In this #PeopleFirst, we speak to Patricia Costa. As our Power and Renewables Quality Control Lead, Patricia works across departments, and with our clients and supply chain partners, to ensure we deliver on our commitment to ‘Getting it Right First Time’.
With projects across Ireland and the UK, she supports up to 20 sites alongside a growing team of skilled professionals, across renewable energy and utility grid connection projects, including substation design and build, battery energy storage systems (BESS) and solar and wind.
Chartered as both a Civil Engineer and Quality Professional, Patricia joined us in our Glasgow office in 2024 to take on the pivotal role. Prior to Kirby, she worked in transport infrastructure, supporting the delivery of high-profile road and rail projects, including High Speed Two (HS2) in the UK.
Her quality journey began in Portugal, with a Civil Engineering undergraduate degree at ISEL – Instituto Superior De Engenharia De Lisboa, and later a Master’s. It’s here that she put her passion for sustainability into action, with her master’s dissertation focusing on the integration of plastic waste in bitumen products. A graduate placement followed, before a move to the UK in 2015.
When asked what drew her to work for us, she says, “Quality is one of Kirby’s core values and is a key focus for all departments. That focus, and the ability to work on leading projects at the heart of decarbonisation of our energy networks, attracted me to the role.”
“It’s also a lot neater,” she laughs. “Groundworks is messy work. There’s something very regimented and ordered about the work I do now. Seeing cabling neatly secured in rows is very satisfying.”
World Quality Week: Think Differently
Colleagues across Kirby took part in activities to mark World Quality Week in November. The theme – ‘Quality: Think Differently’, saw our teams embrace innovation and technology, focus on knowledge sharing and lessons learned, stand down for quality, and celebrate individual wins.
“Quality is a mindset that shapes how we lead, build stakeholder trust, and improve organisational performance. By thinking differently about quality, exploring how it can spark ideas, reduce risk, and unite us we can develop the resilience and agility that keep us moving forwards with purpose,” says Ruairí Ryan, Group Operations Director at Kirby.
Quality: Recognising Excellence
As part of the celebrations, Patricia travelled to our Aberarder project for SSER to present a World Quality Week Award to our subcontractor Global Infrastructure, recognising its team for an outstanding commitment to quality and transparency.
Kirby is delivering the wind turbine control centre building as part of the wider £100m project, connecting the 12 new windfarms to the grid. Once complete, Aberarder will be capable of generating enough green energy to power almost 50,000 homes annually and offset over 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over its expected 35-year lifetime. The project will contribute to Scotland and the UK achieving further energy security and meeting net zero carbon emission targets.
“Recognising and showcasing what good looks like is incredibly important,” says Patricia.
Quality at the Core of Kirby
“When something is spotted that could affect quality at Kirby, it is a priority to rectify it and share the learnings across the business.
“This dedication to quality makes it a great place to work. Delivering projects like we do, being able to spot and rectify a problem means that our staff understand that concerns are acted upon and swiftly resolved. There is nothing worse than working on something when the same issue in process or delivery is repeated again and again, despite everyone knowing that it is an issue. It’s not like that at Kirby. If something is raised, it’s sorted,” says Patricia.
Quality: Day in the Life
We ask Patricia what a typical day looks like. She laughs, “Every day is different. When I’m not visiting sites, I focus on reviewing inspection and test plans, checking client comments, and identifying root causes of any issues. I work closely with our supply chain partners to ensure they understand documentation requirements and meet compliance standards. I also meet with clients to review the progress and quality of our work. It’s a busy role, but is incredibly rewarding,” she adds.
Mentoring the Next Generation
Patricia was the first to put her hand up to mentor our Graduate Quality Control Engineer, who joined us this year. A newly created role, Patricia’s experience and knowledge will be key to guiding their development as they start their professional career.
Sharing best practice and advocating for the industry is something Patricia is passionate about. A member of the Chartered Quality Institute (CQI) in the UK, her involvement sees her collaborate with quality professionals across different industries and connect with people who have a common ambition – to inspire others to evolve with quality at the heart of their operations.
