There is a lot of social media focus on Soilfix and the projects that we are working on, but none of this would be possible without our valued employees. From pumping injection wells in the cold to recording waste tickets from the comfort of a warm office, every employee plays a vital and valuable role. The ‘Employee Spotlight’ series introduces you to our staff and in turn, gives a round of literary applause to each. We continue this series for July with;
Naomi Hattam, Technical Bid Manager
- Briefly describe how you spend your day
I am typically awoken by the comfort pinching of my five year old (aka lobster child), who still insists on sneaking into bed with me.
A frantic search for water bottles and a speed walk to school with my two boys.
On arrival at work I send Steve Jackson (my work husband) a snapshot of my diary for the day and we normally exchange some banter on our previous evening’s activities,
finally touching on our day’s objectives.
My day normally then comprises of Teams meetings (internal reviews of our latest bids and client meetings), a few cheeky exchanges with suppliers,
as well as the technical design and costing of projects (typically ranging in value from between £250,000 to £2-3 million).
- What is the best thing about your job?
The best thing about my job is the variety and the people!
I love everyone that I work with, having been in the industry nearly 20 years now, I am lucky to have lots of colleagues that I consider to be close friends – fellow employees, consultants, suppliers, clients (and many ex-colleagues in rival companies – you know who you are! 😉). I would do anything for any of these people on a ‘work or personal front’.
I love that no day is the same – love getting my head into the site data and coming up with innovative approaches to tackling contamination and enabling works. You could say I have a ‘love/hate’ relationship with the pressure of deadlines!
- What is the best thing about working for Soilfix?
Again, hands down the people. Designing and pricing contaminated land remediation is educated guesswork (sorry to let the cat out the bag) – we draw upon our experience, the technical data, and our creative side. Risk evaluation is critical to all elements of design and costing – having your colleagues backs underpins this! Working together to find solutions when the unexpected arises – be that buried barrels of solvent or a badger making its home in your contaminated stockpile, is critical. The formation of a close-knit team also promotes excellent standards of health and safety providing personnel with confidence to step forward and make suggestions for improvements. I love the positive, open, working environment of Soilfix. As a working mum, the flexibility provided in my working hours has been phenomenal.
- Proudest moment so far working for Soilfix?
I am not sure about this, every time I submit a bid and we get positive feedback on it I feel fulfilled. I take a great deal of pride in my work and I am always trying to better what we do.
I am proud of pulling together a really effective bid team, where everyone’s expertise is drawn upon.
- What do you like to do outside of work?
I love downhill mountain biking and camping with my boys. I adore my garden and never fail to come back with a new rose from the garden centre!
Coffee ‘with the girls’ and the odd Bellini or Prosecco never fails to put a smile on my face.
- What inspires you?
As above really – the people that I work with. The conversations, the challenges of each site, coming up ‘as a team’ with innovative designs and ways to save our clients’ money.
Once asked “what motives me to work so hard” I can honestly say that for me, it is bringing in that next job, guaranteeing the job security of all the lovely people that I work with
– colleagues and suppliers alike.
- Fill in the blank: I once met ….
Being honest, if I met someone famous I probably wouldn’t even notice! To me everyone is important – I have always said that our administrators including the ‘office mum’
(we all have one) and the cleaners should be paid the most (and thanked the most).
- If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
Oh it would definitely be ‘to learn to surf’ hence one is now suggesting business development meetings on the wonderful surf lake ‘The Wave’ that recently opened in Bristol.
So please feel free to contact me regarding any projects and we can discuss it on the water! No skill required!
- What’s your Monday morning ‘motivational shower song’?
I don’t sing in the shower – I have the worst voice ever! George Evans, Soilfix’s Managing Director has however noted my love for playing ‘drum and bass’ very loud in my car.
- What are five words (or less) of advice for others in your profession?
Work hard, play hard….
