Avi Kabrellian

Heathrow is an amazing place to work where every day is never the same. There is so much variety to get involved in, as well as being given the freedom and responsibility to work on driving value. There are a vast number of suppliers, providing you with the opportunity to get involved in all areas of the aviation industry, in addition to growing your professional network.

My first placement was in IT Procurement, where I was working with major IT Suppliers to ensure that the business procures all aspects of IT from simple equipment through to complex infrastructure design in a way that ensures value for money.

My second placement was in Expansion procurement, where I had to opportunity to help take Heathrow forward to an exciting future with the £14bn Expansion programme. I worked in the team that were involved in Procurement and Contracting strategy for the entire programme, from utilities to environmental contracts.

Third placement was in infrastructure procurement where I helped to support the Development team with the pre and post contract procurement of major projects with the contracts ranging from £10-£200m in value.

My fourth placement was in Engineering procurement where I worked alongside the Airport Operation team with the ongoing smooth running and maintenance of the existing airport assets. This included working on contracts such as Anti-Drones technology and the maintenance of stand electrical equipment.

My final placement is in Corporate Services. I was given the responsibility to manage the office services category, this involved managing multiple suppliers that ranged from office stationery, furniture & uniforms to colleague catering & vending.

The programme has allowed me to take responsibility for high value contracts. There is also the opportunity to study towards getting a professional procurement qualification, with the choice being RICS & CIPS. I became more confident in my ability to have important conversations with suppliers regarding contract negotiations. I was also given the responsibility to lead various projects which have improved my leadership, teamworking, time management and organisational skills.

Despite all the challenges we faced and continue to face, there was never a moment where I personally felt uncertain. The past year was frustrating with all the stopping and reassessing of various projects, but there was always something to gain experience from. We were given the right amount of support and reassured that Heathrow see investing in their talent as one of their top priorities.