According to a BBC article, the average person stays with a company for around 5 years, so to be here for 4 times that speaks volumes about the nature of the business, my colleagues and my own professional growth.  And, looking back over the last two decades, there have been immense change in the business and also a lot of personal growth and it hasn’t always been easy.

After serving in the Royal Engineers as a Construction Materials Technician and Combat Engineer, I decide to leave the forces in 2004, but had already made my mind up that I wanted to stay in the geotechnical industry.  On 6th September 2004, I started my new role as a Senior Technician with Terra Tek, working beside our very own David McGiff from day one.

I was immediately deployed on site, appointed to the Ravenscraig Development Project to oversee the long-term earthworks and site testing programme for 2 years.

My journey then continued with Terra Tek - but I was now working in the laboratory operations and progressed from Laboratory & Quality Supervisor to Senior Quality Manager for all of the UK labs over the next 13yrs.

During this period, the laboratory expanded its testing scope significantly, bring in a number of new site accreditations and the introduction of a bespoke aggregate testing facility at Airdrie.  Our UKAS performances improved year on year and the commitment to quality was evident when Terra Tek gained ISO: 9001: 2015 accreditation and the new ISO 17025: 2017 with their first Integrated Management System.  A fantastic achievement by all!

My career then took a twist in 2019, when I was approached to take over the role as QSHE Manager at our sister company, Raeburn Drilling and Geotechnical.  This was a difficult decision as I enjoyed my time at Terra Tek and I still had ambitions with the labs, but it was an opportunity I had to take.

Moving into this role came with a lot of extra responsibility, but as I do with most challenges, I tackled it head on.

This was an extremely rewarding role but also a difficult one, particularly during the covid years.  I love new challenges, and I have always enjoyed learning, so applied myself fully to the role, and after many long nights of study and dedication, I earned my BSc in Health and Safety Management with distinction and gained Chartered IOSH status, which was my ultimate objective.

The acquisition of the Raeburn group of companies, which included Terra Tek, by SafeLane Global was another opportunity for personal growth.  As Group QHSE Lead, the challenges of integration and amalgamation of processes and people was exciting and the formation of Igne brought everyone under one name with one common direction.

Now, as Igne’s ESG and Regulatory Risk Director, some challenges remain, and new challenges emerge.  I want to continue to develop our safety culture, our sustainability, to become the Tier 1 contractor of choice and to support all my colleagues to ensure collectively we can be the best we can.

To get there takes dedication, commitment, tenacity, courage of convictions to do the right thing and a willingness to change for the better.

I read a quote once from Madeleine Albright, 64th United Sates Secretary of State: “Whatever the job you are asked to do at whatever level, do a good job because your reputation is your resume.”  This resonates with me personally and I firmly believe if you always aim to give your all, strive for high standards and want to be the best you can be, you will succeed.

So, what has kept me here for 20 years?  I enjoy learning, being challenged, sharing my knowledge and experiences and knowing that it is acceptable to make mistakes, but only if you make them once.  My journey with Igne and my past roles within its groups businesses has not always been easy - but it has definitely been character building and certainly highly rewarding.

Thank you to all the friends and colleagues who have supported me in all my roles and given me many laughs over the last 20 years…Here’s to another 20 - cheers!