With our new Head of Competence, Amanda Schmidt Villumsen, ABC now has in-depth expertise in the technical regulations and stricter requirements often associated with construction projects in the industrial, utility, life sciences, and similar sectors
In September, ABC’s fire safety division was expanded and now consists of 15 people spread across departments on Zealand and in Jutland. With our new Head of Competence, we are not only deepening our fire safety expertise—we are also gaining entirely new capabilities to draw upon
Amanda Schmidt Villumsen holds a master’s degree in engineering from DTU, where she initially specialized more in structural engineering and worked during her studies at the construction firm NCC. But in her first full-time job after graduation—as a Fire Engineer and Consultant at the Danish Emergency Management Agency—she quickly became immersed in the field of fire safety:
“When I joined the Agency, I’d actually spent most of my time working in the field of structural engineering, but there I came to realize the complexities and technical challenges of working with flammable substances. I really had the opportunity to immerse myself in hazardous gases, liquids, and the like, and I practically became half a chemist while working there.”
After 2.5 years at the Danish Emergency Management Agency, she moved to the engineering firm Artelia, where she served as a Fire Safety Consultant and Specialist in industrial, life sciences, utilities, warehousing, and logistics projects from 2021 to 2026. There, she has not only been a leading technical expert in the field but has also helped expand the discipline:
“My colleagues and I had long felt that there was a lack of courses and training in technical regulations, so I was one of the initiators in establishing them. I’m very familiar with the Emergency Preparedness Act and the technical regulations, both from my time working on the regulatory side of the industry and as a consultant, and with that insight, I’ve helped develop course materials and teach the subject.”
She elaborates that on some projects, it is virtually impossible to do without these flammable substances:
"These flammable liquids, gases, and solids are, after all, often essential materials in the industrial, manufacturing, research, and utility sectors, so they can be difficult to avoid entirely. So instead, we have to learn how to handle and store them as safely as possible."
This expertise, insight, and teaching experience will also be central aspects of her role as Head of Competency at ABC, Amanda explains:
"I’ve already started developing and creating internal templates and tools in close collaboration with my new colleagues, where we’re working on some exciting automation tools, among other things. And I’m really passionate about teaching and sharing my knowledge! This subject can be a bit dry and heavy, and it’s great to try to convey it in an exciting and engaging way. So, of course, I’ll also be the go-to sounding board and mentor for everything related to technical regulations and the Emergency Preparedness Act.”
In addition to helping spread these skills throughout the company, Amanda will also play a key role on some of ABC’s largest and most complex industrial projects:
"The technical regulations impose stricter requirements, which often come into play on projects in this sector. Here, I’ll work closely with my fire safety consultant colleagues, the project managers, and other specialists at ABC, and I’ll also be closely involved in dealing with regulatory authorities through dialogue, the application process, and similar tasks.”
In her project work, Amanda has a particular fondness for and interest in the early phases of projects, when the opportunities to shape the construction are greatest:
"I really love the initial phase and always want to be involved as early as possible. There’s something incredibly satisfying about finding the right solutions to meet the requirements as early as the idea and concept phases, so that fire safety considerations don’t end up being an afterthought late in the project, when it’s often difficult (and expensive) to implement the solutions.”
Regarding her decision to join ABC, Amanda explains that she got a really good first impression of the company:
"I was basically happy in my previous job, but when I was invited to an interview at ABC by Burak and my new manager, Christian, I still became curious about what they had to offer. And that just led to a really great conversation with both of them, where I had a clear sense that my thoughts and expectations for the role were being taken into consideration. Shortly after the interview, they followed up on my interest, and all the practical details went off without a hitch afterward—everything was handled with complete professionalism, which I really appreciate."
