"I can't believe how well the Coordinator, Developer, and Influencer roles describe me, how I work, and what I do. The Coordinator includes things such as 'Provides a service and can deliver what people need', this is my whole business model and is exactly what I am doing in my career now. It also includes 'Willing to help when needed' which fits in so well with all of the voluntary positions I hold and starts to touch on the standards work I am heavily involved in. I am 'inquisitive and strong willed', I think I have to have been to get to where I am today.The Developer elements of 'interested in the world around them and how to make it better' fits in with both my standards work and also the voluntary trustee position I hold with a charity, which has an electrical safety focus. Every single point in the Influencer role describes what is involved in the world of making standards. You have to be 'diplomatic', 'good at explaining so that people understand', 'good with detail', just every point fits in with what I do. The 'has leadership qualities' also fits in with that I am the chair of the national committee for electronics assembly technology, convenor of the IEC/TC 91/WG 2, co-chair of two IPC committees, chair of the UKs Institute of Circuit Technology, and so many more things. This matches with me better than I could have ever thought possible by just answering some simple questions."

"I am now a business owner, helping companies find their way through the maze of standards for the electronics industry, including helping companies to get their products the appropriate safety certification. I have reached this point after spending over 20 years working in a diverse range of industries.But in addition to the day job, I spend a lot of my time working on the creation of standards for the industry.I love being involved in this industry, as it touches all part of our lives, and by working on standards you get to help influence the quality, reliability, and safety of the products we all use. I have made so many friends in this industry, some are as close as family, that I could never imagine leaving it. "

"Well it's been quite a journey. I started out doing A-levels but found boys just as the wrong time, so went on to do a BTec Diploma through day release instead, spending most of the time working as a technician in a test laboratory. This provided me with valuable experience when I went on to do my BEng in Materials Engineering. I suspect I would have gone through the apprenticeship route if I had the choices that are available today.From university, I went on to work as a Materials Engineer in a Process & Materials Laboratory for an automotive electronics company. I moved up to Senior Engineer and then to Process & Materials Laboratory Manager over the 7 years I worked there. The accelerated journey happened because I said 'yes' to various opportunities and worked hard; I ended up travelling the world as the companies soldering expert!Due to a relocation, I then moved on to be a materials engineer conducting PCB safety certification. I again rose through the ranks and became the lead PCB engineer for EMEA region. I took on additional roles during this stage of my career, for example, getting involved with the standards work and supporting different industry groups. I then spent a short time as CTO for a test equipment manufacturer before moving on to create my own company, as I missed helping the companies I had formerly worked with getting safety certification. It was such a difficult thing for companies to understand that I wanted to support them through this process again. Each of these roles got me more and more involved in the standards work I do now, I just kept saying 'yes' when opportunities arose."

"I have a range of things I love to do in my spare time, including - gardening, reading, going to festivals and gigs, riding motorbikes, and acting as 'pit crew' when my partner is racing his motorbikes. I'm also getting in to walking...I suppose it's because so many of the other things I love to do can't be done during the COVID lockdowns."

"Well no two days are the same! I do spend a lot of time at my computer either replying to emails, reviewing standards that are in the process of being created, or working on client's project work. In more normal times, I also spend several weeks of the year abroad, primarily at standards meetings but also attending and presenting at conferences. Unfortunately, everything has been moved online during 2020 and I'm looking forward to getting back to a more normal existence that also includes the travel."

"I started out doing A-levels in Maths, Physics, and Chemistry but that didn't work out and after a year I moved to doing a BTec National Diploma in Science. I got my BTec through a day release programme, the old Youth Training Scheme (YTS), whilst working as a technician in a laboratory for a company who made heavy duty cardboard boxes. I much preferred the practical approach, so a BTec fitted better with me than A-levels did. Apprenticeships were not really existing like they are today, otherwise I may well have gone that route.From my BTec, I went on to university to do a BEng in Materials Engineering. I did a sandwich course, so I could spend a year in industry, as I felt this was particularly valuable for the type of engineering degree I was doing. I then went on to the big world of work and the rest, as they say, is history."