Dennis Trovas
Dennis joined UGL in 2016 as a Senior Bid Manager with broad responsibility for the pre-contracts function.
“Prior to starting with UGL I had limited exposure to pre-contracts and tendering. I joined with no preconceptions of what I was going to do; but retained a mindset of keeping myself open to opportunities as and when they arose.”
Within a year, Dennis was appointed to the role of Head of Commercial for our Services Division.
“I had a great time building and maturing our commercial function. In a relatively short period of time we were able to mature into a high performing team, thanks in large part to our ability to work collaboratively with our colleagues across the business.”
Dennis is now the General Manager, Commercial and Supply Chain: “UGL is very much a place where you can take ownership of your career and grow your experience and capability.”
Talent at UGL
“UGL is a company that is genuinely committed to identifying and developing its talent.
“I have benefited immensely from this commitment firsthand and have also been successful in leveraging the company to develop the talent of those in my teams. Whenever I have identified and recommended that the organisation invest in a person’s development, the support has been generously forthcoming.”
UGL has many initiatives to develop our employees, including our female talent sponsorship program.
“I am involved in the Women@UGL female sponsorship program where I sponsor a talented female in our Legal team.
“I love what we are doing to promote female talent in the business. It is critical that we promote diversity in order to bring different perspectives to the way we do and think about work.”
Learning and development
At UGL, there are many opportunities to grow beyond formal training.
“I’ve learnt just as much by having the opportunity to build and guide teams during my time here at UGL as I have from formal training and development programs. Opportunity and experience have been instrumental to my development. I recognise that while I may assume a leadership role, my team quite often has as much capability, or in some cases more capability than I have in specific areas, which is great! I wouldn’t have achieved the success I have had, but for the opportunities I have had to learn from my managers and those who I have been fortunate to lead.
“I’ve also been afforded excellent exposure across the business, with opportunities to work across the full project lifecycle. I have had the opportunity to engage new clients through pre-award activities, negotiate contracts to secure new work, establish frameworks designed to deliver commercially successful projects, address contractual issues and disputes, and lead commercial settlements to close out projects.”
Passing on his advice
“I encourage everyone to be proactive in managing their career at UGL. UGL is a company where if you invest in the business and demonstrate your commitment, the business will reinvest in your talent and development ten-fold.
“The advice and stewardship that I have received from my mentors over the course of my career has been invaluable; and I would highly recommend those at UGL to secure a professional mentor. Your mentor does not need to be from within the business, in fact, an external mentor can provide great perspective.
“The past 6 years have been the most rewarding of my career. UGL has been great to me and I am very appreciative of the opportunities I’ve had to grow my career. I look forward to many more years with the company and continued success!”