Empowering leadership and simplified processes: Tomas Albauskas on his new role as Head of the Commercial Division
Staticus’ new Head of the Commercial division, Tomas Albauskas, has a clear focus for his new role – simplify processes for bid managers, estimators using data-driven and digital solutions. As for his personal ambitions, he wants to grow as a leader who empowers others. In this in-depth interview, Tomas describes his career at Staticus, which began in 2010, and shares his vision for the new role he is taking on.
What was it like when you first started at Staticus?
A huge amount has changed in the last 15 years. Today, everything is international and we are in markets across Europe, but at that point, it was only taking its first bigger steps into the international façade market. It has been an amazing journey, and one nice thing is that my professional career has grown together with the company’s expansion and development.
In terms of the culture, when I first joined we were more of a local player and there was quite a hierarchical, top-down approach. Today, we have a completely different way of working. The organisation is much more horizontal, and we have cross-functional teams who work in an agile way.
What I like about the culture now is it allows people to grow, as I have done in my career. Professionals are trusted to make decisions, but they also have more responsibilities. This leads to better decision-making, because people think twice when they know it is up to them.
What was your initial role, and how has your career progressed since then?
I started my career in Staticus in 2010 as an Assistant Site Manager. At that time anyone planning to work in engineering was required to spend some time in the production or installation departments to gain a deep understanding of the product. I enjoyed the work on sites, and in fact, my initial vision was to become a Site Manager. However, I struggled a bit with being away from home for long periods of time as we had projects in Sweden and Norway, and sometimes I missed my social life, friends and family.
I had been told that I was always welcome in the design department, so in 2011 I decided to become a Design Engineer. Back then there were less than 15 of us, but they were great colleagues who shared a lot of advice, so moving to design was a smooth transition, especially as I already understood the product.
The projects we had were quite small, which meant you could quickly grow your competencies. I progressed to Senior Design Engineer after two years. I became a Team Lead and was responsible for overseeing some more junior engineers.
Then in 2016 I joined the Commercial division as a Project Engineer. I had found my work as a Senior Design Engineer very interesting, but each project required 1 year work or longer, and I wanted the chance to work on a wider range of projects. I was interested in the financial and commercial side of our work, and becoming a Project Engineer, later a Bid Manager gave me the opportunity to be involved in more projects.
Typically, I would work for 2 to 3 months on one project, then move on. This meant I got to meet many different partners, work with well-known consultants, architects and general contractors, and gain a wider range of knowledge. I also enjoyed the challenges of bid management, and finding ways to offer a cost-effective proposal and create designs that meet the client’s needs.
What excites you the most about your new role?
I am excited to bring a fresh perspective and to work on making things as simple and seamless as possible. I know from experience that Bid Managers, Estimators work within tight timeframes, and that meeting these deadlines is important for the client and the other teams in our value chain. So, one of my goals is to work on accelerating turnaround through a digital and data-based approach that supports our team, including further incorporating our XD Platform.
Overall, this is what I find exciting – the potential to make everything simpler and to give our experienced professionals helpful tools so they can effortlessly work with the numbers and save time.
What opportunities do you envision for your role?
I think there are a lot of opportunities within our industry for improving processes. Digital tools and better use of data can help us to reduce repetitive or manual work for estimators, which can support faster turnarounds and also provide better quality outputs.
This can help us to manage some of the changes occurring within our sector. For example, projects in the UK (the market I know best) are being significantly impacted by the new Gateway requirements under the BSA. The more stringent safety requirements bring new risks in terms of cost management, and also mean the lead-in time for projects is extended.
A more streamlined approach can help us adapt quickly to these changes. If we as a company can be one of the first to integrate these processes and have successful submissions in this new regulatory landscape, that can give us a competitive edge in the market.
What personal aspirations do you have as you take on this new role?
Firstly, I see myself as taking on a role as a kind of intermediary between our clients and our estimation team. I know what is needed and can understand both sides, and I see this as an aspect of the role where I can bring value.
More generally, I am excited to use my knowledge and experience at a larger scale, for a bigger team, and to work on process improvements. It is an opportunity for me to grow as a leader. My goal is to be a leader who empowers others. We have a lot of experienced and talented people in our team, and I want to create a positive and encouraging environment where knowledge is shared – through collaboration and sharing everyone can continue to level up.
I also look forward to bringing my experience from the UK market to projects in other regions, while also learning from practices in these countries. I will work to gain a deep understanding of the other markets we operate in, and look for opportunities to bring fresh insights that can help us meet our business goals and position Staticus as the top choice.
Tell us a bit about your life outside of work.
I like to spend time outdoors in every season – I go hiking and cycling, and love snowboarding. I also enjoy travelling and discovering new places. There are not that many countries left in Europe for me to visit. Travel is a way for me to recharge my energy, and I enjoy planning my trips and researching what there is to see.