What made you choose Arbtech?
I only moved to the UK from South Africa in November 2022, so I didn’t know anything about ecology companies here.
I started to look at job adverts and saw Arbtech appearing on Google and LinkedIn quite a bit, leading me to poke around the people that worked there by looking at their LinkedIn profiles.
What struck me was the variety of people I saw, and their honest commenting and posting was so refreshing. Everyone seemed to be able to express themselves and not be a commercial cookie-cutter poster.
I was so excited to see the position open, but having minimal UK-based ecology experience, I was cautiously optimistic about being hired.
Arbtech was obviously my first choice because I wanted to work in ecology and based on their great benefits package, but it was the people and the culture that really got me excited.
What do you love most about the company?
The flexibility and autonomy over my time.
I love being able to control my working hours and work when and where I want.
I also feel completely supported by my colleagues, knowing help is just a message or phone call away.
What do you do when you are not in Arbtech?
I love spending time with friends and family.
I am a real homebody and am very content at home with my husband and cat.
I love being outdoors and enjoy going running or doing yoga at home. I completed my first half-marathon in 2024 and I am currently training for more!
What is the biggest tip to achieve the most in life?
Don’t discount the impact of small steps.
Small amounts of progress add up! Even on days when you can’t give 100%, give what you can.
Also, don’t beat yourself up for having a bad day. I am a very results-oriented person and used to beat myself up if I took longer than expected on something.
Now, I always try my best, and if I have a bad day, I brush myself off and work harder tomorrow.
Guilt gets you nowhere; just do the work and move on.
What is the best social you’ve been on at Arbtech?
ArbCon was beyond my expectations, although maybe it wasn’t technically a social…
It was the most amazing time to collaborate between teams, learn from colleagues, and get to know each other better.
If I had to pick a social, it would be when we got together at Wild Shore Delamere.
It was a fun day in the sun on inflatable obstacle courses in the water, with loads of laughs after competing to push each other into the water, and it was followed by great food and drinks of course.
I love being active and spending time outside, so this was perfect for me.
Where do you want to travel to next?
So many places!
My husband and I have been so grateful to be able to travel to Croatia, Bosnia, Amsterdam and a few others since moving to the UK in 2022.
We are going to Bulgaria soon and hopefully Turkey!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
In 5 years’ time, I see myself as a senior ecologist, forming strong relationships with existing clients and creating new ones.
I enjoy mentoring and will continue to mentor and train graduate ecologists/interns.
I have learnt that this job is incredibly dynamic, and no two days are the same. As long as it stays like that, I will be very happy.
More than anything, I really get a lot out of being challenged!
What is a goal you have for the future, in or out of work?
I aim to be a principal ecologist and be able to help, mentor and train more ecologists to be productive and efficient whilst ensuring that standards remain high in our field.
Jamie-Lee joined Arbtech in July 2023.
