Profile
Simon Porter
Curriculum Vitae
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Education:
Bishop Tufnell Primary School, Chichester High School for Boys Secondary School & Sixth Form, Loughborough University
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Qualifications:
10 GCSE’s (2 x A*, 3 A’s, 5 x B’s). 3 (kinda 4) A-Levels in Maths (B), Physics (C), and Design & Technology (D), (and General Studies – A!). 2:1 in Automotive Engineering, Diploma in Industrial Studies
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Work History:
Tesco’s – Home Shopping picker/packer, Jim Stokes Workshop Limited – Technician, Cummins Engine Company (Daventry) – Performance Development Engineer, One Stop – Shift Manager, Ski Esprit – Chalet Assistant, Eaton Aerospace – Project Engineer, P&WC CSC – FMP Programme Manager / Cost Reduction Engineer
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Current Job:
TPG Services – Senior Consultant, Cost Engineering
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About Me
I'm an engineer, I love problem solving, and I'm interested in "cool stuff" - mainly things that make a lot of noise and move fast. Also, I used to be a competitive swimmer and I collect Warhammer 40k models.
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I live in Eastleigh, near Southampton, with my wife and little boy.
I love problem solving and fixing things, which is good because my little boy can be boiterous and break his toys (they just don’t make them to last…!) so I get to repair them 🙂
As for things “loud & fast”, I love cars, particularly racing cars. My favourite disciplines would be GT racing, rallying, and historic tin tops. I have a GT86 which I love to drive, I’ve been on a number of track days and I have previously owned a Ford Capri 2.8i and a classic Mini – both of which I rebuilt and maintained myself.
Outside of work I try to spend as much time with my family as possible, but I have a number of interests/hobbies as well, such as; collecting Warhammer 40k models, riding bikes (mountain bikes and BMX that I build and maintain myself), and photography.
I also enjoy swimming, surfing, and windsurfing – when I have time and the weather is right. I used to be a competitive swimmer, and I’ve got a couple of National medals and various other trophies and certificates to show for it.
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My Work
I work on a variety of projects. In the last year I've worked on projects in space, in the air, on sea, and underwater!!
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The consultancy group I work for holds a number of defence contracts, and as a Cost Engineer that basically means trying to help the government avoid wasting money.
I (try) do this by accurately costing projects based on sound engineering principles.
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My Typical Day: Right now, a typical day seems me trying to concentrate on working from home while my wife does the same and between us we manage to keep my little boy from totally distracting us!! As for what I'm working on, I can't tell you because it's classified, but other than that it depends what projects I have been assigned to.
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As per the short answer, things are unusual right now because of the movement restrictions.
It is difficult to describe a “typical” day because it depends what I’m working on as to where I go to work and what work I do…! I might be working from home, or have to go to one of the company offices (Fareham, Wincanton, Bristol) for a meeting, or possibly to the Client’s site for meetings or to actually work there depending on the security classification of the project.
Generally I’ll start off by checking my emails to see if there is anything new I need to prioritise, then I’ll start working through my “To Do” list, normally in priority order, but sometimes I just work on things I want to do and leave the difficult bits until I feel motivated to do them…!
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
geeky, energetic, optimistic
What's the best thing you've done in your career?
Decided to have one by leaving my previous company and starting a new job.
What or who inspired you to follow your career?
My dad, I started off by tinkering with things in the garage with him and things snowballed from there!
What was your favourite subject at school?
Physics
What did you want to be after you left school?
An engineer, but I didn't really know exactly what that meant. (There's still not an exact definition...!)
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Yes, I did some silly things and ended up doing a couple of lunchtime and after-school detentions.
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
I'd love to work in motorsport, or be part of a Red Bull Air-race team - that looks super exciting!
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Black Sabbath, closely followed by Motorhead
What's your favourite food?
Italian, I love pizza & pasta, but gnocchi is nice and a good Tiramisu is tough to beat!
What is the most fun thing you've done?
Volunteered at the London 2012 Olympics - it was crazy, but excellent experience all round
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
1) not to have to worry about money, 2) have time to be excellent at all my hobbies, 3) be able to share my awesome life with all my family & friends!!
Tell us a joke.
Knock, knock. Who's there? Cows go. Cows go who? Nah, don't be silly, cows go Mooooo!
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