Changing the World: How Cheryl McNall Accepted the Challenge

“Challenge accepted” is a call to action. It’s a commitment to growth, innovation and excellence. It’s about pushing boundaries, embracing new ideas and not shying away from obstacles.​

Our people accept the challenge every single day – and we’re showcasing a few of their stories. Today, we connected with Global Solutions Director for Aviation, Cheryl McNall, who is based in Reading, United Kingdom:

The challenge: The aviation sector is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. If nothing changes, the International Civil Aviation Organization predicts CO2 emissions will triple in aviation by 2050.

Tell us more about this challenge.

Sustainable aviation fuels and hydrogen can reduce indirect value chain carbon emissions. They’re both identified as options that can support the decarbonization of aviation, but widespread use of zero-emission aircraft requires significant capital and technology investment and is likely more than a decade away. As the conversation continues, we’re helping airports prepare now for hydrogen-powered fleets as well as other types of carbon reduction opportunities, like lower-carbon concrete.

What’s the hardest part of this?

The adage goes something like, “if you’ve seen one airport, you’ve only seen one airport.” Airport priorities are a function of the environment within which they operate. Local communities, regional and state-level politics, and federal regulators and other governing bodies are all factors which shape the airport operational context. Not to mention how they are funded.

How do you approach this?

Whether we’re upgrading aging facilities, expanding capacity or improving connectivity, we harness the client ambition to collaborate and co-create solutions. Our team works more closely than ever with – and alongside – clients and the supply chain. And we do it through the lens of sustainable development with societal value at the heart of everything we do. We bring social value experts into the planning stage to help our clients define their visions and establish how to knit those principles into the entire program.

How do you define success?

Some of the most successful projects we work on are the ones which go unnoticed because our teams have integrated it so meticulously. We’ve held contracts on more than 500 airport projects, including most of the busiest airports in the U.S., U.K., India, and the Middle East, and many of the largest greenfield airports. When traveling, I think less about the lines at customs or security – and instead, I focus on the parameters and considerations that led to the design, influencing things like terminal levels, roadway access, walking distance, airfield configuration and ground-service operations. Every detail matters when it comes to keeping people and goods connected and moving forward.