What made you choose Arbtech?
There are so many reasons why I chose Arbtech, such as:
- Mutual values about having a work-life balance.
- A nurturing environment for growth and passion.
- Somewhere for my career to thrive within my own ever-changing goalposts rather than to fit the mould.
- Rob’s enthusiasm for improving industry standards for graduates.
- The welfare of staff being an absolute priority rather than an afterthought.
What do you love most about the company?
When reading the company’s culture document, the concept of caring for your energy stood out for me – I adore this!
I also love all the science-based methods of effective working littered throughout company policy. Instead of being an empty testament that is passively believed to help employees, it is actually a part of the working practice, as well as being actioned through the many, many, many company perks.
It has a fabulously positive impact on the work environment, as the people at Arbtech are boundlessly helpful and friendly.
What do you do when you are not in Arbtech?
Outside of Arbtech, I spend a lot of time doing bat-related volunteering including bat care, box checks, bat walks, and coordinating the Hampshire Bat Group (HBG) social media.
My outdoorsy job translates into seasonal cooking, with foraged food and brewing (excellent) mead, and I love a wholesome home-cooked feast!
I am a music fanatic and collect vinyl records, so I spend time perusing markets and vinyl fairs, as well as hosting vinyl nights to share music. I attend a lot of gigs and festivals, my absolute favourite being 2000trees in Cheltenham.
To keep active, I swim and am currently learning to skateboard, although this might be a case of having all the gear and no idea.
What is the biggest tip to achieve the most in life?
Do things you enjoy.
My passion for bats, music and new experiences has taken me out of my comfort zone to have wonderful and meaningful experiences, and connections with people, and opened up new opportunities for me.
Being enthusiastic and open has taken me further than textbook intelligence; encyclopaedic knowledge is fabulous, but passion is infectious.
Take something you love and do it as much as you can.
What is the best social you’ve been on at Arbtech?
I haven’t had a chance to go on an Arbtech social at the time of writing, but I am excitedly anticipating the 2023 Christmas Party!
Where do you want to travel to next?
As someone who finds joy in nature and wildlife, I am fascinated wherever I am.
That being said, I would love to travel to see some of the world’s most prestigious waterfalls, caves, rainforests, mangroves, hot springs, ice features, coastlines, lagoons, and mountains – I could go on and on! That effectively means that there are hundreds of places I want to go, but I just need to decide in which order.
My motivation for learning about new bat species reduces keystone travelling to Australia, Thailand, the USA and Costa Rica.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
I try to keep my long-term goals fairly loose, as I never know where I’ll be in a year’s time.
In five years, I would love to be well-travelled and settled in a house that I don’t have to rent surrounded by animal companions.
By then, I would like to play a bigger part in the UK bat community, where I could gain more learning, teaching and researching opportunities.
What is a goal you have for the future, in or out of work?
I would like to become a completely comfortable and wide-ranging consultant with experience in all areas of protected species surveying, several licences under my belt, and feel well-established in the industry.
Feedback from peers encourages me to consider going down the route of teaching people about wildlife in the future, as I’ve been told that I convey information in a way that would intrigue even the most disinterested of parties.
I am very interested in living in a self-sufficient way and incorporating sustainability within homes and architecture. As well as someone who enjoys a good DIY project, I would love to design and build my own home.
Whether it’s a new build or a conversion, I want to push the boundaries of sustainable development using Passivhaus, solar panels and water regeneration, and then curate the interior into a little green goth haven. It’d be amazing to have a garden space to grow food, a beehive, chickens, and dogs.
I have big ideas, but also no action plan.
Harley joined Arbtech in October 2023.
