“Growing up I always knew I wanted to be in a profession that was people orientated,” she says. “At school, careers in Human Resources (HR) were not well known so I intended to enter medicine or law. Then I came to know about HR at a careers fair, and I knew it was the profession I wanted to pursue.”
Marnay completed her BCom (Hons) in Human Resource Management at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal and intends to complete an MBA before she turns 35. She believes that starting her career with a solid theoretical knowledge base, and the passion and confidence this instilled in her, has enabled her to grow and add value throughout her career.
She joined WSP in 2018 because she was drawn to the company’s ‘People’ focus. “This people focus is clear both internally through the many employee initiatives we run, but also externally through social and community initiatives,” she says. “I was excited at the time to join a company that was closely aligned to my own personal interests and values, and I am proud to have been able to contribute to this throughout my time here. My career experience and development journey at WSP is a clear example of the company’s commitment to its people.”
Marnay says that she was given every opportunity to get involved and gain exposure from the start of her journey with WSP and has always received support to grow. “My career was honestly in my own hands,” she says, “I just needed to understand what I wanted to be a part of and apply myself diligently.”
Marnay has contributed to changes and improvements in WSP’s ‘people’ space by offering solutions, improving on existing initiatives and rolling out new ones that have added value to the business. “I was only able to do this because I am part of a company that invests in its people and allows such opportunity,” she says. “My team and I, and the business as a whole, are passionate about providing support, development tools and mentorship to all our people so that they can grow and succeed. It contributed to my development and has led to my new role as Head of HR, representing this function on the Executive Committee, and I am extremely grateful for it.”
WSP provides a number of development opportunities for professional engineers, scientist and consultants. “Just being a part of WSP gives our professionals the opportunity to work on world-changing projects – regionally in Africa and internationally through our international network – and there’s nothing like this kind of multidisciplinary experience to develop both technical and business skills and knowledge,” she says. “We are passionate about developing our people and ensuring they have fulfilling careers with us. Therefor as a company, we also support both external and internal learning and development opportunities.”
These include a formalised career development process to support career development goals for the company’s professionals, internal training courses, access to external training based on individual development needs and a bursary programme for employees pursuing further tertiary education.
WSP also provides young engineers and scientists with a support programme designed to help them achieve professional registration with their relevant Professional Regulatory Body e.g., Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA), South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP) etc., as well as a Professional Growth Network (known as PiGeoN in SA) for early career professionals to network and gain exposure to the larger business. WSP’s Practice Area Networks – for technical experts in specialised fields to network and learn from each other – as well as its Mentorship – to support overall employee career development – round out a thoroughly supported career journey.
“We recognise the importance of developing young people outside of the organisation as well, especially in STEM as this is the area from which we draw our professional talent,” Marnay says. “We offer learnership programmes for unemployed youth, as well as internship and/or graduate programmes, bursaries, vacation work opportunities and job shadowing for students in STEM.”
“We are a company that focuses on inclusion and diversity,” Marnay adds, “and as such provide as much support as possible to drive this. WSP is committed to making people’s lives better, whether through our internal employee initiatives or through the societies and communities we positively impact through the quality projects we work on and support externally,” she says.
“By joining WSP you become a part of a company that is making a difference. You become a positive change maker, and we will give you the support you need not only to succeed in your role, but to grow and develop into the professional you want to be. I am thankful for the efforts of my entire team, the support of my leadership and am extremely proud to be a part of a company that is making a positive difference – not only to my life, but the lives of its employees and the communities we work in. This impact will be felt for many generations to come.,” Marnay concludes.
Join the team
WSP in Africa is recruiting. If you’re looking for your next role and want to join a collaborative team of experts that thrives on challenge and unconventional thinking, then check out the jobs available on our WSP in Africa careers page.
