From sausages to site visits: 13 years of mentorship, gratitude and full circle moments

A reflection on 13 years and onwards, from a first interview at WWP with Chris, unexpected chats about sausages, and a rain soaked second chance, to lessons learned on site, lasting mentorship, and the full circle moment of becoming an employer and hopefully a mentor to others through 24/Three.

In 2013, I was trying to find my first proper role in architecture.

It was not the easiest time to be job hunting. The recession had left its mark, opportunities felt few and far between, and like many graduates and Part 1 hopefuls at the time, I was just looking for someone to take a chance on me.

That person was Chris at WWP.

I still remember my first interview with him at their original office on Tanner Street. I turned up in my blue suit and white shirt, probably trying very hard to look like I knew exactly what I was doing. I had my portfolio ready, my sensible interview face on, and all the usual answers prepared.

Naturally, we ended up talking mostly about food.

More specifically, sausages.

I still do not know why I remember that so clearly, but I do. Maybe that is the mark of a good interview. Not the perfectly rehearsed answers, but the human bits that stay with you.

I did not get the job straight away, but Chris kept in touch. Eventually, I was invited back for a second interview, this time with another Partner at WWP’s new Valentine Place office.

That interview was, quite possibly, one of my worst performances.

Again, I turned up in my suit. Again, I was trying to look professional. The only issue was that I had been completely destroyed by the rain. I arrived drenched, freezing, shivering, and slowly dripping all over their new wooden floors while trying to explain my portfolio with some level of confidence.

Not my finest entrance.

The role was for the Victoria Underground works on site, and during the interview I was asked if I knew MicroStation.

Shit… I did not.

In fact, I did not even know what MicroStation was.

I could tell immediately that this was not the answer they wanted. They needed someone who could get going quickly, and I remember thinking, “Well, that is that then.”

But for some reason, I said:

“Give me a week. I’ll learn it. If I don’t, and you’re not happy with where I get to, I’ll quit myself.”

He laughed.

A week went by and I heard nothing.

Then one evening, while I was at home alone, I got a call from that same Partner. After the usual pleasantries, he said, “I sent you a letter but I haven’t heard back. I assume you’re not interested?”

Panic.

I had not seen any letter.

I put him on loudspeaker and started frantically searching through my emails. Inbox. Nothing. Then junk.

There it was.

The email had arrived five days earlier, sitting quietly in my junk folder, with the deadline to respond that very day.

The flipping junk folder had nearly cost me my first architectural job.

I fumbled through an apology and accepted the role there and then, with what I can only describe as a massive sigh of relief. No one was home, so I drove straight to my mum’s work to tell her.

And that was it. In December 2013, off I went to the big smoke to start my first architectural job.

Looking back now, so much of my design to build mindset started there. Being on site at Victoria, working through details on top of details on top of details, gave me such valuable experience at that stage in my career. It was not always glamorous, and I did miss being part of the main office, but it shaped the way I think about architecture today.

I used to go to the gym in the morning, have breakfast at Valentine Place to see the team, and then head over to Victoria to start the day on site. It gave me a taste of both worlds, and it taught me early that architecture does not stop at the drawing. It lives in the decisions, the details, the coordination, the buildability and the people.

I later went back to WWP for a summer too, and although my journey eventually moved on, my connection with Chris never really did.

Since leaving, I have tried to catch up with Chris at least once a year. He has always made time, even with a schedule that I know must be ridiculous. I learned very quickly to accept whatever time he could offer, and those catch ups have taken all sorts of forms.

Art exhibitions.

Quick coffees.

Car rides.

Site visits.

Lunches.

Conferences.

And sometimes just a short conversation that gave me exactly the bit of perspective I needed.

Over the years, Chris and his team grew WWP into a global architectural practice, which was later acquired by Egis. Now, Chris is in his first year as RIBA President, which is an incredible achievement and one that feels very well deserved.

But what has always stood out to me is not just the professional success. It is the consistency. The generosity. The willingness to keep a door open.

He went from being my first employer, to a mentor, to someone I still know I can reach out to when I need advice. Our conversations have evolved too. They started with me asking for guidance, and now they often move into wider discussions about the architectural world, the challenges we are all facing, and the responsibility we have to keep pushing things forward.

That shift feels special.

Because somewhere along the way, the employee became an employer.

Now, through 24/Three, I find myself on the other side of the table. I have people looking to me for guidance, opportunity, reassurance, and sometimes just a bit of belief when they are still figuring things out.

And I hope, in my own way, I can offer them even a fraction of what Chris offered me.

A chance.

A conversation.

A bit of time.

Maybe even a slightly strange chat about sausages if that helps break the ice.

There is something very humbling about realising how much of your journey is shaped by the people who choose to invest in you before you have fully proven yourself. Chris did that for me. He saw something, stayed in touch, and gave me an opportunity at a time when I really needed one.

Thirteen years later, I am incredibly grateful that the relationship has not only lasted, but grown.

And now, I am excited for the next chapter. Following one of our recent conversations, Chris and a few others are going to be joining and helping with an idea that means a lot to me.

More on that soon.

For now, this is simply a small thank you.

To Chris, for the job, the advice, the time, the perspective, and for proving that good leadership is not just about building a practice. It is about building people too.

Author: Shelly Fernando