Getting to know – Laura McGrath
In our ‘Getting to Know’ series, we are meeting members of the Quorum team to find out more about them and their role. This month we have been chatting to Laura, our Sustainability & Community Director who has been working onsite for nearly 10 years!
Laura, please tell us about the role you play within the Quorum team.
I manage the creation of an onsite community balancing the needs of occupiers, individuals working onsite and our environment. This includes high level conversations around Net Zero Goals, managing our biodiversity strategy and promoting green travel. I also get involved with community events like our allotment and wildlife group.
What roles did you have prior to joining the Quorum team?
I was actually a tenant here at Quorum Park. I worked in the sustainability team at Balfour Beatty promoting environmentally friendly working practices. This job was just about as mad as my current one – memorably doing a Zumba class dressed as a frog, making a cardboard rainforest in the boardroom and judging a fancy dress competition in the kitchen dressed as Katy Perry.
What can I say, I bring my A Game when it comes to getting stuck in!
When did you start working at Quorum?
I started working at Quorum in the summer of 2013 – nearly 10 years ago!
What do you enjoy most about your role at Quorum?
No two days are ever the same here at Quorum and I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in some amazing things over the years – I’ve scaled climbing walls, walked alpacas, danced in a silent disco and created an allotment.
But I’ve also had the opportunity for amazing personal and professional development like learning around neurodiversity, mental health first aid and workplace resilience.
Where else do you get to do all that in one place?
What makes Quorum a special place to work?
The people, I’ve worked at other business parks and they don’t come close. There is just such a great atmosphere here – I think the hub team are very good at harnessing that into a great events programme but we would be nowhere without the just all round brilliant people who come to our events, have fun, get involved and support us.
What will be keeping you busy in the coming months?
I’m really looking forward to Summer here at Quorum Park! We’re developing an interactive walking route around site which will take in all our environmental hotspots. I am also expanding our allotment and community garden, supporting our green travel strategy and updating the ESG section of our website. A new green newsletter will keep interested staff up to date with all our sustainable activity were looking for blogpost contributors – email hub@quorumpark.com for more info!
What has been your most memorable day whilst working at Quorum?
Gosh, it’s hard to pick one day but I think the day we hosted Greggs 24-hour football tournament on our sports courts was pretty special. The first time I’d played football since school, up against managers from all round the park and the poor guys who’d been up all night. Shola Ameobi came to blow the final whistle and literally hundreds of staff came out to watch. Hearing them all cheer as we counted down to that final whistle – I’ve never felt more part of a community than that moment. (Oh and I scored 4 goals :-P)
Tell us something about Quorum that we may not know?
The entire park was originally meant to go in the direction of the Nursery and around the retail area, but the presence of water voles meant the plans were moved down to the avenue we have instead. This is why we have a protected conservation area at the front of the park. I’ve never seen a water vole onsite but I have seen a hedgehog, a fox and even a deer from the nearby nature reserve.
Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.
I once caught a river boat travelling the entire length of the Brazilian portion of the Amazon River, sleeping on a hammock on the outdoor deck. That same year I did volunteer work with jaguars, pumas and bears!
Who do you admire and why?
I know everyone says this, but David Attenborough has dedicated his entire life to saving the planet.
What’s special about him is he doesn’t hold back on the hard issues but he’s also a big part of why so many people want to save the planet in the first place. He provides accessible content that shows what’s at stake.
What gets you out of bed on a morning?
I know I am so lucky to be doing a role that’s also my passion. The story of sustainability is going to be the most important challenge of our time, I do everything I can to share the message without sounded too preachy or unengaging – exploring ways to make sustainability accessible leads to lots of fun
What’s the one piece of advice you will pass on to your children
You don’t have to have all the answers to life straight away, half the fun is finding out. Get out and explore the world it’s amazing! Don’t settle down too soon – you’ve got the rest of your life to be sensible go have some fun!
What keeps you busy when you are not working at Quorum?
I have a very active three-year-old daughter and rescue dog Chaplin who is much better behaved when he’s had a long walk. Sunrise beach walks are our absolute favourite.
What does relaxation look like for you?
Is there anything better than reading a good book with a glass of red wine while your dog snores his head off on the sofa? I don’t think so!
What was the last book you read?
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke – it’s one of those books that if I tell you anything about it, it will spoil the joy of finding out while reading. It’s completely bonkers, beautifully written and will have you hooked!
Name your top 3 albums of all time
How to choose! Rumours, Fleetwood Mac, The Killers Hot Fuss and Daft Punk Alive – that’s todays choices, it might be something entirely different tomorrow!
If you could be anyone from any time period who would it be and why?
I was definitely meant to be born into the Woodstock generation, missed my calling! I’d also have loved to existed in the times of exploration I can certainly see myself aboard Charles Darwin’s Beagle exploring new islands and jungles!
