As a director of engineering conglomerate Arup in China, Rory McGowan has collaborated with some of the world's leading architects to reshape the Beijng skyline in the build-up to the 2008 Olympics. When growth in new projects plateaued last year, he took on work in Mongolia, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore and Thailand. McGowan, 45, his Russian wife, Varvara Shavrova, and their two children moved to Beijing from London five years ago.
Early in my career I discovered that successful engineering solutions are rooted in honest communication between people that often have different cultural backgrounds, political perspectives, and/or business agendas. Developing Arup's winning bid for the China Central Television Headquarters competition in 2002 forced me to come to terms with the issues confronting China's capital in its quest to develop iconic new-built spaces at a breakneck pace. Learning what to listen out for from clients, technical advisers, policymakers and staff required me to attune my ear to what wasn't said – as well as the discussion around me.
Project meetings in China are conducted in English and Mandarin. Studying with a private Mandarin tutor twice a week for three years gave me the grounding to understand the gist of most discussions.