Last updated at 13:49, Tuesday, 08 May 2012

MIKE Marklove, 45; director of technology at Expro in Ulverston.

MIKE MARKLOVE

What was your first job?

Besides a summer job working in a cake factory, my first full time job was as High Voltage Power Engineer working at Alstom Engineering Research Centre in Stafford UK.

I started after graduating in 1989.

How did you get your current job?

I started working for Tronic in 1998 having learned about the company whilst working at Alstom in Stafford.

I was interested in the challenge of developing high voltage equipment to work deep under the sea, the technology for which at that time was still in its infancy.

Describe the company you work for in one sentence.

Innovative, forward thinking and always looking for the next big idea.

That’s what’s kept me interested for over 14 years!

How many hours do you work a week?

Typically 40 hours.

How many people are you responsible for?

I’m responsible for assessing new technologies across the whole of C&M (450 people).

What’s your greatest achievement?

Increasing our exports to Brazil by 300 per cent in 18 months during the worst recession in modern times.

What gives you the biggest work buzz?

Doing something that has never been done before or equally doing something that people say can’t be done.

What’s your motto at work?

Be innovative (challenge the norm), have fun doing it and be fair with people.

What’s the best thing about being a boss?

You really get to develop your skills by being challenged in new areas all of the time.

I’ve learned as much about myself in becoming a manager as I have about management.

What’s the worst thing about being a boss?

Having to accept that the optimum solution to a problem isn’t necessarily the best solution or the one that you want, but is a compromise between many conflicting priorities, all of which have to be managed.

What’s your favourite website?

Wikipedia.

Your first car?

A red Vauxhall Astra.

How do you relax?

I enjoy walking in the Lake District, you can’t help but be relaxed and happy with all that beautiful scenery in front of you!

What’s the best thing about doing business in Cumbria?

Apart from living in the Lake District? The people here are great to work with. Friendly, hard-working and proud of their achievements.

If we arrived at your office today, what item might we be surprised to find on your desk?

A plastic monkey! It reminds me that everyone has a monkey on their back and if you listen carefully enough while they are talking, you’ll hear the monkey chatter.

Something your employees would be surprised to find out about you...

My surname is unusual and can be traced back to 1680 when, after the English civil war, a census of men of “fighting age and stature” was conducted.

First published at 13:26, Tuesday, 08 May 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk