Leading from the front

Always optimistic, he has a progressive attitude to his work that is reflected in the way he runs consultant firm Rybka. This approach was established following a career-changing move relatively early on in his career. "I started off life with Oscar Faber in 1983, where I spent six years learning the nuts and bolts," he explains. "In 1989 I moved to Arup Associates, working in a multi-discipline environment, this really changed things for me. The company was very open minded about what you could do and what advice you could give. It had quite an influence on the way I built this practice, and to me it's very much the future of building services – engineers should be able to give advice not just on the services but on the whole building."

During his four years at Arup Matson spent a lot of time abroad, working in Japan, Germany and Italy. In 1993 he joined Rybka, where he arrived as director designate. By 1996 he was managing director – the position he holds today.

As part of his vision for the future Matson is keen to see the industry taking the lead on promoting a sustainable future. "Engineers are in the position where we can educate architects and clients on energy usage. As building services engineers we should use the knowledge we have to influence how buildings consume energy in as many ways as possible. If we don't get it right then we don't reduce CO2 emissions, which brings the question then of where is the world going. It is something that I try to instil in my company, and I try to promote it to my clients as well."

Matson has seen a shift in concern of clients in recent times. "Changes in the Building Regulations are forcing my clients to look more carefully at energy efficiency. I'm also finding a lot more of them are asking for environmental impact studies to be performed on potential development sites. It's all part of the increased interest in environmental issues.

"In the past only very large projects requested these studies, now we are finding it is happening further and further down the scale to smaller buildings. People want to know more about outside the buildings too, they want to know about the effects of wind around a building. This really is the leading edge of services engineering, and is one of my personal interests."

Matson believes that one of Rybka's key strengths is its international base, with offices as far apart as Toronto, Orlando and Edinburgh, as well as London. This gives him a global perspective on the role of engineers. "I am noticing now that the USA and Canada are becoming increasingly aware of energy efficiency."

On the subject of what makes a good engineer Matson is adamant: "Something I look for in my engineers is not just their technical know-how but also how they can articulate their ideas to others. It is something I actively encourage in my company. I try to make sure that they are all able to communicate effectively through training."