I am the Team Leader in the Cleanroom, where I manage a small team responsible for assembling and testing all of Castlet’s electronic products.

Whether those assemblies are destined for our industrial equipment or aerospace applications, my team ensures every product is built and tested to the highest standards before it reaches our customers. Alongside my day-to-day role, I am also a Director of our Employee-Owned Trust, representing the interests of my colleagues and helping to support the future of the business.

What inspired you to start your role at Castlet?

I’m not sure it was inspiration!

I already knew how to solder electronics and a friend mentioned there was a job available at Castlet. I applied, joined the company, and 42 years later I’m still here – so there is certainly something about Castlet that has suited me over the years!

After more than four decades with the business, I’ve assembled and soldered just about every product Castlet has produced.

That includes our current product range as well as many of the legacy products and spare parts that we continue to support for customers around the world.

I was the first person in the company to build our ventilator respirators, and I’ve built them ever since. When I think about how many products I’ve worked on over the years that have been shipped all over the world, it’s something I’m incredibly proud of.

What has been your most rewarding career moment to date?

There are lots of things that are rewarding about working for a smaller company like Castlet, but for me it’s always been about the people.

One of my proudest moments actually involves my daughter, Olivia. She worked at Castlet during her gap year before going to university to study medicine.

She often says that the precision and fine motor skills she developed assembling electronics here helped prepare her for surgery. Seeing her graduate as a doctor last month was an incredibly proud moment, and it’s lovely to think that her time at Castlet played a small part in that journey.

One of the things I value most is that we’re a smaller business.

Everyone knows each other well, and because of that, we can work together to solve problems quickly and support one another when challenges arise. No company is without its difficulties, but it’s how you deal with them that matters.

We also have a lot of long-serving employees, which creates a strong sense of culture and continuity throughout the business. Since becoming employee-owned, that feeling has only grown stronger, with everyone having a shared interest in the company’s success.

What are your predictions for the future of the industry? Do you expect any challenges, and how will they be overcome?

As well as having many long-serving employees, we also have younger people joining the business, and I’d love to see Castlet continue to grow so they can enjoy the same kind of long and rewarding careers that I have.

It’s always satisfying to see people develop their skills and progress within the company, and I think that combination of experience and fresh ideas puts Castlet in a really strong position for the future.

Whether it’s adapting to new technologies or responding to changing customer requirements, I’m confident we’ll continue to succeed by working together, just as we always have.

Get in touch with the Castlet team today to find out how we can support your aerospace, ESP or industrial engineering requirements.