The Road to Commercial Director – What 40 Industry Leaders Taught Us

Recently, our founder Davin Dhillon appeared on the podcast The Road to Commercial Director – What 40 Leaders Learned on the Own the Build podcast with host Paul Heming .
The conversation explored the insights behind The Road to Commercial Director - a project built from interviews with more than 40 Commercial Directors and senior commercial leaders across UK construction . 
What emerged from those discussions was not a polished career blueprint. Instead, it was something far more useful: the uncomfortable truth about how commercial careers actually develop in construction .

The Industry’s Promotion Problem

One theme came up repeatedly throughout the research.
Many Quantity Surveyors are promoted into leadership roles because they are technically strong , not because they have developed leadership capability.
Running a project well does not automatically translate into managing people.
Yet across the industry, technically capable QSs are often given teams and expected to “figure it out”. As Davin explained in the discussion, many professionals discover that the leap from technical expert to leader is where careers either accelerate - or stall. 
It is a transition few people are prepared for.

The Middle-Career Shift That Defines Leaders

The interviews revealed a clear pattern in the careers of those who eventually reached Commercial Director level.
Early in their careers, the most successful leaders built strong technical foundations. They ran projects, dealt with difficult contracts, and experienced both success and failure.
But the real separation happened later.
The leaders who progressed learned to move beyond solving every problem themselves. They shifted towards building teams, developing people, and leading the commercial function strategically .
Those who remained focused purely on technical delivery often found themselves plateauing.

There Are No Shortcuts

Another message from the interviews was refreshingly blunt.
The people who now sit in Commercial Director roles rarely planned the journey in advance. Many “fell into” the profession and developed over years of experience.
What mattered was not the job title.
It was exposure to responsibility, mentorship from strong leaders, and a willingness to take ownership of their development.
The result is a far less glamorous story than many career narratives suggest - but a far more realistic one.

Why We Created “The Road to Commercial Director”

The goal of the project was simple.
Most people working in commercial roles never get the chance to ask senior leaders the questions that really matter:

• What mistakes did you make?
• What slowed you down?
• What would you do differently if you started again?

Over six months, we asked those questions directly to leaders who have navigated recessions, disputes, project failures, and decades of commercial responsibility. 
Their answers became The Road to Commercial Director - a practical guide for those who want to understand what the role actually demands.

A Conversation Worth Listening To

The podcast discussion explores many of the themes behind the research, including:

• Why technical strength alone is not enough for leadership
• The career stage where most commercial professionals get stuck
• The leadership shift required to progress to Director level
• What experienced Commercial Directors wish they had known earlier

If you are a Quantity Surveyor thinking about the long-term trajectory of your career, this conversation offers a rare look inside the mindset of those who have already walked the path.

Listen to the episode: Listen on Apple Podcasts