reason, with the idea that keeping the contractor right is a good situation. Also, contractors are trying to cut corners to increase their profits, only because maybe they lowered the economic proposal to get the work. Ultimately, every party has the same goal: positively completing the project. So, they should work together toward that goal, not in opposition, via constructive communication, fairness, and good faith. I have since made these two sentences which I heard from this chairman as my motto. 

What are your future goals and aspirations for your career? Did someone inspire you to be on this career path?

My future goal and aspirations are to increase my knowledge and experience in cost estimating, budgeting, and risk management to improve the chances of project cost under-run. At the same time, I am getting more involved in the AACE activities. But then, you never know; nowadays, everyone has two or three careers in one lifetime. Surely, what you have learned and acquired will always be with you, widening your opportunities and skill sets. 

Who inspired me? I think it was my grandfather. He started a construction company and then passed it down to my uncle when he retired. I worked there during my university studies and always went with him to see the sites. I still do this with my uncle when I return to my hometown. I believe my love for construction started there when I was 10-12 years old: the wonder I felt touching and seeing the structure coming up and getting completed, after all the efforts, from an empty field, was an amazing incentive to get things done.

What is the biggest career challenge you’ve had to overcome? What’s been your favorite or most memorable moment of your career?

At the beginning of my work experience in the construction sector, I was lucky that the company I worked for trusted me to be the resident project manager of a whole project (25km of tunnel by TBM) in China. I was in charge of the work planning and execution, dealing with the clients, vendors, and the project team. I had to learn quickly by making mistakes. It was two and a half years of hard work where I learned a lot. Full of stress but at the same time memorable moments, one of which was the tunnel breakthrough. 

Why did you join AACE?

I have spent over 15 years working in construction companies, mainly focusing on contract and project management, particularly regarding budget, cost control, change of order management, and tender preparation. In the last three years, I have been a consultant to an engineering company, focusing on project cost estimates and associated risks in hydropower and HV transmission lines. One day, one of my colleagues mentioned AACE. I have to say, in the beginning, I was a bit skeptical, but once I became a member, I understood the full potential, benefits, and knowledge sharing that has exponentially improved my understanding and capability to deal with such a vast topic properly. I still have a long way to go, and I am super enthusiastic. 

What do you like most about being an AACE member? Or what’s your favorite part of being an AACE member?

I cannot say much as I became a member only recently. Yet, besides obviously the huge material and knowledge sharing with all the PGD and RPs, I hope to get more involved with my section and other activities and people connections that the AACE world brings soon. 

What advice would you give to someone who wants to enter the field?

Go for it. You can interface with lots of different experts and widen your knowledge on a wide variety of topics.