Meet Raymond

Emerging leader as part of Ramboll’s Green Energy Transition

As the green energy transition picks up its pace, its impact spans beyond the remarkable surge in renewable energy capacity. What’s also burgeoning is a new generation of young leaders who are embracing the opportunities to make an impactful career.

Raymond Lee, Ramboll’s team leader for waste to energy and carbon capture in Singapore, is one of them. Being with Ramboll for the past five years, Raymond has seized the opportunities to hone his technical skills with one of the world’s most recognised consultancies in the waste to energy and carbon capture space, whilst developing his leadership skills to propel his career with Ramboll.

At the recent World Cities Summit, Raymond was nominated as a Young Leader to join the WCS Young Leaders Symposium where he joined inspiring conversations with his fellow young leaders from the built environment to address the challenges and realise opportunities of today and tomorrow.

We spoke with Raymond to understand how his career has evolved with Ramboll, what he enjoys the most about working with Ramboll.

“It is rewarding to work for a company that is at the forefront of driving sustainable development and strives to make a positive difference for employees, clients and society. At Ramboll, I am given support in my personal and professional development so I can grow with the company.”

Raymond Lee

Team Lead for WtE & CC, Singapore

Q: Can you tell us about your role in Ramboll?

Raymond: I joined Ramboll 5 years ago as a Senior Consultant in Energy business. My works have been centred around helping our clients strategise, plan and implement their energy transition strategies, especially in the waste-to-energy (WtE) and carbon capture (CC) sectors. Since joining Ramboll, I have been able to work on critical projects around the world. In today’s climate, energy transition and waste management are key issues that cities need to solve to decarbonise to meet the ambitious netzero target and to build resilient and liveable urban environment. The work we do on a daily basis really gives me a sense of purpose as waste management is typically a ‘forgotten’ issue in cities and countries around the region.

Q: How has your role evolved?

Raymond: I was the first local hire within the Energy team in Singapore. Initially, I was wearing ‘multiple hats’ in supporting roles on various projects and proposals. As our business grew, I had the opportunity to be involved in larger projects and start to upskill my project management capabilities, such as working on a feasibility study commissioned by the National Environment Agency (NEA) for a Waste Management Facility in Singapore as the assistant project manager. Over the past few years, I have definitely grown in my project management and technical competency, allowing me to take on larger and increasingly complex projects, including a hazardous waste project in Singapore and a waste-to-energy project in Maldives. As the team continued to expand, my role began to translate towards business development, client management, and team management.

It was initially daunting but my managers gave me the platform, room and support to grow into my current role. Today, we are a regional team of WtE & CC with over 20 experts across Singapore, Australia, and India.

Q: How would you describe the impact that you and your team make?

Raymond: With the work we do in the waste-to-energy space, we certainly can see the “before and after” comparison. In countries where waste-to-energy is emerging, the visual impact of seeing landfill built up at scale can be overwhelming. But it is equally satisfying to see how our projects help clients and communities solve their challenges.

Our strategy of being “The Partner for Sustainable Change” may sound like a slogan to many, but it is so essential and representative of what we do everyday. It is rewarding to work for a company that is at the forefront of driving sustainable development and strives to make a positive difference for employees, clients and society.

Q: What do you enjoy the most about working with Ramboll?

Raymond: There are many things that I enjoy. For example, being a leader in the waste-to-energy and carbon capture field means that we are well-positioned to win some of the most challenging and rewarding projects across the globe. This means we are always challenged to stay at the forefront of the latest developments in the green energy transition. One example is the interest of carbon capture as a decarbonisation pathway in hard-to-abate sectors such as steel and cement industry.

In addition, working in a global team allows us to collaborate with many international colleagues to work on projects around the work in far away places such as Brazil and Iceland with cutting-edge technological advancements in waste-to-energy and carbon capture. The opportunity to work across regions and expand our technical horizon is brilliant.

To keep us up to date with the latest industry developments, knowledge sharing is another focus, and deeply ingrained in our culture. Knowledge gained through projects is shared amongst the team through Knowledge Networks and Competence Teams, ensuring that team members are kept up to date on issues and best industrial practices. Within the Energy division, there are also Energy Insight sessions where we get to learn about what other teams are working on and share ideas, strategies, and processes.

In Ramboll, with over 18,000 experts all around the world, it is truly possible to find a thought leader in all fields.

There are also many opportunities provided for my professional and personal development. Whenever there was an option to progress to the next level, Ramboll and my managers have always proactively supported me, providing me with the training and support I need, when I need them. It only makes it natural for me to be there and support my team whenever they need me.