What was your journey to the role you’re at now?

After working my placement year at Bristan, I was offered a permanent Design Engineer position not long after graduating. Of course, I jumped at the chance, and was promoted to a Senior role after two years.

Five years later and I haven’t looked back. I’m still loving the new challenges and opportunities every day brings.

What’s the best thing about your job? And what makes working at Bristan Group so brilliant?

It’s almost a cliché – but working with such a great team and in a relaxed, friendly work environment really makes a big difference.

Also, the fact that we have full ownership of the projects we work on from the initial research and design phase, through to signing off the first batch of products that come in. That isn’t something you get everywhere. It’s really fulfilling, seeing through the full process.

What’s the key to creating brilliant innovations - such as the award-winning Wallmount 12 technology?

I guess a lot of it comes from technical knowledge and research – being able to not just spot a gap in the market but having the know-how to actually make it work and bring it to life. 

That said, it’s never down to just one person. Even a product as small and simple as the WMNT12 has a huge team of people behind it – from the wider design team supporting with expertise and product management finding the opportunity, through to suppliers helping make it a reality and more. You could say I’m just the guy who collated it all and put it together into one package.
 
What do you consider to be the key factors driving product innovation in the current market?

It’s really down to the customers. It is so important to have a customer centric approach to design and keep it brilliantly simple. 

At the end of the day, if you don’t come up with something that is needed and makes life easier, then it’s not going to be successful. It could be the most intricate design, but if it breaks down lots or is too difficult to use, it’s not going to cut it. 

What are some of your favourite Bristan innovations, and why?

I may be biased because I designed it, but my favourite is the new, updated version of the commercial OPAC thermostatic shower valves. 

The whole product has been redesigned to make life easier for installers and maintenance workers, and a better product for the end user and the environment. With it, we’ve taken the best innovations from other commercial products we’ve designed in the last eight years or so, and put them all into one package, with some other added improvements.

From built-in isolators to make servicing easier, integral thermal flushing for killing harmful bacteria, built-in waterways which are machined smooth and integrated into the cartridge – which is even patented - to prevent build-up of biofilm, and more 
 
What excites you about the industry at the moment? 

It’s been exciting to see the recent surge in home improvement, as homeowners have spent the extra time indoors updating their houses.

What’s been great about this is that’s it’s helped our industry to grow and evolve in line with new demand. Plus, the focus on infection control and water-saving should allow further scope for new innovation. 
 
And finally, tell us a fun fact about you.

As well as it being an influence on me as a child, Lego is still a massive part of my life and I have a huge collection - far larger than is acceptable for someone my age and it’s grown rapidly the past couple of years. So much so that I have had to buy a house to make more space for it all – it may not be the main reason I bought one but it is a key benefit.