This Thursday, July 7th, 22, the representatives of Atlas and UAH came to a cooperation agreement, in which, Atlas will supports students - future human resources to access the real working environment through the internship programme and working-skill training in the period of 2022 - 2027.

The signing of the agreement was conducted with the witness of both parties, documentation signed by Mr. Sam Houston – CEO of Atlas and Assoc. Prof. PhD. Arch. Le Van Thuong – Principal of UAH.

During the ceremony, Atlas’ representatives introduced and shared our business models, new technologies, and human resource strategy, whilst UAH’s representatives were proud to be a big institution producing highly qualified professionals and a center of scientific – technologic research in the South of Viet Nam. In addition, both parties had in-depth discussions about the career opportunities for the young generation and upcoming cooperation plans.

This event took place at UAH Pasteur Campus, HCMC in an atmosphere of joy and excitement and marks an important milestone in the collaboration relationship between Atlas and UAH in the future.

Let's see some recap pictures below: 

Juan Carlos (JC) joined Atlas in 2021. He is RICS qualified Chartered Surveyor with a professional background in Project Management, Quantity Surveying, with a focus on Contracts & Claims management with 30 years professional experience.

Hi JC, Tell us what brings you to Atlas?

After 4 years working for another consultant firm in Vietnam, I decided it was time for a change and to seek a new opportunity.After many years working in commercial management at the senior level, I wanted to engage in a new challenge and to progress my career by moving up to a director level position where my commercial management experience and contract expertise would be in demand.I was in the right place at the right time when I found Atlas to be the right fit for me!

What makes you excited about this Industry?

I have around 30 years’ experience in the commercial management of the construction industry. In that time, I have worked for developers, contractors and consultants in Quantity Surveying, Contract Advisory, and Project Management roles, which has given me a unique insight into all aspects of this industry.I have always worked closely with Architects and Engineers, and one of the most exciting things about this industry is to witness and contribute to the creation and transformation of spaces for people, from the initial concept design to the construction process.This is a complex industry with high commercial risk, and I am passionate about providing contract solutions to everyday design and construction issues and avoiding disputes with sound, fair and reasonable commercial arrangements.

Let describe the type of environments in which your leadership style is most effective!

My leadership style is open, democratic and diplomatic, based on the principles of communication, empowering people, confidence, integrity, mutual respect, adaptability, flexibility and professional values.My leadership style fits well into Atlas because the company has a positive and comfortable working environment, which is able to maximize human potential through professionalism, teamwork and a deep foundation of trust and confidence between the leaders of the business and with all employees at all levels.

What would your best friend say they like the least about you?

If I’m passionate about something, I have a tendency to talk too much about it!

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us JC!

After Tet holidays and everyone gets back to work already, we would like to introduce to you Thanh Ha – Structure Manager is one of those who has been working at Atlas for the longest time. Ha will share with us what is like to work here for a long time and how a perfect day should be.

How long have you been at Atlas?
I have been working for Atlas for almost 17 years.

What were you doing before you discovered Atlas? 
I worked at M&C Corporation as a structural engineer.

What brings you to Atlas? 
I searched on the internet and found that Atlas is a large outsourcing company, with a professional working environment.

What’s the focus of your role?
I am a structural engineering manager. I usually manage a team of around 10 staff working on 2-3 projects at the same time. I discuss directly with the client about their requests and assign the proper tasks for each member/senior. I make a program for these projects and ensure we meet the deadlines.

What makes you happy about working at Atlas?
The friendly working environment. All the team are willing to support, share knowledge, and to help each other complete the work effectively. 

Can you describe a typical day?
First task in the day is to read all the emails and prioritize the workflow
Assign the task to the seniors/teams- arrange the internal meeting if necessary
Arrange a meeting with clients/ Third parties
Check the status of work to the program/deadline
Ensure all the staffs work effectively
Review the monthly invoicing 
Doing the estimation for the coming proposals…

What (if anything) surprised you about Atlas?
Atlas always welcomes back former workers. Their additional experience brings valuable skills and productivity for our company.

What is the most interesting project that you have been working on so far?
Hong Kong Airport, Gate 219 to be modeled from Point cloud data to create a digital twin of the facility.

What advice would you pass to someone entering the industry?
In the construction industry deadlines are really important, you must be willing to work late/under pressure. 

Show your willingness to learn (from colleagues, clients, self-learning…) can be effective for proving to employers that you are motivated to take on new challenges and develop in your role.

How do you spend your spare time? 
I usually enjoy reading a book to learn something every day.

What’s your idea of a perfect day?
To me, a perfect day should be a day that you bring value to someone.

With children, they have something to learn from me and feeling happy every moment we are together.

With family, we see the smiles and the happiness when we arrive back home. We leave all the stresses behind us.

With work, achieving most of the daily plan is important and satisfying.

I have something positive to share with other people that I meet each day.

Tell me one thing your colleagues don’t know about you (yet?)
I can share with people how to be more healthy/young/nice.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us Ha!

Paul talks about his experience from the UK to Vietnam. 

How long have you been at Atlas?
I joined Atlas in 2016 as an Architecture Manager, looking after a number of key Architect and Interior Design 1 deposit casino nz.com client accounts in the UK, Australia and New Zealand markets. My current role is Architecture Group Manager, managing a team of up to 50 very talented local Architects and Technicians, and overseeing delivery of large projects in multiple sectors and regions, including the Middle East.

What were you doing before you discovered Atlas?
I’m a UK Chartered Architect with 18 years post qualification experience. I spent many of those professional years as a Project Leader and later Associate for a London based Architecture Design Practice, working on mostly large scale residential projects from concept design, through detailed planning and technical design, to working drawings on site. Before that, I completed my Architecture Degree and Diploma in Edinburgh and Berlin.

What brings you to Atlas? / How do you know about Atlas?
During my previous London life, we used Atlas services for a number of years on a large urban regeneration project in the UK. As an Atlas client, we developed a strong working relationship with the Vietnam based Atlas documentation team and benefited from their high quality and cost effective support. I recall having Atlas VN staff working in our London office for a couple of months, which really helped cement the Atlas ‘one team’ approach between the project delivery teams in London and Saigon.

What makes you happy about working at Atlas?
The Vietnamese staff here are simply great. They are talented, bright, eager to improve, and focused on learning from each project. Those who get the opportunity to work with our clients abroad or study overseas are bringing back a different mindset for problem solving and are actively involved in helping their fellow colleagues who haven’t had similar opportunities. The predominantly young staff are interested in working with our international clients and learning best practices, new techniques, and fresh skills, and are generally quite honest about the challenges ahead.

What’s the focus of your role?
As Group Manager, my main role is to manage the staff under my supervision to complete projects on time, on budget and to the satisfaction of the client’s scope and brief.

GMs have a pivotal role in communications with clients, supporting BDMs to win work & proposal generation, reporting on commercial & operational matters to senior management, and providing guidance and support to the project delivery teams.

Can you describe a typical day?
I’m often reviewing progress or trouble-shooting on current projects with my teams, attending client calls and operations meetings, or meeting new potential business partners. I can also spend a day working on proposals for new work, negotiating variations, or doing a forecast on pipeline for the coming weeks. It’s all about prioritization and planning. You make your own schedule, so time management is really important.

Which technology excites you the most?
Working for a global company such as Atlas, you see the world changing faster than ever. The emergence of 3D scanning and printing, augmented reality, Building Information Modelling (BIM), drones, autonomous equipment and advanced building materials – all of which are now adopted by our industry. Companies can boost productivity by exploiting such technology, enhance quality and safety, and streamline their management and procedures. That’s pretty exciting.

What is the most interesting project that you have been working on so far?
An emblematic Towers project, designed by a well-known Starchitect.

One last question, how do you spend your spare time?
I love exploring the city- each district has its own vibe and charm. The vibrant café culture in Vietnam is strong- and so is the coffee! The effort put into design of these popular Instagrammable spots is staggering, and very creative. In between café hopping around Saigon, I’m discovering the incredible cuisine and diversity of the local street food. Or if I want to get out of the city, the beach is never far away…

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us Paul!