Tell us a little bit about what you do?
I’m an Associate Consultant here at Dufrain, working in the Data Engineering team. My day-to-day ranges from building pipelines, solving data quality issues, and generating data models to figure out how we can best meet our clients’ requirements.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
That’s a good one – there are honestly so many things. I think the thing I enjoy most is that there’s always a new problem to solve. There hasn’t really been a single project, or even a single day, that’s been a replication of something that’s happened before.
That can sound challenging, but I genuinely love it. There’s nothing better than when everything finally runs perfectly at the end of the day and you know you’re delivering some seriously good outcomes for clients.
Which of our company values resonate with you the most?
Pioneers at heart, definitely. Even the way I ended up getting this job wasn’t the usual route. I graduated university during COVID, and with everything that came with that, there was never going to be a standard path for me.
Having a company that not only appreciates that in an employee, but actually embraces it as part of its culture, has honestly been amazing.
What’s been your most significant achievement at Dufrain so far?
This is always a hard one. I think there are a couple that stand out.
One would be working with Google Analytics data and ingesting it into different Microsoft environments like Azure, and more recently Microsoft Fabric. Being at the spearhead of that work in Fabric has been really cool, especially as it’s not something everyone has experience with yet. It’s helped position me as someone with hands-on experience in that space.
Another would be my first client presentation. I’d just joined a project with a few colleagues and we presented our work back to the client. It went really well, and it was a huge milestone for me, one I still remember pretty vividly.
Who inspires you the most, inside Dufrain and outside Dufrain?
Within Dufrain, I’d say Simon Forbes. He’s my mentor as an Associate, and I’ve really come to appreciate his way of thinking and problem-solving across different projects, whether that’s managed service work or client-side delivery.
You don’t always realise the depth of talent within Dufrain until you’re solving problems together. You suddenly see how someone can get to a solution in a completely different, and often faster, way than you would yourself.
Outside of work, I’d probably say my brothers. We’ve all taken very different paths, but like me, they went through education during COVID. Seeing how they’ve handled adversity and the people they’ve become has been really inspiring, and I definitely draw a lot of motivation from that.
What’s your favourite Dufrain perk or benefit?
I’d say being an office rep. The office itself is a great space, and having funding for things like staff lunches and socials makes a real difference. I’ve really enjoyed organising events both in and out of the office, and I’m looking forward to continuing that.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to work at Dufrain?
There are a lot of clichés about attitude, but for a company like Dufrain, that really is true. I’m a good example of that. My path into the company wasn’t linear.
Thinking outside the box, doing a bit more, and showing genuine passion for data and AI really matters. And not just through the standard portfolio projects on GitHub, finding ways to demonstrate that curiosity and enthusiasm will definitely set you apart.
What skill do you think everyone should learn?
Data analysis. Across friends, family, and industry colleagues, I’m seeing a huge uptake in the use of data and cloud computing everywhere, even in organisations you wouldn’t expect, like government.
Being able to interact with data, visualise it, and understand it is a lot more accessible than people think, especially in a post-ChatGPT world. It’s a really important skill, and being able to talk about data confidently is hugely valuable.
What do you enjoy outside of work?
I love spending time with friends and exploring London. I was born here but grew up mostly in Sydney, Australia, so there’s always something new to discover in the city.
I’m also really into bouldering – I’m a pretty avid climber and always trying to improve. And I’ve got a slightly niche hobby: I make perfumes and candles in my spare time. I’ve even done a few commissioned pieces, mostly for gifts, although I’m hoping the new year gives me more time to make things just for myself. I might even make it the next activity for our office social, watch this space!
What is your favourite movie and why?
Interstellar. Easily. The soundtrack, the visuals, the story – it’s pretty much a perfect movie.
Want to learn more about working with Dufrain?
If you’d like to get in touch with us, visit our career page or to learn more about the company visit here.