Meet the team - Oliver Gordon
Tell us a bit about your journey to finding a role at Concretene...
When the time came at school to look at potential careers, I wanted to combine my interest in the built environment with science and technology. I spoke to my uncle - who is a civil engineer - and he made it sound appealing, so I applied for and won a place to study civil engineering at the University of Nottingham.
Following graduation, I took some time out and worked part-time before Concretene approached me with the idea of becoming a lab technician. Being from Manchester myself, I’ve always loved the city, and the idea of working on innovation close to home was really attractive.
What is it about Concretene and the team that inspires you?My final project at university was around sustainability and designing reinforced concrete structures. It was a group project and my role was to determine carbon emissions for different concrete solutions. It became a real passion for me - concrete has a huge carbon footprint and there’s a massive gap in construction where this needs addressing.
Working with a team dedicated to the reduction of carbon emissions, and to finding ground-breaking technologies, is truly inspiring. Being with likeminded people, producing world-first research solutions, is the dream of any engineer and I’m very grateful to have found it here.
Since joining, how have you seen Concretene grow?Right now, we’re ramping up concrete production to accelerate the testing programme. Previously we were casting 10 concrete mixes and six mortar mixes a week with the formulations and materials lab team. Now we’re looking to cast just over twice that number. The team - and lab itself - has grown since I joined but mostly we’re finding efficiencies in how to speed up throughput. We’re getting better technically as a team and the work ethic to achieve a common goal remains the same. It’s the commitment to those values that sets us apart as a business.
In personal development terms, I've recently completed my NEBOSH course, and oversee the company’s health and safety standards.
What do you like to do in your spare time?I love my work and it takes up a lot of my time. But like any twenty-something, having a pint at the weekend with my mates doesn't go amiss. I’m also very much into my music and enjoy the occasional concert. I've got a pretty broad taste: from rap, like Kanye West, to more pop, like Take That, who I really enjoyed at the Arena in Manchester.
Finally, what are your thoughts looking forward into the rest of 2024?Concretene is such an exciting place to be working. The technology is revolutionary, and I expect to see more and more growth as investors and industry become more aware of the work we do. Concretene has the potential to become a household name, and 2024 will be a big year for us.
Meet more of the Concretene team via our Linked In page: Camille Wright, Ayla Mafuta.