---
title: Ben Healy
url: "https://www.systra.com/ireland/careers/our-colleagues/ben-healy/"
type: page
date_published: 2023-10-04
date_modified: 2025-03-18
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  @type: WebPage
language: en-IE
word_count: 1426
reading_time: 8 min
canonical: "https://www.systra.com/ireland/careers/our-colleagues/ben-healy/"
featured_image: "https://www.systra.com/ireland/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/05/personal-story-website-header.jpg"
---

# Ben Healy

![Ben Healy](https://www.systra.com/ireland/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/05/personal-story-website-header.jpg)

![Ben Healy Career Profile photo](https://www.systra.com/ireland/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2023/10/ben-healy-career-profile-photo-cropped-1024x1024.jpg)

**Role**: Assistant Consultant

**Career Area**: Transport Strategy and Planning

**Location**: Dublin

###### My role at SYSTRA

In my role at SYSTRA I provide technical support to the Transport Planning teams
across Ireland and the UK in the preparation of local transport plans, business
cases for infrastructure projects and transport strategies.

I am heavily involved in the visualisations of transport proposals through GIS
digital mapping and challenge myself by undertaking data analysis.

I treat every project and task as an opportunity to learn and acquire new
skills.

###### My career journey

In May 2021 I completed a double major degree in Economics and Geography,
throughout which I had become set on working in the planning world. However, at
the time I was unsure if I should pursue a Masters Degree to better prepare
myself for entry into the sector, as due to the Covid pandemic I had missed out
on internship opportunities. From extensive research of the industry and looking
at many job profiles, I realised that whilst a Masters would be beneficial, my
involvement with college committees and part time work meant I had the right mix
of technical and soft skills to start gaining practical experience.

I chose SYSTRA due to their expertise in the sector, and with several of their
recent project successes being completed in my local area, they offered the
opportunity to work directly on projects that I would actually see realised!

###### We asked Ben…

###### When did you realise this was the career path for you?

From a young age I had an interest in the built environment and how the world’s
cities work, which initially led me to wanting a career as an Engineer or
Architect . That was short-lived during school when I became aware of how broad
a subject Geography was and its role in explaining how society functions, and
due to my poor grades in construction! In college I choose to study Economics
and Geography to further develop my understanding, and I became aware of the
complementing sectors of Urban and Transport Planning. Through my own travels
commuting from suburban Dublin to the city centre seven days a week, I made
sense of the connection between what I was being taught, my daily experiences,
and the impact that changes to transport can have on society. This resulted in
me choosing to pursue a career in Transport Planning, as you can’t have an urban
environment without integrated public transport and road networks.

###### Have you got any words of wisdom for someone starting out in a similar role?

Be prepared to continue learning, ask questions and challenge yourself. While it
is cliché, remember that you never stop learning. The first six months will be
highly informative, learning new skills or adapting existing ones. If you are
ever in doubt about tasks given to you, ask for clarity or assistance, even if
that means calling someone on Teams from home instead of talking to the person
next to you. While it can sometimes be harder in the hybrid model of work to get
answers or know who to ask, do not let it hinder your learning and development.
In a similar fashion, its important to challenge what you know through seeking a
diverse range of tasks and putting yourself out there to take on roles that may
be out of your comfort zone. This will help to ensure that you get a broad range
of experience at the start of your career. But, in doing so, be prepared to ask
colleagues questions, or for explanations and demonstrations on unfamiliar
software programmes – they can help solve a matter much quicker.

###### How does SYSTRA stand out from the rest as a great place to work?

SYSTRA stands out from its rivals as having a much smaller and more focused
Dublin team, which allows for greater cooperation and more direct communication
channels. It has been highly beneficial as a graduate to have the opportunity to
work alongside local Directors who can share their expertise and have open
discussions about the world of transport. The relationship with the UK,
especially through graduate and development events in offices across the two
countries, helps to form an international network with colleagues from all
sectors.

###### With such power in diversity, what unique perspective do you bring to the table?

I feel that having a background outside of Engineering offers greater inclusion
of varied ideas and suggestions, and helps to create diverse opinions. This has
enabled me to provide unique perspectives in project and office-based
discussions, and at times I have encouraged colleagues to rephrase their ideas,
away from technical terms into language more easily understood. As someone who
commutes almost exclusively by public transport, I also have years of experience
as a user that motivates me to improve travel for everyone however I can.

###### Where is the place that has inspired you the most?

Manhattan has always amazed me as a city centre island that more than doubles
its residential population every day due to commuters, tourists, students and
broader city residents that rely on its services. With a complex network of
tunnels, bridges and rivers, all modes of transport (helicopter commuters and
cable cars included!) are present. The grid network that was built for the car
is increasingly being remodelled to suit the 21^(st) Century with bike lanes,
bus corridors and new pedestrianised zones showing us how cities can adapt. The
availability of green space (with Central Park and local squares that host
community events) allows access to open space for leisure and recreation for
everyone in one of the most densely built environments on the planet. There is
also an addictive energy in the city that encourages you to never be still for
long.

###### What does true sustainability really mean to you?

Sustainability means creating a future that is economically, environmentally and
socially viable for everyone. Where all activities globally are done in balance
and harmony with the environment and the resources it provides. Transport is one
of the major pillars of this – from how we get from point A to B, to the
delivery of goods that we need to consume, and in how accessibility to different
forms of transport can provide or hinder opportunities. It also involves
updating building practices to more sustainable methods of construction so that
what is built today does not come at the expense of tomorrow.

###### What would a 󠀁_green future_󠁿 look like?

A green future would be one in which the built environment exists in harmony
with nature, in so far as neighbourhoods are planned with effective land use
zoning, the 15-minute city will be the realised, and commuting long distances
with car parks at every amenity would be considered odd. The production and
distribution of daily goods would be localised and regionalised wherever
possible to minimise transport, with progress in agriculture towards urban and
regenerative farming. A green future is one that compromises between what we
have today and The Line.

###### How do you look after your wellbeing outside of work?

As I spend most of the working day sitting inside, I tend to go straight for the
outdoors once I’m finished. Usually for a walk or a run in my local area. I am
also nearly always planning a holiday or buying concert and festival tickets to
ensure I can get away from the laptop for a few days every so often.

###### If you could spend your lunchbreak with someone you really admire, who would you choose?

I’d enjoy sitting down with US President Joe Biden to discuss his decades in
local and international politics and governance. It would be fascinating to hear
about the changes in the world he has seen and his opinions on being President
during such a dynamic global shift, and throughout such historic events. I would
also ask about his government’s success in guiding the economy through the Covid
pandemic, and in combating inflation whilst implementing some of the largest
fiscal programmes in the US for decades in the areas of transport, society and
the green economy.

###### If you had to pick, which mode of transport would you use for the rest of your life?

I would have to say walking! I love the journey time reliability it offers, and
the pedestrian experience will only improve and become more feasible within a
climate conscious world.

[See all interviews](https://www.systra.com/ireland/en/careers/our-professions/)