Employee Spotlight – Paul Hammond

Tell us a little about yourself.

Born and raised in the UK, traveled the world in my twenties, settled in Texas in my thirties and now looking forward to my mid-life crisis and the new chapter that comes with it!

I’m family-focused – I have been married to my wife, Natalie, for four years, and we have an eighteen-month-old daughter, Rosie. My wife and I are loving every minute of watching her learn, grow and figure things out. We also have two dogs, Pippa & Ellie.

As Chief Financial Officer and co-founder of Nexus PMG, I’m directly responsible for financial strategy and governance. I also take on a broad role as project sponsor ensuring that Nexus PMG continues to deliver world-class services and triple bottom line returns to our clients.

As a partner of the company, I take pride in driving company strategy and ensuring that the company and its people are building a better world, being the best people we can be and continually improving, and enjoying what we do.

What aspect of your job do you enjoy most?

In 2018, we decided to take Nexus PMG in a direction where we focused solely on low-carbon infrastructure and projects that reduce carbon intensity and enhance resource efficiency. I wake up every day feeling good about that decision and knowing we are making a positive contribution to the planet and doing everything we can to build a better world.

What is your favorite childhood memory?

Riding bikes with my grandfather, various soccer tournaments and sporting successes over a number of years and spending the school summer holidays with my cousins in London.

Do you have any hobbies?

I like to run and work out. I’m a big soccer fan and enjoy watching English Premier League soccer on weekend mornings. My pre-pandemic passion was traveling. I have visited six of the seven continents with my favorite places being Cape Town, Melbourne and, of course, London. 

If you could switch places with anyone for a day, who would it be?

Tough question but right now I would say, President Biden. The result would be a day of unprecedented executive actions that address the climate emergency. 

What places have you lived in?

I grew up in England and I lived in Farnborough in Hampshire. I left the UK for my first international assignment in Saudi Arabia in 2007 and was there for 6 years. I lived in Yanbu, on the west coast and then moved to Al Khobar on the east coast before transitioning to the project site location in Ras Al-Khair in the northeast of the Kingdom. I moved to the US in 2015 and have lived in a few places in Texas including Addison, Abilene and now Plano. I also lived in Australia, South Korea and Canada for around six months each when I took project assignments in those locations. 

What would people never guess you do in your role?

Human Resources, IT and legal all play a big part in my role that is more risk management-focused than it is numbers and dollars focused. I’ve become the “translator” between operations and management and the legal team, making sure there is a bridge between completely shielding Nexus PMG from all risk. And at the other end of the spectrum, making sure we are operating with a healthy risk tolerance and not over-extending. 

But having been here since day one, I’ve done the dishes, taken out the trash, been responsible for checking the mail, booked flights and hotels for people and all the other non-glamorous tasks that you do when you are trying to get a startup off the ground. 

What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

“Sleep on it” has probably been my most valuable lesson learned. Take emotions out of situations, particularly in a professional environment, and give yourself time to process the information you have before you make a key decision. 

Also, know yourself and prioritize your needs. Know your limitations and accept and account for them. Know your ceiling and try to improve upon that and prioritize your mental and physical health. 

Taylor Rivers
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