Catriona McGill

"Catriona is a friendly, empathic and person. Since she is the Head of Technical Development, the 'Manager' type fits exactly with her current role. She really enjoys leading a team and working collaboratively with lots of different partners which suits the ‘Campaigner type. She also likes making plans and following them through which fits well with the ‘Trainer’ type."

"Desolenator is a small start-up looking at solar-powered desalination (removing salt from sea water) and water-purification technology. Catriona oversees the development of its first product, taking it from 'prototype' to 'sell-able product'. Her work involves talking to marketing colleagues about what customers want the product to do, sharing that information with engineers, reviewing technical drawings, working on product testing, hiring and managing a team of engineers, creating and tracking a schedule, and keeping an eye on the budget.Catriona has found that there is no typical day when you work for a start-up! She can be in meetings with senior government officials, reviewing maths calculations and carrying solar panels around one of her test sites! At the moment, she is doing product field trials, which involves checking emails in the office, having video calls with the engineers running the trials to get an update on the testing, and then working on the plans for upcoming product deployments. This work can be technical (working on product updates, based on the testing results) or non-technical (working on the budget, timeline and logistics).Catriona says that seeing the product she has helped to design being tested in the field is extremely satisfying."

"Catriona studied Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry at A-Level. She then did an MEng in Manufacturing Engineering where she learned about different methods of manufacturing and how best to run factories. She did several projects based out of UK factories, and a 2-month project in an engine factory in Hungary! Since university, she has been interested in renewables and sustainability, so she knew that was the sector she wanted to work in. She knew she enjoyed leading a team and was organised, but beyond that, she didn't have any ideas of what job she should do! She spent 2 years doing business consulting for energy companies, before deciding to go back into a technical role, which was when she joined Desolenator. She started as an intern, managing a small research project, and went from there! Her starting salary was £28,000."

"Catriona loves eating good food with her with friends, going out for brunch is her favourite! She is also a serious book worm who loves disappearing into a novel. Catriona has found that the benefit of working with solar power is that you get to travel to sunny places! In the last 6 months, she has visited France, Spain, Italy, and Dubai for work. As the start-up grows and progresses, Catriona is gaining more responsibility and her role is adapting. She is constantly working on new challenges and learning something new. In the future, Catriona can see herself continuing to run the technical side of the company, and helping the company grow from 10, to 100, to 1,000 people! In the long-term, she would love to one day run her own company."

"My typical day varies hugely depending on what I'm working on. At the moment, we're running product field trials and I'm often on site helping to test the units, but I also support the field trials by working from our office in central London. On a typical day in the office I get into work at about 9AM, I eat some breakfast and have a quick catch up with my colleagues from other departments. I then work through my inbox, replying to any important emails I've been sent. I then have a call with the test engineers on site, to get an update on the testing plan for that day & the results from the day before. I spend the rest of the day helping the engineers with anything they need help with, which can include ordering parts, analyzing results, speaking to suppliers and writing up a report on the findings of the testing process. I often go to a gym class at lunchtime, and usually finish by 6pm."

"GCSEs: Maths (A*), Physics (A*), Biology (A*), Chemistry (A*), French (A*), Spanish (A*), Geography (A*), Engligh Lang (A), English Lit (A*). A LEVELs: Maths (A*), Further Maths (A*), Physics (A), Chemistry (A). University: Manufacturing Engineering (MEng) @ University of Cambridge (a four-year engineering degree)"