Say hello to our fifth team member, business analyst Rob Nightingale. Rob has joined us from the University of Huddersfield where he was a departmental Head of IT.
Rob brings with him a wealth of experience in improving business processes, configuring business systems and data reporting, and has quickly settled in to the team.
Let’s find out a bit more about him:
What was your first job?
My first job was at the age of 15 and was in an ice cream van! Needless to say I was too young to drive so was chauffeured around serving ice creams in the summer – ideal job right?. Before you go and get job envy, my chauffeur/boss wasn’t a great ‘people person’ and with a wage of £1.50 per hour I decided the ice cream business was not for me pretty fast!
If you weren’t in your current position what would you be doing?
It sounds really cheesy but I can’t think of anywhere else, job-wise, I would rather be at the moment. I am surrounded by energetic, like-minded people that are driven and down to earth.
What is your favourite holiday location?
I visited Croatia a couple of years back and did a little island hopping. One of the places I visited is a sparsely populated island called Mljet and the area I stayed formed a National park with a mountain, monastery and the clearest sea I have ever seen. I arrived just before the holiday season started and it was like I had my own private island to explore. A friendly local gave me insider knowledge on where to find hidden coves that only made me fall in love with the place more. I absolutely cannot wait to go back!
What is your favourite restaurant?
I recently visited a restaurant in Leeds that opened in January called ‘Pizza Fella’ on Vicar Lane in the centre of Leeds. The rustic restaurant that is super relaxed may be new, but Pizza Fella have apparently been serving traditional Neapolitan pizza from the back of a converted Citroen H van for years! I used to live in Italy and can say hands down that proper pizza is my fav. I have tried a lot of pizzerias in the UK and can easily say that the pizzas I’ve had at Pizza Fella are head and shoulders above the rest!
What is your ideal day away from the office?
If you would have asked me a few years ago I would have said that it would be a nice sunny day riding round Yorkshire on my motorbike, however these days I love spending time with my adorable niece and nephew that are 11months and nearly 3 years old and try to get over to Manchester to see them as much as possible.
What are your hobbies?
I’ve always loved engineering and I am constantly tinkering and constantly keep myself interested with random projects, last year I was building log stores and fixing chainsaws to make sure I kept my log burner fed throughout winter. I can often be found working away in my garage listening to music on evenings and weekends to help me relax.
What would you do if you won the lottery?
I would buy myself a little slice of heaven on the island Mljet with a nice yacht to go exploring in. I would have to invest in good broadband as although the idea of living in the middle of nowhere is romantic I couldn’t do without technology and the internet!
