What made you choose Arbtech?
I had been looking to get my foot in the door of ecology for a while when I was recommended – by a consultant ecologist who works here – to apply for the internship programme they run.
After looking into the company, I was really drawn in by Arbtech’s people-first approach and its dedication to developing early-career, budding ecologists by giving them the opportunity to learn and expand their skillsets in multiple areas of ecology within their highly successful and expert-led team.
What do you love most about the company?
I really love the flexibility of our working hours at Arbtech, which allows us to have a great work-life balance.
The team is also amazing.
Getting to work with so many knowledgeable and friendly people – who are always happy to help each other – means there is a great camaraderie and supportive culture that I get to be a part of.
What do you do when you are not at Arbtech?
I like to spend my non-working time with friends, whether that be on a hike, a movie night, or just having a catch-up.
When I’m feeling more introverted, I like to curl up with a good book, binge a new series, or do something creative like writing, drawing and crafting.
What is your biggest tip to achieve the most in life?
I’m not sure I have figured this out myself just yet.
But what I have figured out is that you should always be learning from everything and everyone in your life, be it your failures, successes, peers or family.
Every person and moment holds a lesson that can lead you to courage, wisdom or strength.
The second thing is to be true to yourself, because not everyone has the same definition of ‘achieving the most’, and you need to know what that means to you in order to get there.
What is the best social you’ve been on at Arbtech?
Being pretty new to the company means I have only been to one social so far, but it was a lovely night filled with great food, drinks and chat.
I am looking forward to attending more in the future and going to my first ArbCon later this year!
Where do you want to travel to next?
This is a hard choice as the list is endless, but the top ones are the Galapagos Islands, India and New Zealand, and to go back to Namibia and explore more African countries.
But I guess, technically, the next place I’ll be going to is Thailand, as I’ll be travelling around there over the Christmas period this year. I’m really excited for that.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
A lot can happen in five years, and I haven’t really planned that far ahead yet.
But, I know that professionally, I want to continue to grow and diversify my ecological skill set and hopefully obtain some protected species licences along the way.
Personally, it would be lovely to have my own home, maybe with some land or a large garden so I can grow my own food and have plenty of animals.
What is a goal you have for the future, in or out of work?
In and out of work, I always aim to make a positive change to the natural world, whether that’s big or small.
I know with my work so far at Arbtech, I have been able to do that, and I’m excited to continue.
A less philosophical goal of mine is to be able to see all five of the big cats in the genus Panthera in their natural habitats, which is by no means an easy thing to achieve, but I’m still going to give it my best shot!
Paige joined Arbtech in October 2025.
