Christopher McCormick

I have always believed that the state of our built environment is the best visual metric we have to qualitatively assess how we humans are getting along and progressing. In my opinion we are not doing as well as we could be. When we look at the stunning beauty and complexity of what was built centuries ago there seems to have been a wrong turn at some point.

Spending some years out of the industry working with interpersonal communication and organisational cultural development gave me valuable insight in how we as individuals and collectively, shape our every day and future realities. Using that experience I became engaged in working with foresight and future scenarios as a tool for participation and innovation in urban development initiatives. My current role working as a senior advisor in the Innovation department of Norway's largest engineering consultant allows me to continue to work with foresight and future scenarios as well as other innovation oriented projects.

What are you doing now?

As a Senior Advisor in the Innovation and New Growth department at Norconsult, my role is to contribute to strengthen the innovative power of the company's mission, to satisfy the customers' demands for efficiency and new thinking, and to take into account the development trends the company is continuously exposed to. The innovation team has expertise in innovation, business development, site development, process management, strategy and organisational development.

What was it about Northumbria that made you decide to study here?

The course curriculum was head and shoulders above all other courses I was looking at. I liked the broad spectrum it covered of the construction and property industry. Also the feeling I got when I visited the University and the city of Newcastle was without doubt a more positive feeling than others I had visited.

If you took on a placement during your course how did you feel this helped you in your career/ with your studies?

It helped more as a life skills experience than a practical career experience.

What was the best thing about your course?

It was a broad holistic view of the industry.

What did you enjoy most about your time at Northumbria University?

Exploring my own independence and making some life long friends.

What advice would you give somebody who is considering studying at Northumbria?

"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” Muhammad Ali

How would you describe your time at Northumbria in three words?

Enriching, fun and unforgettable.