Published: 21 May 2025
Adam Sneddon is a Director at Greenhatch Group Ltd and is now part of TSA’s Council, sitting on our Technical Committee. We caught up with him to find out about how he got started in surveying and how he came to join TSA Council.
Becoming a surveyor
Adam freely admits he practically ‘fell into’ surveying, applying for a job he saw advertised after he graduated from university without a clear idea of what he wanted to do next. He may have entered the profession by accident but many years later he has built a career as a surveyor and has no regrets.
Starting out at a survey company specialising in underground utility surveys, he immediately loved the variety of the work. As a trainee surveyor, he visited different sites every day and became quickly absorbed in the technical side of the work, developing a particular interest in AutoCAD. As a sports enthusiast, he particularly enjoyed spending a lot of time at work outdoors, but he liked the combination of being office-based for some of the time too. Another memory from these trainee days is being pleased to see a project through from the start to the finish.
Adam says,
“Educating young people about careers in surveying in so important. I think it’s vital to convey the variety of the work. Every day can be different and you have the opportunity to use this cutting edge technology. It’s a very rewarding career and I really want school leavers to understand that.”
Memories of rats and royalty
A particularly memorable moment from Adam’s career to date was exploring London’s amazing network of Victorian sewers, including some encounters with large rats, who were fortunately intent on getting away from the surveying team as rapidly as possible. Another day to remember was carrying out work on a military base on the same day as the late Queen was due to visit. Adam was urged to conceal himself around a corner so his high vis jacket and hard hat didn’t spoil the scene for the VIP visitors!
As well as being keen to inform the next generation about opportunities in survey, Adam is also enthusiastic about the importance of regulation and maintaining standards in the profession, especially when it comes to underground surveys, through initiatives such as PUMA. He firmly believes that showcasing best practice and skills sharing are among the best ways to upskill surveyors, ranging from the smallest teams up to the largest survey companies. Sharing this belief with our President, Claire Fenwick, on a chance encounter at Heathrow airport en route to the United States, following last November’s TSA Conference, Adam was encouraged to ‘put his money where his mouth is’ and stand for Council. He says,
“It’s great to be involved more with the running of TSA and to be part of the Technical Committee. My appreciation for the technology involved in surveying has grown even more as my career has developed. The evolution of GPS and GPR has transformed our role and had a huge impact on our capabilities. The next step for surveying will be adopting AI and integrating it where it can be most helpful to us. That’s going to be a fundamental change for our profession and a very exciting next step.”
To find out more about TSA Council, go to https://www.tsa-uk.org.uk/about-tsa/our-team/.
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