Breaking Ground - Stephanie Naidoo

Most people have little idea what a quantity surveyor does. It’s a question Stephanie hears all the time. “My usual response is, ‘I count bricks and play with plaster’,” she laughs.

It’s a tongue-in-cheek description of a profession that operates largely behind the scenes. While architects and engineers often take the spotlight, quantity surveyors keep construction projects financially on track from concept to completion. “Behind every successful construction team is a quantity surveyor making sure the numbers work, the contracts hold together, and the dream stays affordable.”

Stephanie graduated from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2019 after completing degrees in Property Development and Quantity Surveying. “I've always been a muddy princess,” she says. “I didn't want to spend my entire career behind a desk.”

The profession also demands a solid understanding of mathematics, accounting and construction. “More often than not, a QS ends up being an on-site lawyer, psychologist, mediator and judge. You’re dealing with people as much as numbers.”

While she still loves the buzz of a construction site and the roar of heavy machinery, the biggest reward comes from watching a project evolve from an idea into reality. “Years from now, I’ll be able to point at an estate, hospital or shopping centre and say, ‘I was part of the team that built that.’ That’s exhilarating.”

As rewarding as the work is, being a woman in a traditionally male-dominated industry has presented its own challenges. “You're constantly having to prove that you deserve your title,” she says. Early in her career, she often felt excluded from the camaraderie of all-male construction teams. Rather than confronting the issue, she broke the ice with a light-hearted joke.

She later discovered colleagues had been taking bets on how long she would last in the role. Today, she works for Arcis, where she is judged on her ability rather than her gender. “I don't think women need to become ‘one of the boys’ to succeed. You can be knowledgeable, decisive and respected while still being unapologetically feminine.” She continues, “Ultimately, people don’t remember whether you were the woman on the team; they remember whether you were good at your job.”