What is your greatest achievement inside of work?
I would say controlling the business through COVID. It was an uncertain time and as a team we managed to survive and get through it relatively unscathed.
What is your greatest achievement outside of work?
Climbing Stromboli – an very active volcano just off Sicily.
What are the things you have done at Haden Freeman that you are the proudest about?
I suppose continuing the legacy of my predecessors, John Freeman and Nigel Hirst. Hopefully ensuring HFL is still the place where people enjoy coming to work.
What is your best working memory?
When I used to write and commission the engineering software for our plants. I loved getting things up and running.
A stand-out memory is the ÂŁ30M TIC plant we designed and built in Romania. We were there for months on end working long days and sometimes nights. Seeing the result with everything working and producing as it should was particularly satisfying.
If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?
I would love to be more patient and my wife would probably agree. I could also do with a nose job.
What do you consider your greatest strengths?
I suppose that I’m tireless at working and can I make things happen. I get things done and I will undertake things that other people maybe wouldn’t do so.
Optimism. I’m a glass half full person. If something knocks me back I’ll start again and try to improve.
What is the favourite part of your job?
I really love winning work. It’s great when its busy and there’s a  buzz about the office.
What is your best memory from your childhood?
Although I lived on a poor council estate we backed onto Barton Moss so I had a wonderful time playing in the fields, woods, streams and around the local airport. I had a fantastic childhood.
I loved school too. I met some great friends there and we’re still in close contact today.
What has been your favourite holiday destination?
I’ve been lucky enough to travel the world both on holiday and to work. My favourite place in Europe is Italy with Cyprus a close second. Outside Europe, it’s a tie between Japan and USA with Hawaii as my all time favourite place.
What are some of your hobbies outside of work?
I used to play quite a lot of football and ski every year.  My right knee isn’t so great anymore so I’ve taken up flying!
I’m currently training to be a light aircraft pilot which I’m really enjoying but I also love socialising so it doesn’t always go hand in hand.
What motivates you to come to work each day?
I love the people and I love the job.
What was your worst job interview and why?
There have been a couple:
1.    Losing an instrument engineering  job to one of my friends who wasn’t an instrument engineer.
2.    Being  told I didn’t know a thing about instrument engineering (I didn’t) but being recruited because “you seem like a nice chap” by a gentleman named John Todd.
What would you do if you won the lottery?
I would definitely not give up work. I would love to help out the people close to me and look after them.
What are your five top qualities?
1. Â Â Â Fun / sense of humour.
2. Â Â Â Energetic / passionate.
3. Â Â Â Resilience.
4. Â Â Â Positivity
5. Â Â Â Fairness
Who inspired you to make you want to pursue your career within engineering industry?
As a young engineer, John Todd, my manager at Laporte inspired me tremendously. He also became a wonderful friend.
Here at Haden Freeman it was Nigel Hirst, my old boss, who gave me the freedom and support to make my own way within the company.
As a kid what did you want to be when you grow up?
Initially Batman, but as I got older, a geologist. My plan was to study geology, physics and maths A levels at sixth form college. However reading the school notice board I was transfixed by an advertisement requesting applications for an Eccles engineering apprenticeship paying ÂŁ20/week. My mates were on around ÂŁ16/week so I applied and consequently started at Fluor in 1976. It ended up being ÂŁ26 a week which was even better and a lot of money back then.
If you were to give your younger self some advice what would that be?
Back then I had the tendency to be hot headed so going back to a previous question I would advise myself to be much more patient.
Where do you see yourself in the next 10 Years?
Still alive hopefully!!
Maybe to become the Chairman of Haden Freeman and hopefully pass my private pilot licence whilst I’m still young enough to fly. I don’t see myself retiring from work or from partying.
If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
On a gently erupting volcano in Hawaii!
I still have a keen interest in geology and I do travel to places in the hope of seeing an active volcano and possibly explore the lava fields. So far I’ve been pretty unlucky. They are either violently erupting so I can’t get near or have ceased erupting so there’s nothing to see.
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