21/04/2024

Seven Years’ in Sri Lanka, by Chris Bowers

Mynott Bowers Managing Director, Chris Bowers, celebrated his seven years’ work anniversary this week. We asked Chris how he felt about this. His response made us smile so much that we thought we should share it.

“Brad Pitt made a film in 1997 called Seven years in Tibet. I’ve now been in Sri Lanka for seven years and I’d be the first to acknowledge that Brad Pitt and I have very few similarities and that Sri Lanka and Tibet are not remotely similar. It just seemed an opportune way of starting a monologue.

Seven years ago my wife and I landed in Colombo and we knew one person here. We were on a mission to set up a Quantity Surveying company with my new business partner Derek Mynott. Derek’s office then known as Mynott Associates was and still is in Bedford, UK.

On May 1^st 2017 Mynott Bowers began trading in a former doctors’ surgery with five surveyors in support of the Bedford office, which had existed for many more years. We now have over 120 staff in our offices in Colombo and Kandy. The offices are modern, with up to date technology, both software and hardware. Our teams are working on projects across global markets.

I think we’ve built something special here despite the many problems that Sri Lanka has experienced in those years – Easter bombings 2019, Covid, political and financial meltdown. The people here are unbelievably resilient, and the difficulties that they face are met with determination and beautiful smiles. Our staff have been well educated by local universities, are skilled in our role as producers of Bills of Quantities, and work hard to make sure our work is accurate and delivered on time.

The company continues to expand and looks to enter new markets where the bill of quantities is still recognized as a vital part of the tendering and post contract process.

So what about the next seven years? More of the same I think. The Mynott Bowers family is growing in both numbers and experience, and offers its excellent services to an ever-widening client base.

But what about Brad Pitt (it’s how I like to picture myself)? This frustrating, maddening, colourful, lively, magical place is in my blood. After all, it’s not often you see cattle on the streets, or elephants in the parks of West Yorkshire is it??”

Mynott Bowers Group is a provider of high quality cost plans and bills of quantities to contractors and consultants. For your next BQ contact Cassie Larham, our Group Business Development Manager at [email protected]