Joshua Terry reflects on his partner milestone at CSQ and career journey
Now in his fifth year with CSQ, Joshua Terry has reached a significant milestone at the construction-focused consultancy – becoming a Partner. A fitting moment for ConsultancyME to reflect with Joshua on this milestone and the journey that led him to this achievement.
Congratulations on the appointment. What does this actually mean to you beyond the title?
I now have a genuine seat at the table when it comes to the direction of the firm, its culture, and the decisions that shape what CSQ looks like in five years. That’s not something I take lightly.
There’s also a level of insight you gain into what it actually takes to run a business well, the complexity behind the scenes, and the thinking that goes into building something sustainable.
What makes this particularly meaningful is the people I’m joining. The partners at CSQ are people I’ve learned from throughout my time here, and I’m looking forward to continuing to learn from them while contributing something of my own. I’m proud of this company in a way that’s hard to articulate in these short paragraphs. It’s given me a platform to do the best work of my career, in one of the most demanding construction markets in the world.
That sense of mutual accountability, to the firm, to the team, to the clients, is what partnership really means to me. Not a reward for the past decade, but a commitment to the next one.
You’ve been working in the construction landscape all your career. What drew you to the field?
I’ve always been fascinated by buildings. Growing up, I was convinced I’d study architecture, and I actually interned at an architecture studio to test that. Coincidentally, I also interned at a construction firm around the same time, and something about that experience just clicked. The blend of disciplines, construction, economics, law, accounting, design, mathematics, all wrapped into one degree and one career. I felt like it would present more opportunities, and it felt more like me.
From there, my eyes were set on the UAE. As a university student in South Africa, what was being built out here seemed almost otherworldly. Projects of a scale that simply didn’t exist anywhere else. I wanted to be part of that, and I was lucky enough to get that opportunity.
In 2015 I joined PMKConsult in the UAE, and after six years there, I crossed to CSQ. What convinced me to stay and build a career here is harder to pin to one thing, but part of it is that I can drive around Abu Dhabi or Dubai and point to buildings I helped bring to life. That never gets old, and it’s something pretty special about this industry where the work is literally visible, and stands long after the project closes.
You’ve played an important role in driving the growth of CSQ’s Abu Dhabi office. What has this taught you about leadership, responsibility, and building teams?
The clearest thing it’s taught me is that leadership is mostly about the unglamorous stuff. Showing up consistently, being direct when things are uncertain, making decisions you can stand behind even when you’d rather wait for more information. The visible moments of leadership are rare. It’s the quiet, daily ones that actually define you.
Building a team in the UAE adds a dimension that’s genuinely unique. You’re working with people from different countries, different professional backgrounds, different cultural expectations around communication, authority, and ambition. You can’t lead with a single template. You have to understand each person individually, what motivates them, how they receive feedback, what kind of support actually helps them grow.
Gaining this experience has made me a much better communicator, and a more patient one, I think.
What I’m most proud of is the team we’ve built. They’re incredibly talented, they’re committed, and a significant part of what CSQ and I have achieved in Abu Dhabi is down to them. The growth hasn’t been mine alone, and I wouldn’t want anyone to think it was.
Looking back at your career, what have been five defining moments that shaped your journey and growth?
There have been many, but if I had to choose five, I would go for these moments:
Landing in the UAE as an intern, and never really leaving
I came over for a one-month internship while simultaneously finalising and submitting my dissertation to complete my degree in Quantity Surveying back in South Africa. That internship turned into a full-time offer straight out of university, something I am still incredibly grateful for to this day.
Being thrown into a multi-million dollar construction dispute, practically from day one
Working on a major claims case as a junior quantity surveyor was not a conventional start, and I knew it at the time. It forced me to understand contracts deeply, develop real attention to detail, and appreciate just how much hinges on proper project administration. The moment that defined it further was being the only person from that team selected to join a senior group of claims professionals on a second major dispute.
That world, claim preparation, defence, dispute resolution strategy, wasn’t one I’d anticipated entering so early, but the foundation it gave me in contract knowledge has shaped how I think about commercial management ever since.
Achieving RICS chartership
This was a huge milestone for me, and I have a lot of respect for everyone who commits to the process. It’s no easy task, and takes many hours of effort. Earning those letters meant something because of what the journey required, not just the outcome.
Joining CSQ and being handed responsibility for the Abu Dhabi office
This was a big one for me. Suddenly I wasn’t just responsible for my own work, I was responsible for a team, for building something, and for setting the tone of the culture and direction of an office. It taught me more about myself as a professional than any single project I’d done before.
Appointment to Partner
I’ve spent a decade in the UAE working toward this, and it means a lot. I’m proud of what it represents, and genuinely excited about what comes next.
