What made you choose Arbtech?
A recommendation from a university friend that had recently started at the company.
I had previously met two of the then senior consultants at a Myerscough College employment fete, which solidly put Arbtech on my radar as a post-uni potential employer. But it was the personal testimony of a friend that really sealed the deal.
What do you love most about the company?
The freedom – there’s nobody breathing down my neck or watching my every move. I am 100% responsible for organising all of my surveys and reports. When all of that goes well, it’s great, and if something goes wrong, then I have the support of the whole company to get me back to full steam.
The culture is also amazing. To have 80 or so colleagues, all of whom I would call friends, is something really special.
What do you do when you are not at Arbtech?
I typically split my time between being a huge DnD nerd, gaming with friends, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ).
The BJJ is pretty new to me, but since I picked it up in the summer of 22, I’ve been really enjoying getting totally out of my normal headspace and doing something physically challenging.
What is your biggest tip to achieve the most in life?
Compare yourself to who you used to be rather than comparing yourself to those around you.
If you can be a tiny bit better than who you were last week, every week, then you’ll be unstoppable.
What is the best social you’ve been on at Arbtech?
Hands down, it’s the BJJ/skiing trip to Austria.
I would have gone to somewhere far less exciting just for the BJJ, but to go to Austria for a week, all expenses paid, and learn with my colleagues and some very skilled people in the Austrian alps, was an amazing opportunity.
Where do you want to travel to next?
Back to New Zealand.
I had a year out there before starting my degree in 2018, and it was such an amazing time in a beautiful country that I slightly fell in love with, both as a place and as a culture.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
I’d like to be a senior arboricultural consultant at Arbtech in around five years.
Failing that, I’d be content to be greater than I am now, with a good work-life balance and a secure and happy home life.
What is a goal you have for the future, in or out of work?
Continued progression in BJJ. I may never catch up to the likes of El Capitan, but I’d like to get to a point where he has to take me seriously, or at least stop grinning like a cat with a caught mouse when we roll together.
I also want to get back into bouldering again. It was a great hobby while I was at uni, but I’ve let it slip since re-joining the ranks of the employed.
Chris joined Arbtech in May 2021.
