Rather be at St John’s
“I really like meeting and interacting with people so the community side of College life really appeals to me”
A new Domestic Bursar has started at St John’s to oversee the operational management of the College.
Alison Cox spent the best part of 30 years at Sir Robert McAlpine where she rose through the ranks of the construction company, progressing from student engineer to managing director of the London unit with responsibility for a £750m budget and 800 staff.
The Oxford graduate talks about what attracted her to Cambridge and specifically St John’s where she will play a leading role in developing mission-critical projects and departments including maintenance, housekeeping, catering and more.
My school gave great careers advice, which is why I started out in engineering. I went to an all girls’ school and it had a really big impact on me because nobody ever said, ‘girls don't do maths’, ‘girls don't do physics,’ so loving those subjects was completely normal. A teacher said that I should be an engineer and off I went to New College in Oxford.
Before I started at Oxford, I needed a job. I managed to secure a summer placement with Sir Robert McAlpine and from day one I loved it. There’s was always something going on and to learn. They sponsored me through my engineering science degree and I got a job there when I graduated.
I’m from Croydon but I moved to Bedford after I left Oxford because I wanted to carry on rowing. I met my husband in Bedford and after we got married we spent time working abroad in the Netherlands, America and Italy. We have three sons and have been back living in Bedford for 13 years. I still row with Bedford Rowing Club.
After I had my first son we moved to the Netherlands for my husband's work and I took an extended career break. We lived in Rome for five years and when we moved back to the UK I was tempted to retrain as a teacher. Just before I did I contacted McAlpine to ask if I could return on a part-time basis. They asked what hours I could do and said they’d find a job for me – it allowed me to return to construction and felt very forward looking.
I worked on some memorable projects including the construction of the £1 billion Bloomberg London building, the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station and extension of the Jubilee Tube line. I’m particularly proud of the Battersea Power Station team for the delivery of that project. The architecture itself was challenging and it had to be delivered through Covid and while navigating all the price rises of building supplies. The local community really engaged with the work and lots of jobs were created so it is something I’m particularly proud of.
I thrive in an environment where every day is different – there was a lot of crisis management to handle during Covid. I think the construction industry responded incredibly well and new policies and procedures were put in place that actually improved efficiency and safety. I led McAlpine’s initial response to the pandemic as the CEO was out of the country. It was a steep learning curve.
It felt like fate when I saw the Domestic Bursar role advertised. I helped to lead a restructure at McAlpine and it meant my role was no longer going to exist so it was time to move on. I’d always thought that I’d love to return to a collegiate environment, having loved my time as an undergraduate at Oxford.
I’d always had a dream that I could look after the buildings of an Oxford or Cambridge College. These institutions are part of the fabric of the UK as they have endured for centuries and will endure for centuries to come. I want to play a part in handing it on to future generations.
I found out about the role really close to the closing date but deadlines are very motivating. I was delighted to be offered the position. The self-governing nature of the College and the committee system will be very different to the corporate world that I’m used to but a bit of academic rigour will be welcome!
No-one knows how best to decarbonise an estate of historic buildings. What is clear is that there is a massive skills shortage. There’s also a huge opportunity to combine the teaching and education mission of the College with the work that needs to be done to decarbonise. It is going to be a fascinating challenge. There are areas of College life that I’m less familiar with such as catering but excellent Heads of Department are in place who I’m sure will bring me up to speed.
My sons are growing up quickly, the youngest is now 15. We share the chores like cooking and everyone takes a turn to make a meal. It was the only way to survive when I went back to work full-time. My husband went to St Catharine’s and as Cambridge isn’t too far from Bedford, I’ve spent a fair bit of time in the city over the years.
Rowing is how I relax, I need regular time on the water. I enjoy walking and I really like meeting and interacting with people so the community side of College life really appeals to me. There’s always something new to learn – I'm expecting that no two days will be the same.
Published 2/6/2023