Carl Dainter

After beginning his career as a quantity surveyor in his teens, Carl has worked on a host of high profile aviation projects around the world. Across more than 25 years in the aviation sector, Carl’s career has soared and he’s now taking on the challenge of helping Mace spreads its wings and grow its global aviation offering. 

How did you get into what you do?

I fell into construction by accident. I was due to head to university to undertake an accountancy degree when I answered an advert in the local paper for a summer job at a small quantity surveying practice. Within a few weeks I’d switched my degree from accounting to quantity surveying, and then qualified through a part-time route, while gaining valuable industry experience. Within my first year of working, I was lucky enough to be involved in a major airport redevelopment programme and was then hooked. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to work on some of the most prestigious projects in the industry, all over the world.

How has your career progressed since joining Mace?

I joined Mace in 2017 to head up the aviation consultancy business. I was brought in to help shape the strategy beyond our work at Heathrow and Schiphol, focusing on sustainable global expansion. 

I feel privileged to have the opportunity to play an integral role in growing Mace’s aviation offering and I have already benefitted first-hand from Mace’s extensive network and outstanding industry reputation. I’ve had great exposure to various government initiatives in the sector and, in particular, the UK Export Finance products that we, as a British business, have at our disposal as we venture overseas to assist our clients in unlocking their projects.

What do you enjoy most about your current role at Mace?

Mace is an easily navigable business with a beating British heart and a fantastic reputation in the aviation marketplace. We’ve got some great people who work tirelessly for our clients and I love the ‘can do’ attitude that runs through the project teams. Access to senior decision makers in the business is refreshingly straightforward and I really feel a personal affinity with our culture and values.

What has been your proudest achievement at Mace?

I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in some really exciting initiatives and opportunities, but meeting the King of the Ashanti region of Ghana and the Ghanaian President, while leading a UK delegation to the region, will certainly stay with me for a while.

What skills do you need to be good at your job?

A lot of my day-to-day activities are around managing internal teams, processes and our service delivery to our clients, so the skill of multi-tasking is probably the one that I draw on the most.

With the role requiring me to make judgements and manage people (internally and externally) each and every day, I find that my diplomacy, communications and decision making skills are regularly put to the test, all within the context of maintaining a clear professional integrity. 

What advice would you give to someone looking to get into what you do?

Experience is underrated and being able to ‘walk the walk’ is hugely important. I honestly believe that I got to my current position through hard work and determination – you make your own luck in this life – and I think that sometimes you have to be brave and expose yourself to as many opportunities and the best experience that you can in order to succeed. 

What do you hope you will be doing in the next 5-10 years?

I’d love to still be doing what I’m doing at the moment, with a larger Mace client portfolio and broader geographical spread. Running a business unit that spans continents is a real proposition over the course of the next ten years.

What are you passionate about outside of work?

My family and Formula 1. My wife and two daughters are my inspiration and motivation; they are what get me out of bed every morning.

Formula 1 is a great sport for a devoted petrol head – I enjoy the complex team dynamics and the engineering complexity just as much as the outright speed of man and machine at its most extreme.