What made you want to pursue a career in engineering?

I was always intrigued by how things worked and finding a solution to a problem.

How did your journey in engineering begin?

Well, I actually started off training as an architect but when I was working at a company for a placement from college, my 18-year-old brain found it so boring!!  Drawing plan views of trees all day was so tedious that I switched my focus to engineering.

My college was happy to let me do this, and I found it more interesting, and my journey began!

What has been the biggest lesson you have learned over the years?

There is an old engineering proverb: ‘Measure twice, cut once’.

That will never not be true, because once it is cut, if it is wrong, you’ll be starting again.  And people do not like starting again!!

What is your favourite thing about your job?

Working in design, it is starting with an idea or a problem and finding a solution to that, working through all the different stages, and then seeing it turned into a real-life thing.

And no job is ever the same, no problem is ever the same, so the solution is never the same.

I once worked for a company that made stages and sets for gigs and tours.  And designing stages for Beyonce & Jay Z and the Spice Girls and seeing my designs turned into actual working things is my favourite thing.

And that goes for every job I’ve worked on. No job is ever the same.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue a career in engineering?

Never be afraid to ask questions, no matter how stupid you think it might be.

If it helps you get the job done and helps you see a client’s vision or what a colleague is trying to get to, there are no stupid questions.

When working on the Beyonce & Jay Z project I’ve mentioned, we had designed a part of the stage that would rise up and move out over the crowd with Beyonce and Jay Z on it, doing their thing.

We nearly had to scrap the whole thing because Jay Z did not like it.  This was a huge part of a £4.5m project.

Until I asked the question ‘Is Jay Z scared of heights?’

He had to admit that he was and Beyonce told him to buck up and the project went ahead and was a huge success for them and us!!!

So, never be afraid to ask questions.