What kind of engineering challenge really motivates you at the start of a new project? 

For me, anything that is bespoke is always interesting. Anything where it’s something that I haven’t seen before, something where I need to learn something in order to do it, I always think is really good. Those projects are an opportunity to take experience and problem-solving methodologies and apply them to something completely new. That’s always really interesting to me.

At the moment, I’m finding the nuclear stuff really engaging. It’s a whole new sector for me and it’s quite a fascinating area of science and engineering. That always gets me going from an engineering perspective.

Is there a skill you’ve developed at Eadon that you didn’t expect to rely on as much as you do? 

At Eadon, because it’s a small team, you get the opportunity to do a little bit of everything. We work in lots of different sectors as well, so there’s a lot of varied work. I think it’s that ability to be flexible and apply your ways of working to completely new scenarios.

You’re faced with a new scenario so you have to think ‘What do I do?’ ‘How do I approach it?’ That’s really our day-to-day at Eadon – trying to apply our engineering problem-solving to new things. So I think that’s probably the skill I’ve been developing the most – how to find a route through and a good solution on a challenge that I haven’t come across before.

What does a particularly good day at work look like for you?

I’m particularly enjoying nuclear site visits at the moment.

I also really enjoy it in the office when there’s lots of people in and we’re working collaboratively on a new project. Sitting around a table with a blank sheet of paper and talented colleagues and going, right, ‘What are we going to do?’ And ‘How are we going to do this?’ I find that particularly enjoyable.

What’s something you’ve learned from a colleague that’s changed how you approach your own work? 

Watching how Eadon Director Jim works has been really good for me. His approach is often to really ask questions and understand what the problem actually is and what we’re trying to solve. 

Being curious, breaking things down into component parts, and taking it back to basics has made a big difference.

When projects become complicated, what helps you stay focused? 

The thing that makes things complicated is when you have lots of things running all at once and systems feeding into each other. Using tools like Miro to throw post-its everywhere, do flowcharts, and make sequence diagrams is really helpful. It helps you see how the individual parts constitute the whole. 

It’s also about revisiting plans frequently. You might get new information, so you go back and change the plan and revise it. Having good people around you who can help keep you on track is really important as well.

How important is collaboration in the way you like to work? 

I think it’s vital. Without collaboration, you’ll never really get to the optimum outcome. That applies internally and externally.

Working closely with clients, asking questions, and really getting to the bottom of what they actually want means you come up with a solution that really solves their problems.

Within the team, everybody has different skills. It’s great to be able to say this isn’t my specialty and ask for help. There’s usually someone who can jump in. That suits me really well.

How does being based in the Lakes influence your working day and work-life balance? 

Living in the Lakes is a dream. It’s such a beautiful place to live and so close to the mountains and lakes. The opportunity to get out into the great outdoors is second to none.

It’s great being able to work a really interesting engineering job, then put tools down and go out into the outdoors. The office is actually very close to my house, so instead of the long London commute I used to have, I’ve got a very pleasant walk down the hill with a view of the mountains. You can’t really beat that. 

What part of your working week do you particularly look forward to? 

I really like it when we sit down as a team and discuss what’s going on. The Monday meeting is always quite interesting – seeing what everybody’s working on and what’s coming in. 

I also love getting my head into a CAD model for a few hours. That’s always good fun. 

And anything where I can get in the workshop and do something hands on — 3D printing, building something, testing something. Being in the workshop is always a favourite part of my week.

What would your colleagues be surprised to learn about you?

They might be surprised to learn that I play drums in a touring metal band. We do shows around the country and have quite a number of listeners now. I probably present as a fairly quiet, introverted engineer type, but then I’m also playing in this noisy touring band, which is good fun.

Aside from your music, what else do you like to do outside of work? 

Living here, it’s all about the outdoors – getting out in the hills, mountain biking, canoeing, walking and hiking. Usually, if I’m not in the workshop or travelling for band stuff, I’m out and about in the Lakes doing outdoor stuff. 

 Tell us about your car restoration project.

It’s a Japanese two-seater sports car from the 70s, so it’s nearly 50 years old. It was imported from California. I wanted to do something practical with my time and apply some of the engineering I learn at work in a practical way. I really liked the idea of taking something that’s feeling a bit sorry for itself and transforming it into something special. I’ve been doing a rolling restoration – sorting mechanical bits like suspension, brakes, engine work and interior, getting it running and on the road, then fixing things as they come up. 

Ultimately, it’ll need a full strip down and repaint. It’s really satisfying to have something on the road that you’ve taken apart and put time and effort into.