What made you choose Arbtech?
A number of my friends work for Arbtech, and they seem incredibly happy with their work-life balance and pace of living. This is important to me, and I was drawn to the ability to choose your own schedule to suit your needs.
Remote work also removes the need for an everyday commute, which is a blessing on the South Coast of England.
What do you love most about the company?
As of writing this, I am very new to the company, but I had an immediate appreciation for the transparency, honesty and commitment to personal development that Arbtech offers.
What do you do when you are not in Arbtech?
I am either outside or with people I love – sometimes a combination of the two.
I enjoy hiking, standup paddleboarding, and exploring the UK with my two whippets.
I’ve started dabbling with bouldering to try and learn to trust myself more, and I’m always consistently trying to establish a gym routine and not just end up in the sauna instead!
I sing in a choir, with a band (also known as five friends making noise in a rehearsal room), and with some very talented friends of mine.
I enjoy reading, absorbing myself in new music (predominantly blues, soul, Latin, jazz and afrobeat) as well as unwinding with a nice cup of tea.
What is the biggest tip to achieve the most in life?
Someone special to me once said: “At some point, you actually have to learn to like yourself for the person you are.”
Accepting yourself – the strengths, the flaws, the achievements, the mistakes, the time you accidentally introduced someone to a group of 30+ people with the wrong name – is the foundation for everything you achieve in life.
We all have the capacity to grow and change as humans – it’s a beautiful part of living, but accepting that we are worthy of what we want and that we are intrinsically valuable people, will make everything else fall into place.
If that fails, go outside and look at some trees.
What is the best social you’ve been on at Arbtech?
I have yet to go to a social event, but I have heard that they are a lot of fun and offer a safe space for everyone.
I’m really looking forward to meeting more of my colleagues in person and getting to know the team better.
Where do you want to travel to next?
Travelling is a big part of my life, so there are normally multiple travel plans on the cards.
I am very lucky to have friends in lots of beautiful places across the world, so some of my trips will involve visiting those I love.
Some ambitious and maybe slightly delusional part of me would like to hike the Appalachian Trial in the USA, as well as the Annapurna Trail in Nepal. But for now, I will settle for a cocktail on a beach in Malta and stargazing/hiking in Iceland in 2025.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
If there is anything I have learnt in life so far, it’s that you can plan, try to control the outcome and continuously try to go to war with the future, but ultimately, life is going to serve you its hand on a regular basis.
Right now, I see myself as an owner of my own business based here in the UK but, if you had asked me five years ago, I would have said I’d be working as an ecologist in Australia, where I had been living for seven years.
So, this older, slightly wiser (maybe) version of me hopes that in five years, I am living a life surrounded by people I love, in a place I love, giving back to my community, and spending every day finding contentment with my lot.
What is a goal you have for the future, in or out of work?
My short-term goals are to be able to sing in front of a group of people without aggressively shaking limbs and feel confident to take up that space.
I’d also like to continue to learn Spanish and start learning Swedish.
My long-term goals are to gain my BSc in Person-Centred Therapy and eventually live in a little house in the country with some chickens, a dog and a lot of gratitude for my life.
Kat joined Arbtech in October 2024.
