Maddie 'Maddie' Eggerton is a new addition to the Igne team.  Joining in October 2020 as an Operations Support team member, Maddie has quickly settled into her new role and become a valued member of the team.

In this week’s Staff Spotlight, we want to introduce Maddie to the wider SafeLane Global family.

How was starting a new job in the midst of a global pandemic?

To be honest, it hasn’t been too different.  We’re in Wales so the rules have been slightly different for our offices than for the ones in Ross-on-Wye and Gillingham.

During my initial training, I was able to be in office.  We’re quite a small team.  Most people have their own office and I only share with Adrian, this has meant social distancing has been easy.  It was really nice to get some in person time with people while I was settling in.  A lot of the team have been there for years, so this face-to-face time felt really important.

This also meant that when regulations changed (yet again, haha) I was fully trained up and could easily adapt to working from home.

Can you tell us a little bit about your role at Igne?

As an Operations Support team member, I help ensure that the drillers and electricians have everything they need to conduct their work on site.  This involved ordering all the materials for them and making sure they have the required paperwork.  When our guys need to travel, I also take care of all their accommodation for them.

I also spend a lot of time speaking to clients and providing them with support.  This often involves giving them updates or booking in needed work for them.  I also directly deal with our suppliers.  It means I get a full view of our operations; I liaise with all involved parties.  This has been particularly useful for my initial training as I get a good insight into all the puzzle pieces that are needed for ops.

What did you do before working as Operations Support Executive?

For the last 3 years I worked as a Leading Technical Advisor for Kingspan, an insulation company. 

I specialised in providing U-value calculations for all types of buildings.  These are essentially a heat loss calculation. 

This job provided me with good knowledge of all aspects of construction, how buildings are built and all the materials involved. 

This must mean you’re ready for the GSHP side of things?

At the moment I’ve been focused on boreholes, but as I learn more I do hope so!  Richard seems to like continual learning as the markets adapt, so maybe this skill will come in useful.

So, what made you apply to work for Igne?

I wanted to stay within the construction industry, and this was the job in the area that appealed to me.

In another previous role I managed a team of engineers and priced jobs and provided a lot of operational support.  I had loved this job!  When I looked at the job description for my role at Igne, there was a lot of cross over so I felt confident that I could do a good job and that I would enjoy it. 

What are you enjoying most about your new role?

I really enjoy speaking with and helping the drillers out with whatever they need.  Sometimes they have tight deadlines on things so it’s a good sense of achievement when I can deliver.   Also, it means I get to talk to everyone which is really nice.   Organising things on time and providing support definitely provides a sense of achievement.  I like to see the end result and the completion of a job well done.

Are there any exciting new operations you’re supporting at the moment?

Well, I know we’re at Eden Springs in Scotland at the moment.  This sort of knowledge will come with more time.  At the moment, my primary focus is ensuring that the guys are all set up to do what they need to do, and the client has work booked in. 

With time I’m sure I’ll start learning about what caused variety in between projects.

What is it like being part of a wider group of companies?

I like it - it’s such a small company and we don’t have IT support or marketing on site, so it’s nice that there is a wider group with these functions.  It’s good to be able to call on external teams for support.

Being part of a group also requires new learning and adaptation.  We’re getting a new database as part of a wider IT project.  So that’s something that comes from being a group, enhanced systems.

It will be nice to find out a bit more about what everyone else across the company does as hopefully lockdown restrictions eventually ease, and I can meet more people.

Have you learnt anything interesting so far? If so, what?

Well, a lot of it has been building on my existing knowledge and experience, which has been nice.

But obviously I’ve had to learn all about boreholes! I find that interesting, how water is supplied by drilling down into the earth to access aquifers.  That’s been a new thing.  I’ve never really thought too much about the process of getting water to our taps before - we’re very lucky that we turn them on and there it is.  So, it’s been good to understand everything involved in delivering water supplies.

What is the biggest challenge you deal with in your role?

When Rich or one of the drillers need the seemingly impossible! 

It’s the kind of culture where I push hard to achieve what I can but will be listened to if a timeline needs updating.

Sometimes things on site are needed urgently and I need to find suppliers that can meet challenging deadlines.  The longer I’m here the more I’ll expand on my network of super speedy suppliers.

It’s just about making sure communications are strong to manage expectations - of the team more than the clients!  In construction, timelines can change a lot and you need to be adaptable.

Maddie is a welcome addition to the team at Igne.  It has been wonderful to begin to get to know the team since the merger and it is good to see this side of the business growing so successfully.  To everyone in the wider SafeLane family, please extend a warm welcome to Maddie!