Career Journeys

Founder

Pippa Birch

Pippa has been a Bid Writer and Manager for over 20 years and founded Pipster Solutions in 2012. She worked in the highways industry for much of her employment, within the contracting divisions of RMC, Cemex and Aggregate Industries, gained industry-specific qualifications and was a key member of the Institute of Asphalt Technology, editing Asphalt Professional and sitting on the Council. While the majority of her career has been in Highways and civil engineering public procurement, Pippa has also worked on complicated bids in facilities management, custody, and energy. Holding APMP Professional certification, Pippa is also an APMP UK Rapport Mentor and has attended the majority of APMP annual conferences since 2016 and Barcelona in 2024. Away from bidding, Pippa loves mud and taking part in OCR events across the UK. She dreams of escaping to Cornwall to live by the sea!

Bidding Manager 

Jo Brassington

Jo is a very organised, efficient and practical Bid Writer and Manager driven to build collaborative client relationships and achieve results. She currently manages a portfolio of clients, supports team member development and contributes to business growth as a member of the Pipster Business Management Team. Jo is passionate about managing data and working efficiently and is currently building business processes and systems to improve functionality including the creation of a bespoke CRM system and gaining certification as a ISO 9001 BSI Internal Auditor. With over 20 years in quarrying, construction and civil engineering sectors across bidding, marketing and sales roles, Jo brings not only bidding expertise but industry awareness and knowledge to each project providing confidence to her clients. Over the last three years she has completed the APMP Foundation and Practitioner courses, completed a bid mentoring programme and has recently become a STEM Ambassador with the Minerals Matters group and an Enterprise Advisor linked to a local school to promote the industry and sectors to younger people while also progressing her own career.  

Bid Writer

Sajia Ahmed

Sajia is a motivated Bid Writer dedicated to winning client work, pursuing professional development, and making a tangible impact on career promotion within the Bidding Industry. She joined Pipster as a People & Socials Officer while completing her postgraduate studies and, by shadowing Pipster’s team, learned about this exciting field and accepted a bidding role. Sajia has since completed a Bid and Proposal Co-ordinator Apprenticeship, and specialist bid writing and design courses, building technical bid development and writing skills. As Sajia builds her Pipster clientele, she is recognised for her project management skills and collaborative, client-focused approach. As Career Development Champion, Sajia is leading the development of Pipster’s industry-first Bid Writer Insight Programme. Driven by her passion, she aims to make the bidding career better known and encourage young people to select it as a conscious career choice. Sajia will soon embark on the APMP Certification Programme and achieve Foundation.  

Bid Writer

Cathi McKillop

Cathi is a highly organised and thoughtful Bid Writer who brings a strong foundation in writing, analysis and stakeholder engagement from a long career in the education sector, where she worked as a mental health consultant and trainer. Her background in delivering complex information with clarity, supporting clients and producing detailed reports now underpins her approach to structured, high-quality bid development. She achieved APMP Foundation in 2024 and continues to strengthen her professional practice through the APMP Mentor Programme and wider industry learning. Cathi is developing a broad understanding of highways and civil engineering bidding, including NEC contracts, traffic management, structures and road-marking, and contributes to bid production through co-writing, research, compliance support and collaborative development with colleagues. Over the next year she aims to progress into leading bids, managing client relationships and supporting the wider team through editing and quality assurance. She will be attending the annual APMP UK Conference in Newport, Wales. Outside work, Cathi enjoys music, theatre and spending time outdoors, as well as time with her family. She also loves DIY, including home renovation, upcycling, crafting and gardening. Her interest in wellbeing and people-focused work is reflected in her upcoming role as Pipster’s Wellbeing Champion.

Pipster Associate

Hannah Thorne

Hannah is a proactive and conscientious Pipster Associate whose friendly, approachable, and professional nature has seen her build strong relationships with many clients. After joining Pipster Solutions in 2020, she quickly progressed from Bid Writer to Senior Bid Writer and is now an Associate managing and writing large-scale high profile bids for a diverse client base. With eight years’ experience in bidding, Hannah started in the utilities sector and has since worked on many successful highways and civil engineering bids, as well as for the nuclear sector . In addition to bid management and writing, she also has over twenty years’ graphic design experience and uses her excellent eye for detail to elevate bid responses. Since 2021, Hannah has achieved both APMP Foundation and Practitioner Level, as well as Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) Levels 2 and 3.