What is your role?
Field Service Engineer
What does your role involve?
I attend various sites throughout the region, carrying out preventative maintenance or resolving faults on a wide variety of laundry and ware washing machines. I carry an extensive range of spare parts, tailored to the customers needs, and aim to fix the machines on first attendance wherever possible. I try to identify developing issues, take action to prevent future breakdowns, and keep the machines working at an optimal level, saving the customer inconvenience and unnecessary costs. I also conduct surveys, where repair is not economically viable, to assist the Installation Team.
How long have you been with JTM Service?
I joined JTM Service in April 2023.
What did you do before you joined JTM Service?
I left school in 1984 and completed an apprenticeship as an Electrician working mostly on commercial / industrial sites. In 1995 there was a recession in the industry, and I joined West Yorkshire Police. I became a Detective in 2001 and worked in various CID departments. I joined Special Branch just after the 7/7 London attacks and worked in various roles in Counter Terrorism for 13 years. I spent my last 2 years working in a Regional Organised Crime Unit, which was the most interesting and rewarding role in all my service.
What do you enjoy about your role?
I enjoy the variety of the work, meeting new people and finding ways to solve the various problems presented. The role is very rewarding, particularly when you can fix an issue on the first visit. Most customers are happy to see you, which is a marked contrast to the experience of a Police officer.
What is it like to work for JTM Service?
It is without question the best company I have ever worked for. You are made to feel part of a family and genuinely valued. The work is satisfying, and everyone works together to help each other to succeed. You really feel that your colleagues would do anything for you. I can only see JTM Service going from strength to strength, but it is good we are not losing sight of our customer focus as we grow.
How do you feel about JTM Service being listed as one of The Sunday Times Best Places To Work 2025?
The award is well deserved. I have worked for many different companies and organisations, but JTM Service stands alone as a business that really delivers on its core Values. My experience of the public sector is that lip service is paid to purpose and Values, and staff are treated poorly despite being lauded as the most valuable asset. JTM Service really values and cares for its staff, in my experience, which helps them to deliver a great service to the customer.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I have a working Springer Spaniel, so I spend most of my spare time walking him. I do like to travel as much as possible and try to do a city break each year. I am revisiting Amsterdam soon and going to Bilboa to watch a football match.
What are you most proud about?
My daughter Matilda (Tilly). She has just finished her 1st year in 6th form studying Spanish. She is planning to go to York University to study Spanish and Italian and wants to be a Spanish Teacher. She recently travelled to Cadiz on work experience totally on her own and had a great experience staying with a local family. It only occurred to me after she had left that I have never travelled overseas completely alone.
What is the best holiday you have ever had, and is there somewhere you would love to go?
In 2006 my wife Vicky and I travelled to Las Vegas to get married. We honeymooned in Hawaii, which was great, until there was an earthquake on the morning we were due to fly home. We were stranded for 4 days and the insurance refused to pay out, so we were out of pocket for months. I would love to visit Australia, Vietnam or French Polynesia if I won the Euromillions!
Any interesting fact or facts about you?
I used to follow Leeds Utd in the 1980’s. In 1985, when I was 17, I couldn’t get a ticket for the last match of the season, so went with some mates to watch Bradford City celebrate the 3rd division title. It was the day of the Bradford Fire disaster, and it still seems surreal 40 years later. In 2016 I cycled from Liverpool to Leeds on the canal for charity with a mate. We decided to attempt it in one day. We set off at 5am and it took us 16.5 hours. I’m still sore now.
Any interesting stories?
When I was a new uniformed officer in Keighley, I was working nights when a report came in of a suspicious package, left over a cellar grate outside a house. I found a carrier bag containing a petrol container, an alarm clock, wires, batteries, and a detonator fashioned from matches. I did a search and found a further 3 similar devices at other houses nearby. We began to evacuate the houses while we waited for the Army to come from Catterick. We couldn’t get any response from one house so my Sergeant told me to carry the device to some nearby waste ground as “it would be a hoax anyway”. After doing this the Army came and found the devices were viable incendiary bombs and the only reason they hadn’t exploded was one of the batteries was flat. The guy responsible was later caught and given a life hospital order. He had firebombed a supermarket a few months before causing a million pounds worth of damage. I got a commendation for finding the items!
