Strategic Empathy: Rehumanising Project Governance
Reflections from a BCS webinar on Strategic Empathy and how noticing weak signals can transform project governance from hindsight to foresight.
Early-career Project Professional
Alex Mac
Early-career project professional focused on safety, innovation and sustainable infrastructure.
LLB (University of Derby), BSc Computing and IT (The Open University), MSc Technology Management (The Open University, completing April 2026), MBCS, APM Student Member
About me
Welcome to my personal development site! This space reflects my evolving career and learning journey. I have a multidisciplinary background spanning technology, law, business and IT, and I am now moving towards a future in project management. My experiences have helped me develop operational awareness, stakeholder engagement and problem-solving skills that are essential for effective project delivery.
I have worked across diverse environments, from web development and digital operations to retail, public transport and running a small business. Each experience has contributed to my understanding of complex systems, team collaboration and process improvement. Alongside my professional work, I actively volunteer, currently serving as Treasurer for the BCS Pride Specialist Group, supporting diversity, equity and inclusion within the technology sector.
Academically, I hold an LLB from University of Derby Law School, a BSc in Computing and IT from The Open University, and I am completing an MSc in Technology Management, focused on project management, innovation strategy and sustainable organisations. My dissertation examines low-carbon transitions in public transport, combining strategic, operational and technological perspectives.
Connect with me and follow my journey:
Blog Posts
View all posts »Explore my articles and reflections on technology, personal development and project-related topics. I share insights from my learning journey, CPD activities and volunteering experiences.
2025: A Year of Growth, Resilience and New Beginnings
A reflective look back on one of the most challenging and transforming years of my life, with academic progress, personal loss, career transition progress and setting intentions for a milestone year ahead in 2026.
Two Modules, Two Merits
Reflecting on achieving two more Pass with Merit results in my 3rd and 4th MSc modules, balancing academic intensity, personal loss and a continued commitment to long-term growth and purpose.
Strategic Capabilities for Technological Innovation Result
Reflecting on successfully passing my second MSc module with a Merit, exploring innovation strategy, dynamic capabilities and the future of technological innovation.
Work experience
Treasurer (BCS Pride Specialist Group)
BCS - The Chartered Institute for IT, United Kingdom
2024 - Present
Volunteer treasurer supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion in the UK technology sector.
Responsible for financial oversight, including budgeting, expense approval and reporting to ensure transparency and alignment with strategic objectives. Work closely with committee members and event organisers to plan and deliver events, workshops and campaigns while supporting DEI goals.
This role has strengthened my skills in financial management, governance, stakeholder engagement and coordination within a voluntary environment.
Junior Production Engineer
Difford's Guide, United Kingdom
2021 - 2025
Production Engineer part of a small but highly experienced IT team.
Day to day tasks involved helping maintain one of the world’s most popular cocktail websites building on and further developing my skills gained from my BSc through working with various computing and programming languages.
My role exposed me to all aspects of development: helping maintain the frontend, making necessary changes to the backend and also assisting with patching and other sysadmin tasks.
Customer Assistant
Tesco, United Kingdom
2019 - 2021
Retail position involving various tasks such as PayPoint, National Lottery, Click + Collect and sales through the Tesco POS system.
Ecommerce Coordinator
Stan's Pals Limited, United Kingdom
2017 - 2019
Oversaw the development and maintaining of the ecommerce side of the business, ensuring that selected store products were available to potential customers on our website, and that stock levels, descriptions and photos were accurate.
The role also involved operational management, making use of my IT and legal skills to manage various aspects of the business both online and offline.
Bus Driver
Arriva Bus, United Kingdom
2017 - 2019
Developed problem solving skills, as well as improving my overall skills interacting with members of the public with different requirements and from a variety of different cultures.
Director
Stan's Pals Limited, United Kingdom
2015 - 2016
Founding director of a small local business specialising in pet services. Planned and developed the first website for the company, as well as assisting in the development of policies and procedures.
Education
Master of Science (Technology Management)
The Open University
2024 - Present
Currently completing my Masters, with a focus on innovation management, strategic capabilities, sustainable organisations, environmental decision-making and project management.
This qualification is strengthening my ability to evaluate complex information, apply structured approaches to real-world challenges and prepare for leadership and managerial roles within technology-driven projects.
Bachelor of Science (Computing and IT)
The Open University
2017 - 2022
Undergraduate degree in Computing and IT, specialising in software and web development, software engineering, UI/UX and IT service management.
This degree provided a strong foundation in analytical thinking, problem-solving and understanding complex systems. All skills that underpin my transition into project management and technology-driven project delivery.
Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
University of Derby
2012 - 2015
Undergraduate degree in Law, covering all aspects of domestic and international law.
This degree provided me with many transferable and valuable skills that are important when dealing with clients and considering legislation.
Skills
Below is a list of some of my key personal proficiencies.
Project Coordination & Administration
Experienced in supporting project activities through planning, task tracking, document control and stakeholder updates in fast-paced environments.
Problem-Solving & Critical Thinking
Skilled at assessing situations logically, identifying risks or anomalies and implementing solutions independently or collaboratively.
Time Management & Prioritisation
Able to balance multiple responsibilities, meet deadlines and manage competing demands across work, study and personal commitments.
Stakeholder Communication & Collaboration
Confident verbal and written communicator, adept at engaging with colleagues, clients and teams to ensure clarity, alignment and effective collaboration.
Analytics & Attention to Detail
Strong analytical skills and meticulous attention to detail, ensuring accurate, high-quality outputs and informed decision-making.
Technical & Digital Literacy
Proficient with IT systems, data management and programming fundamentals, enabling effective interaction with technical teams and digital projects.
Adaptability & Versatility
Able to quickly learn new processes and take on diverse tasks across multidisciplinary environments.
Continuous Learning & Professional Growth
Committed to developing skills and knowledge, embracing new challenges and opportunities to advance in project management.
Reliability & Accountability
Trusted to manage sensitive information, follow processes and deliver work with consistency, integrity and high standards.
Portfolio Examples
Below are some of the projects I’ve carried out to develop my skills further. Most of these are from projects I’ve undertaken in my spare time or academic studies to learn more about various technologies.
Project 1:
Healthcare App for home carers (Open University)
Description:
For my final project of my BSc I embarked on creating and logging the project process of building a web application for a health dashboard that would assist home healthcare workers with managing appointments and medications for their patients. This incorporated many of the skills learnt as part of my degree.
Role:
As an academic project for my degree, I took on a variety of roles including project management, user interface design and active development for both frontend and backend tasks.
Project 2:
Simple Responsive Image Gallery example
Description:
Developed a responsive and interactive image gallery using HTML, CSS and JavaScript, designed to demonstrate strong UI/UX principles across both desktop and mobile devices. The project also serves as a personal showcase, offering insight into my personality, interests and values through thoughtful layout and design.
Role:
Undertook a full design and development process, implementing dynamic modal functionality with JavaScript, responsive styling with custom CSS and HTML structure. Focused on creating an accessible, engaging user experience that balances technical execution with personal expression.
