Monthly Meets - Meet Chris | Guernsey Electricity

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Monthly Meets - Meet Chris

This month we meet SCADA Lead, Chris Sperduto who gives an insight into the complex control systems that help keep our island running.

Our SCADA Lead, Chris Sperduto shares what brought him to Guernsey and some insight into the unseen web that helps keep our island running.

What have your roles been at Guernsey Electricity?

"I originally joined GEL’s Project Management Office as the Clerk of Works, overseeing the field delivery of the new Princess Elizabeth Hospital (PEH) 33kV cable route from the first spade until the last cable joint*.

While it was both a challenging and rewarding experience, I’ve now moved into our Asset Management department as the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)** and Control Systems Lead Engineer."

*An electricity cable joint is a connection point where two or more electrical cables are securely joined together to ensure a continuous electrical circuit. 

**SCADA is a system used to monitor and control industrial processes, like those in factories or power plants, by collecting real-time data from sensors and equipment to ensure everything runs smoothly and efficiently.

Where are you from and why did you move to Guernsey? 

"I moved to Guernsey because my wife and I were looking for a better, safer place to raise our children.

She brought me over here for the first time during a beautiful July some years ago and I fell in love with the place; so, it was an easy decision once we agreed on the benefits of moving over. I’m originally from New Jersey in the US, though I moved quite often while I was in the military. San Diego, California (before it started catching on fire all the time!) was probably my favourite temporary home before Guernsey." 

What other industries have you worked in? 

"I spent five years as a Transmission and Distribution System Operator for the largest utility company in the US. Before that, I had a variety of assignments over my fourteen years in the military that all revolved around power generation, distribution, control systems, or some form of engineering."

I’ve always had a keen interest in understanding how things work, so it made sense to follow a path that always brings new opportunities to do so. 

How has your experience in the military shaped who you are and how you work today? 

"As I was uninterested in university at the time, the military was a great opportunity for me to get away from my “hometown” and see what the world had to offer.

I had an idea of its rigidity and structure, but I was completely unprepared for the sheer volume of responsibility and expectations placed upon you at such a young age.  

I believe this forced liability was the largest contributing factor to helping me mature into adulthood. There was never an option to say “No” to my superiors, so learning to be adaptable and overcome whatever challenges were presented became a mainstay of my time in service."

This has given me an optimistic perspective on most situations, as I largely continue to follow the ideal that almost anything is achievable given enough effort and creativity. 

 

What was your dream job growing up? Or what did you want to do when you grew up?  

"When I was growing up, I always had an affinity for computers. I would save money from working and build them piece by piece, tweaking different system settings and trying to get the best performance out of them. 

For years, I was set on becoming a software engineer, though those dreams fell by the wayside as I lost interest in furthering my education as a teenager. My new role with GEL involves a surprising amount of coding, databases, and a variety of programming languages. While I may not have the title, there's still a fair bit of software engineering involved on many levels, which for me is a happy trade off."

What does a typical day (or week) look like for you? 

"A typical week for me involves: 

  • Configuring and bench testing Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) for electricity substations
  • SCADA database management
  • Front end display creation and maintenance
  • Troubleshooting new and existing communications and control equipment issues
  • Fibre optic network testing and maintenance
  • Designing new, robust systems to integrate into our SCADA network.

I also work hand-in-hand with our electricity distribution, generation and investment planning and design teams to make sure the SCADA portion of responsibility is delivered on time for the myriad of projects happening at any one point in time."

What is your proudest achievement so far? 

"Finally being able to take the steps to further my education. I'm currently attending a Master’s program, something which I never thought I would be able to do, and I’m already planning the next program to pursue."   

If you could swap jobs with anyone for a day- who would it be and why? 

"This one is easy. A few years ago, I took a tour of an Amazon warehouse, as I was debating taking a management role at the facility.  

I had the opportunity to speak with a number of employees on the warehouse floor, and one theme that rang true was the brutal requirements the employees were subjected to as it related to personal freedoms while on shift. They were clearly treated as replaceable cogs in a machine, instead of as people with basic needs. 

If just for a day, I would swap jobs with Jeff Bezos, the executive chairman of Amazon, and ensure that policies were immediately implemented to guarantee the safety and wellbeing of labourers who are critical to the organisation’s continuing success. This disparity was the main reason I didn’t take the role!"

Who inspires you the most? 

"I am most inspired by my wife, Gemma. Despite all the challenges life has thrown our way, she is a champion for our children and an amazing partner.

She makes it easy for me to focus on both my work and personal improvement as I can always count on her to be the support our family needs when my attention needs to be elsewhere."

 

What advice would you give your younger self? 

"You’re going to hit obstacles in your career no matter how hard you try, stay focused and don’t let it derail you from your goals." 

How does your job help keep the island running?  

"The SCADA system is the unseen web that ties the entire distribution network together and turns it into actionable data and insights. It allows us to see, in real-time, any issues that are present in our system (within the current limitations) and allows us to react quickly to ensure maximum uptime and reliability." 

What are the best benefits offered by GEL in your opinion?  

"Despite having a decent number of employees and one of the island's largest employers, GEL’s culture still has it operating more like a small business.

The communication channels are open from top to bottom, and everyone I’ve worked with so far is equally invested in the success of the work we are all trying to achieve."

Interested in working with us? See our latest vacancies here.

Last month, we met Product Innovation Lead Gareth Wordingham. Read Gareth's interview here.