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Rising through the ranks: Aisling Goff’s incredible ascension to BU Lead
At 21 years old, Aisling Goff had just finished her undergraduate degree and was planning to pursue a career in education. However, a summer job as a Quality Assurance Administrator at Mercury sparked her interest in the construction industry, and she has been thriving in the field ever since. Over the following years, Aisling took on a variety of challenging projects in Ireland and Europe, using her skills and expertise to deliver innovative solutions for some of the world’s largest corporations. Her strong management abilities were recognized early on in her career, and Aisling seized every opportunity that came her way.
Fast forward a decade, and Aisling has recently been appointed as Business Unit Lead of the Critical Data Infrastructure Division. “I never saw this coming,” Aisling says when reflecting on the unexpected path her career has taken. From inputting data to leading change, Aisling has achieved impressive career growth over the past ten years. “I can’t just do something without understanding what goes on behind it,” Aisling emphasises with regard to her work ethic. This natural desire to understand the purpose behind her work, coupled with an incredible team of people who were willing to teach, meant that Aisling learned a lot very quickly.
Since Aisling started her career at Mercury, the company has been on a phenomenal trajectory of growth. This stellar expansion has been achieved through Mercury’s flexibility, adaptability and willingness to be brave and take calculated risks. “It has been incredible. Seven years ago, when I left Ireland for a project in Sweden, it was the first time I’d ever entered a Mercury site where I didn’t know every person there. Before that, it had always been small enough that you knew the full team, regardless of what country they were based in,” Aisling recalled.
Now, Mercury has a team of more than 8,500 people, delivering complex engineering projects across five continents. Despite this, the company has managed to maintain some characteristics of a small company. “Everyone is still very hands on. Directors know people by their name.” Aisling credits this as a key reason for the fierce loyalty that exists between Mercury and its people.
This large-scale growth led to Mercury’s decision to embark on a strategic restructuring programme. “We like change in this industry. Restructuring ensures the knowledge and expertise is spread evenly throughout the business. It’s also about giving people who have proven themselves over the years a chance to step up and own it,” she says. Indeed, Mercury’s commitment to developing its people has always stood out, with Aisling’s story being a prime example. She believes restructuring will only heighten this strength, ensuring Mercury continues to nurture talent from within. “It creates room to focus on developing fresh, new talent. It means people will get the attention that they need to excel in their roles.”
In a company that emphasises the power of each team member to make it happen, Aisling is a perfect fit. She believes that simply keeping up is not enough. It’s about leading the charge. “I like to win. I don’t believe in giving up until it’s over.” This commitment to the end result has been evident since the beginning of Aisling’s time in Mercury.
This mindset brought her right to the helm of Mercury’s digital transformation journey. Aisling led a project team that engaged in rigorous analysis and evaluation of Mercury’s construction management software providers. The end result was Mercury’s adoption of BIM360, a leading-edge software solution that provides a standard data set across the company. For a company of Mercury’s scale, standardised processes to measure KPIs in vital areas such as safety and quality cannot be underestimated, and we now possess one of the largest BIM teams in Europe, with more than 220 dedicated personnel.
When asked why she loves her role, the answer is quite simple. “Every hour of every day is different.” Her career to date has seen her deliver projects all across Europe. One of Aisling’s most recent projects has brought her to Paris, where she is leading her team through the construction of an exciting new build Data Centre. From different cultures to rules and regulations, each project and territory bring new challenges and learnings. “It’s taught me to make quick decisions. A decision is better than no decision. The support and backing is always there from the top, meaning you can move forward with confidence.”
According to Aisling, this experience has also influenced her management style. “I believe in an open door policy. Problems are there to be fixed, acknowledging a problem allows us to fix it and move on,” Aisling says. Her team is very diverse, bringing viewpoints from all over the world. “They’re young, fresh and new, but still with the attitude that they’ve been here for years.” For this reason, Aisling believes her business unit will continue to play a pivotal role in Mercury’s growth and success.
DATA CENTRES
Mercury is Europe’s most experienced Enterprise Data Centre service provider. We go beyond to meet the challenges of the ever-growing Enterprise market. Over the last 20 years, our highly skilled global teams have successfully delivered data centres for some of the world’s largest data centre companies. Our cutting-edge construction methods mean we consistently deliver highly complex and specialised turnkey services. We design, build, plan, construct and commission data centres using the highest levels of safety, quality and delivery. We then manage the maintenance of facilities post-construction.
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