Paul de Cort - Getting To Know You

One of the key members of our consulting team, Paul de Cort has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things P6. He’s been working with the Primavera toolset for his entire career and when he returned to the UK following a long stint based in Hong Kong we were delighted to welcome him to the RPC team. We’ve discovered he’s a demon at 10-pin bowling and has a very unusual type of pet! Find out more about what makes Paul tick. 

Where are you based? 

I live in a charming ground-floor flat in West London. Before this, I spent 14 years in Hong Kong, which offers a much more picturesque setting and terrific views across Victoria Harbour.

Tell us a bit about yourself

I was born and raised in Essex as the youngest of three children, with the unique twist of being a twin! I've been happily married for 17 wonderful years. 

How has your career path brought you to RPC?

I’ve worked with Primavera products throughout my entire career. My first job after university was in Technical Support at Primavera, before it was acquired by Oracle. Since then, I’ve focused on implementing, training, and using Primavera products across various roles, either with integrators like RPC or on major infrastructure projects such as Thameslink (Network Rail), the Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal (Hong Kong), and the Three Runway System (also in Hong Kong). When we returned to England from Hong Kong, I reconnected with my former network. 

What attracted you to RPC? 

The opportunity to work with former colleagues (thank you, John!) in a close-knit team really appealed to me - it felt reminiscent of the strong connections we had during the early days at Primavera. 

What are you working on right now?  

As a Senior Consultant at RPC, I work on a range of project controls and P6-related initiatives. Currently, I’m involved in two major projects. One involves developing and delivering an ‘Integrated Project Controls’ training course for Leonardo, with nine four-day sessions scheduled nationwide for their staff. The other is with Babcock at Devonport Royal Dockyard, where I’m leading a team on several tasks, including drafting their newly approved detailed planning procedure, documenting and training staff on schedule migration, and creating bespoke online training materials for their ongoing use. 

Sprinkle in some pre-sales support; updating the RPC training materials, supporting the technical team and other minor projects – I’m generally pretty busy! 

What do you like best about your job? 

What I enjoy most about my job is helping people. I love sharing my extensive knowledge and experience in P6, planning, and scheduling to empower others and make them more efficient in their roles. 

What do you do in your spare time? 

Last year, I started a new hobby – beekeeping! I find bees to be fascinating creatures, and it’s incredible how much we rely on them for our food crops, far more than many people realise. For some exercise, I also enjoy playing touch rugby. 

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? 

When I was a child, I wanted to be a firefighter. Unfortunately, due to a hearing impairment caused by measles when I was around 3 or 4, that dream became impossible. The illness damaged the nerve leading to my brain, leaving me completely deaf in one ear. C’est la vie! 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? 

Be kind to people. You never know what they might be going through. 

What’s on your desk? 

Usual office paraphernalia (laptop, monitor etc.) plus some snacks – twiglets and usually Jamaican ginger cake (though no chocolate as I’m allergic) – a half-solved Rubik’s cube and a big mug of tea. Oh – and of course, my RPC squishy bricks! 

How do you like your tea? 

One sugar, strong and plentiful! Keep the tea-bag in to let the ‘anti-oxidants’ out … 

Dog or cat? 

I like both but don’t want the responsibility of a pet… The bees can pretty much look after themselves most of the time. 

If your house was on fire, what 3 things would you save? 

Assuming my family is safe, I’d save my NAS (where all my photos and documents are backed up), a box of old printed photographs (remember when we used to print them on actual paper?), and my grandmother’s mantle clocks - I love the charming chimes on the hour and half-hour!

What would your superpower be?

I’d love to be multilingual and be able to speak fluently with anyone I meet.