I manage the commercial side of major rail projects, preach in Cantonese and English, and design brands for causes I care about.
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost?”Luke 14:28 · KJV
Counting the cost is my day job as a quantity surveyor. It is also one of the first lessons Jesus gives about following him. Both halves of my life meet in this verse.
I studied quantity surveying at City University of Hong Kong, worked for contractors there, and then moved to the UK to work in rail. I qualified as a chartered surveyor and became a commercial manager at Network Rail.
I have been a committed Christian since 1993. I left Network Rail to train for ministry and earned an MA in Biblical Studies. I participated in and served at Bradford Chinese Christian Church for twelve years in different roles on a volunteer basis, then worked full time as a pastoral worker at Newcastle Chinese Methodist Church from 2015 to 2018. Over the years I have preached, led worship, taught Sunday school, led Bible studies and helped with church administration.
In 2018 I returned to the industry. Today I am a Senior Commercial Manager at Transport for Greater Manchester, working on the programme that is adding 27 new trams to the Metrolink network.
Nine roles across construction, rail, retail and the church. Open any role to see what I did there.
Transport for Greater Manchester · Manchester
The Methodist Church · Newcastle Chinese Methodist Church
Gifty · Prestwich, Manchester
Network Rail · London North West and West Coast
EC Harris LLP, now Arcadis · Manchester
First Engineering, now Babcock Rail · North West
Dickson Construction · Hong Kong
Kin Wing Construction · Hong Kong
Quantity surveyors describe work as a bill of quantities: item by item, with a value against each. Here are my current and past projects and programmes, set out the same way.
| Item | Description | Outcome | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCIP/A | 27 new light rail vehiclesManaged variations and payment terms, and assessed delay claims linked to production issues, Brexit and Covid. | Contract changes agreed and payment settled | £74.0m |
| MCIP/B | Power upgrade and three new substationsAdvised on value engineering and scope, and introduced an option price mechanism under NEC3 ECC. | Budget re-baselined | £6.9m |
| MCIP/C | Trafford and Queens Road depot expansionChallenged consultant estimates and set delay damages for work inside a live depot. | Contractor claims assessed | £6.5m |
| MCIP/D | Park and ride at Radcliffe and WhitefieldBenchmarked site costs and preliminaries on a single source contract and removed steel price risk. | £250k saved | £5.3m |
| MCIP/E | Cornbrook and Shudehill stop improvementsLed negotiations on a complex city centre job and challenged compensation events. | £235k saved | £2.7m |
| MCIP/F | Tram management system changesFeasibility and delivery to extend fleet numbering for the new trams. | Delivered | £0.6m |
| TFGM/G | Temporary mortuary, Trafford ParkCommercial support for reinstatement after vandalism and later decommissioning. | Final accounts agreed | £0.2m |
| Programmes and projects total, approximately | £100m | ||
Accreditation, NEC
Contract Management Foundation, Government Commercial Function
Accreditation, NEC
Global Chinese Bible Institute
Second class upper, City University of Hong Kong
City University of Hong Kong
Each logo I design hides a small story. Look again and you will find letters, numbers or a message tucked inside.
Wio is a maths resources website for teachers and students in the UK. The logo is a Rubik’s cube, because maths is about working things out. A thick hexagon border signals maths, and the letters W, I and O are hidden in the cube. Bright colours keep it lively.
The website is built to be simple. Students search questions, filter them, and get suggested solutions and mark schemes. Each question links to related ones. wio.org
A card and gift shop in Prestwich, Manchester. I created the name and co-designed the logo with Grace Cheung: a gift tied with a bow, wrapped in butterfly patterns, with a butterfly flying out of the word.
The four colours stand for the four parts of the business: cards, gifts, party balloons and accessories. The stylish lettering says this is more than a corner shop.
A cross made from the Chinese name for Bradford and the letters BCCC. Turn it 90 degrees anti-clockwise and the B becomes a hand-drawn heart above a single line. In Chinese that line means “one”, so together they read as one heart in Christ.
The red stands for the Chinese community and the blood of Jesus, and the red characters form an arrow pointing up to heaven. bccc.org.uk
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”Proverbs 9:10 · KJV
I preach in Cantonese and English and have been invited to speak at churches across the north of England.
My church life has always run alongside my work. I have preached, led worship, taught Sunday school, led Bible studies and handled church administration.
I trained at the Global Chinese Bible Institute, participated in and served at Bradford Chinese Christian Church for twelve years in different roles on a volunteer basis, and was a full-time pastoral worker at Newcastle Chinese Methodist Church. I also serve as a volunteer chaplain.
Watch my sermons on YouTube →Where I have preached
Father of two.
I love stories, design and anything visual.
A long-standing hobby.
Friends and family call me when their computer or phone plays up. Self-taught, no certificate.
Ten papers written with colleagues at City University of Hong Kong on web-based tools for construction management. I am credited as K.W. Cheung.
About a project, a preaching invitation or a brand idea. Send a message and I will reply by email.