We recently chatted to Angharad, our Technical and Certifications Manager here at Axter Ltd. Read on to find out what Angharad's job involves, how she got into this line of work, what her vision for the future of sustainable cities is and what item of food she couldn't live without.
How long have you worked at Axter Ltd and what does your role involve?
I am the Technical and Certifications Manager. I manage the technical documents, NBS platforms and specification documents. I also plan any testing of our systems and products, and manage their need for certification - that includes BROOF(t4) and BBA certificates. As well as that, I support colleagues across the company with any technical advice that needs to be given and provide supporting documents to queries. I have worked at Axter for almost two years.
How did you get into the work?
I studied architecture at university and then decided I wanted to learn more about the industry, so I looked at alternative roles within the industry. I went into specification sales with concrete blockwork which was really technical and this started me off on my certification and testing journey.
After the pandemic I wanted something new. Axter offered me the opportunity of their Technical and Certifications Manager and two years later...
… Here you are.
Yeah. So it’s been interesting going from something quite creative to something more technical, but there is still a lot of creativity in the role actually, just in a different sense.
Is it the same certifications and processes that you dealt with in your old job, or is it different within roofing?
It’s similar. There are similarities between the two.
But it’s different, because the company structure is different. There’s still that kind of problem solving aspect – always pushing to progress and better what we have. So it was a nice transition over to roofing. And obviously there’s a lot more in a flat roof than there is in a block wall!
What does an average day look like for you at Axter?
No day is ever really the same as the one before. Coming into work in the morning in our new office space is really nice, because I’m instantaneously surrounded by everyone’s positive energy. So that always starts my day off pretty well.
The department generally is very busy. I could be collaborating with the design department, or the marketing department, or I could be tailoring client specs with one of our Technical Sales Managers on NBS chorus. Or just providing general day to day guidance on a new product, or an update in a Standard. I spend time putting technical information into understandable terms for everyone, including our customers, so that it’s accessible.
If you could design a perfect city, what role would roofs play?
That is a good question actually, because I’ve worked with basements, right up to doing a roof space. I think out of all of those levels, the roof definitely holds the most potential.
It's an industry where standards are always developing - technology is allowing us to do more and more with the roof.
I think the roof is somewhere that can become the hub of a building. If the kitchen is the hub of a home, the roof is now a space that can provide that same hub for a whole building. Especially within cities. And I think it could be a place that not only generates renewable resources and things like that, but it provides a space to educate and progress - both as an individual and also as a community.
And what’s your vision for the future of sustainable cities?
It would be to continue the design of architecture that works in more than one or two ways. So it’s not just a statement of design, or a structure that houses offices, or whatever it is. It gives back to the environment and communities.
Despite the space and the natural resources that a building takes away, somehow it can give back and replace that loss. So a roof, being the perfect general footprint of a building, can put that vegetative space back, but on the roof. Or it can give back what it’s taken away from the natural environment in some way.
Do you think that it is going to go that way?
I think it has to go that way. I think it’s on a lot more people's conscience now. People know when they build a new building (whether it’s a single house, or a huge warehouse), they have removed so much natural space (especially in green spaces) that I think they have to make up for it and give back. And for so long that wasn’t even considered when building – it was just a case of build, build, build. But now we have to start giving back. And using the roof is the key!
In what area of the roofing industry would you like to see big change in the next few years and why?
The industry, compared to others, I believe, is very collaborative. Whether that’s across the contractors and manufacturers, or designers, etc, we have many different collaborative working groups. There are lots of opportunities to put minds together.
But I think there are also, as there is in other industries, those minds that have been in the knowledge for so long that they know so much and they have to be careful not to gatekeep that knowledge. If we want to progress as an industry, we have to share that knowledge. Especially if not sharing information leads to limiting the use of sustainable products. So we just have to be careful that where we’ve got new sharp minds coming into the industry, that those people leaving the industry are not gatekeeping.
I've always believed no man is an island. If you don’t allow that sharing, you’re just going to starve potential progression.
I think that the desire to share knowledge should be utilised and we should get more and more collaborative, so that other industries look at us to want to be as collaborative as we are.
Hopefully that happens!
Ok so onto some quickfire personal questions...
What is your favourite season?
Autumn, because it’s warm enough to keep going outside, you don’t get too hot, and also I think it’s a beautiful time where you get the golden leaves and things like that. Yeah autumn definitely has to be my favourite time – not a fan of summer... it’s too hot.
If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I could easily eat Toblerone for the rest of my life and not want for anything else.
For every meal!?
For every meal.
Do you have a go-to karaoke song?
I don’t really do karaoke. But car karaoke – Shoop, by Salt-N-Pepa. I could kill it.
As long as no one’s around. I do a great rendition of it.
And what’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
The best day-to-day advice: pick the hardest problem on your list, or the hardest task you have to do that day, and do it first. So if it’s going to the gym, or the thing where you think ‘oh I don’t want to do that,’ do it first and then everything else in the day will seem so much easier.
The second best advice I've received is to find someone that you can rant to and they won’t judge - they'll join in. Just having that person that creates a safe space. You can rant to them and know you can say whatever you want and get it all off your chest.
What brings you the most joy in the world?
Well obviously flat roofs.
Obviously.
But yeah, my family - I'm very lucky to have them around. They bring me the most joy and keep me going.
Nice. That’s a good one. Well that’s a wrap.
13th February 2023