Field engineering team

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Meet Mark

What he does:

I’ve been at Virtua for over five years and I split my time as an engineer as well as my head office responsibilities. I have previously worked as a Project Manager for the O2 South of England expansion of RAN and Core networks, a “data build engineer” for O2 network projects and I was the Senior Cellular Field Engineer that built a new cellular network for ‘Hutchinson Max cellular’ in Mumbai, india.

How he works:

Virtua is a very family orientated company and taking care of people and relationships is critically important. I enjoy my role as a point of contact for all the guys in the field as well as hands on involvement in the projects in a technical capacity.

Who he is:

I’m married to Tracy and I have three children, Brad, Georgia and Stanley. I enjoy winter sports, particularly snowboarding and being out on the Alpine slopes is probably my idea of the perfect day. I also enjoy watching rugby, a sport I used to play and also riding my motorbike.

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Meet Mel

What he does:

Since joining the Virtua team I’ve enjoyed a wide range of responsibilities that include field engineering services, network fault resolution, commissioning, integration and installation, GSM and Tetra projects, project design and documentation etc.

I have previously worked as the technical interface for regional engineering teams dealing with issues relating to GSM, GPRS, EDGE,UMTS RAN, O&M and core network products. I have installed and commissioned BTS and BSC equipment for an IP based pico-cellular system and I have worked within a Network Management Centre supporting Motorola GSM  new site integrations. I have also worked for Motorola on the BT Cellnet / O2 network rollout project supervising a team of field engineers responsible for installation, commissioning and integrating Radio Access Network equipment.

How he works:

Working for Virtua is all about the people. When you are a contractor most companies just treat you as a resource. At Virtua you are among friends and that makes for a good work atmosphere. Virtua genuinely care for their people and there is a strong social element too which I enjoy.

Who he is:

I’m married to Tracy and we have two children, Aaron and Daniel plus a cat (Kenny). I enjoy sports and keeping active and I get involved in playing 5-a-side football, snowboarding, surfing, golf and fishing.

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Meet Steve

What he does:
As a survey technician Steve gets involved in a wide diversity of activities in the office including checking survey documents and sending them to the field engineers as well as making sure everything is correctly filed and accounted for.

How he works:
With 35 years in IT from working as a Contractor in Birmingham to projects in Amsterdam and Gibraltar Steve’s career has given him a depth of experience that he draws upon daily in his work at Virtua. He enjoys the variety of activities and the great working atmosphere and says it is ‘professional pride’ that brings him the most satisfaction in everything he does.

Who he is:
Steve is married to Ellen and has a son, Robert and a daughter, Natalie as well as an Alsatian called ‘Diesel’. With a father in the armed forces Steve’s upbringing was very ‘European’ with time spent in Germany, Cyprus, Spain and Glasgow! In fact he attended an incredible 16 schools during his adolescence. That is what probably explains his peculiar liking for haggis for breakfast and Bangladeshi curries!

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Meet Joe

What he does:

As a Systems Engineer I tend to get involved in many aspects of as project. At the moment I’m busy with documentation and design as well as editing and issuing documents. My background is in engineering and I’ve worked for a number of Telco organisations before Virtua. At O2 I’ve been a Lead Engineer replacing Nortel network hardware with Nokia hardware involving decommissioning, delivery, install, commissioning and integration in a single visit. I have also worked for O2 rolling out 3G to London’s core network.
 
How he works:

I’ve been with Virtua for three years now and it’s a great company to work for. I like the ethos of the company and the fact that everyone is treated fairly and with respect. Every day is filled with variety and new challenges and that is what inspires me.

Who he is:

I’m married to Lynnette and we have two children, Dominic and Lydia. We enjoy holidays in Ireland as we have family in Kilkenny but we also enjoy getting away to the Canaries for some sun too. I think one of my greatest achievements has been totally renovating my own house. My idea of a perfect day? A morning spent fishing, watching Swindon town winning a football match in the afternoon and then a good Italian meal in the evening.

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Meet Stephen

What he does:

As a Lead Engineer I get involved in RF surveys and sorting out transmitter coverage issues. I’ve been in the telecoms business for around 25 years working in Hong Kong and for BT so my experience is very broad. I love the fact that the technology never stands still so there is always something new to learn.
 
How he works:

When I got a call saying that Virtua were looking for Telecoms engineers I jumped at the opportunity. I enjoy what I do and in particular being out in the field or on client sites. Virtua are a great company to work for because they are both flexible and fair and they have some great people.
 
Who he is:

I am married to Connie and we enjoy getting away to the Florida sun whenever possible. I’m interested in the way the stock market works and I manage my own investments. I’m also very proud of the fact that I actually designed the house that I live in. I also enjoy motor racing and gardening.

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Meet Richard

What he does:

I’m a Telco Electrical Engineer by profession with a number of City and Guilds and BTEC qualifications. I’m currently involved in a lot of testing and site survey activities which I enjoy and I currently work on two different projects.

I used to be a self-employed electrician following an apprenticeship then went to work for the Rover group as a Maintenance Engineer and then DMN before joining the Virtua team. I have previously worked as a Radio Access Network Engineer responsible for installation, commissioning, integration and maintenance of Motorola equipment within the O2 / BT Cellnet network rollout. I am also security cleared to work within the Emergency Services control locations.
 
How he works:

I had met a number of Virtua employees before I joined the team and had a lot of respect for the individuals. It’s a great atmosphere to work in with some great people. I also enjoy the variety of the work and being part of such a professional team.
 
Who he is:

I’m the father of two children, Lucy and Scott. I love anything to do with boats and sailing and I’m a Sea Scouts Leader. I’m also keen on kit cars, my favourite being the Dutton sports fibreglass model with an open top. When I was younger I was a keen boxer and reached the schoolboy national quarter finals. I enjoy holidaying abroad and I’m hoping to visit my brother in Perth, Australia, as soon as I can.