University of Portsmouth Alumni Magazine - 3 Edition 3 | Page 4

BLAZING A TRAIL IN CONSTRUCTION AND REPRESENTATION

Roni Savage BEng ( Hons ) ’ 01 is Managing Director and founder of Jomas Associates , an innovative company of engineering and environmental geologists serving the construction industry . Her team , which includes four other Portsmouth alumni , investigate and assess ground conditions before buildings can be constructed . They ensure sites are fit for development , help to clean up any contamination in the ground , and design firm foundations for stable , long-lasting buildings .

Roni is now a Chartered Geologist , Chartered Engineer FICE and Specialist in Land Condition ( SiLC ). She has also received Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Institute of British Architects ( RIBA ).
This career path was inspired by talks from companies who visited the University during Roni ’ s Engineering , Geology and Geotechnics degree : ‘ You go out and look at maybe an old chemical works and get involved in investigating , coming up with solutions to ground constraints . You turn up a year later and you ’ ve got people living in homes . It ’ s really rewarding to get involved in changing the
READ PAGE OUT LOUD landscape of the built environment .’ After rising through the ranks to become Associate Director of one of the UK ’ s largest engineering firms , Roni struck out on her own , founding Jomas Associates with a clear vision : ‘ I wanted to offer the construction space quick-response , value engineering , but really people ( client and team ) focused . There is a perception that you employ a large organisation for top quality or a small organisation for customer service . I wanted to combine the two .’
Roni ’ s commitment to listening and reflecting on her clients ’ needs sets her apart : ‘ People find it strange when I ask for their opinion , listen and make changes to reflect their requests . I genuinely want to understand their thoughts and expectations , and accommodate when the request is reasonable .’ Crucially , this is combined with a laser focus on identifying the right solutions rapidly .
‘ We ’ ve done a lot of work in East London , where there is legacy contamination on sites . We ’ ve come up with solutions for clients that enabled them to make the project viable and we ’ re seeing the regeneration of the area . I remember turning up at a derelict paintworks eight years ago . Now there are really nice residential developments on the site .’
Roni is a trailblazer in other ways , too . As a black woman in the construction industry , she has faced barriers because of her gender and race : ‘ I can walk into a meeting I ’ m chairing and be asked to make the tea because they ’ ve automatically made an assumption . But I can flip that on its head very quickly . Do I have to work ten times as hard ? Absolutely . And while I would like to get to the point where there are no stereotypes , my focus is that I ’ m doing it because I want to be the best . Not because of the barriers I face or the fact I ’ m a woman or because I ’ m black . I just really want to be good at what I do , and build respect based on what I bring to the table . And that does help with the mindset .’
As well as running a successful business , Roni does a huge amount of charitable work . She says , ‘ I ’ m focused on building confidence and squashing stereotypes , so somebody who looks like me can walk into the room and command it because they ’ re qualified to , without having to prove themselves .’
Visibility , she says , is key to squashing stereotypes , because it challenges prejudices while presenting aspirational