What is your role at Guernsey Electricity?
I am an IT Administrator.
How does your job help keep the island running?
I help support the systems that sit behind the electricity network. While I'm not directly controlling power flow, the infrastructure I look after helps ensure important monitoring and operational systems keep running. That includes things that help us monitor the network, respond to issues and keep services such as street lighting operating smoothly.
What other industries have you worked in?
Most of my career has been in the private sector, primarily looking after service infrastructure and providing user support for clients. I've also worked in the finance industry, again on the IT side, supporting systems and technology that businesses rely on every day.
What does a typical day or week look like for you?
A typical day usually starts with checking that the previous day's backups, or the weekend's backups, have completed successfully. From there, I'll review server health, monitor security systems and work through any tickets that have been assigned to the infrastructure team. A big part of the role is also looking for ways to improve the technology we use across the business and making sure everything is running as efficiently as possible.
What is your proudest achievement so far?
My daughter is definitely my greatest achievement and someone I'm very proud of. Outside of family and on a personal level, one of my biggest achievements has been organising and running two large live-action roleplay (LARP) events in the UK, each attended by around 3,000 people. It's a hobby I'm passionate about, and seeing events of that scale come together successfully is something I'm very proud of. For anyone wondering, yes, I play the same character every time, a magical librarian.
What was your dream job growing up?
When I was growing up, I wanted to be a police officer. A big part of that was wanting to help keep the island safe and, if I'm being honest, catch the bad guys.
What is the most unusual thing about your job and how would you describe it to someone who knows nothing about it?
One of the more unusual aspects of my job at the moment is working with AI. It's not something I'd worked with much before, and part of the challenge is learning when it's giving you a correct answer and when it isn't. Sometimes the simplest question can send you down a complete rabbit hole.
If you could swap jobs with anyone for a day, who would it be and why?
I think I'd like to swap jobs with a politician for a day. I'd be interested to see what their day-to-day life is really like and what goes on behind the scenes that most people never get to see.
Who inspires you the most?
My dad has always been a big inspiration to me. He's always had a strong work ethic and a clear sense of purpose when it comes to achieving his goals. That's something I've always admired and tried to take into my own life.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Keep at it. Life will throw challenges your way, and there will be difficult periods, but you'll get through them.
No matter how tough things feel at the time, there's always another sunny day around the corner.
What are the best benefits offered by GEL in your opinion?
Probably one of the best benefits is the active Sports and Social Committee. I enjoy getting the chance to meet people from different parts of the business and try things I might not normally do. Earlier this year I took part in the air rifle shooting, which was great fun. It's a good way to get to know colleagues and there's always a good sense of camaraderie at the events.
Bonus question: What is your secret talent?
I'm a pretty good cook. I enjoy making dishes like jambalaya and toad in the hole, and cooking for friends and family when I get the chance. There's something satisfying about taking the time to make a good meal and seeing people enjoy it.
