It’s been a week of celebrations at Firemind HQ, as we were awarded partner status for the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Retail Competency (more on that here), and we welcomed Mike Potts to the team as our Principal Solutions Architect.

In our usual baptism for new starters, we sat with Mike to learn a little more about our latest team addition.

Hello and welcome to the Firemind team Mike! It’s great to have you with us. To our viewers, could you please tell us a little about yourself and your professional background?

I’ve spent the last 30+ years working in IT, designing and delivering data solutions for most of the big companies in the UK (e.g. Banks, Telcos, AO.com, Johnson Matthey, Airlines and Formula One). I’m a Technologist at heart, with a broad range of skills across the spectrum, from Pre-sales, solution architecture, development, visualisation and support. The last 7 years have been delivering AWS based solutions for various customers.

How did you find out about us and what made you decide to apply for a role with Firemind?

I was approached by the Managing Directors, Ahmed and Charlie. And after talking to them, it just seemed the perfect fit for me. I’m very much a small fast moving company person, where I can use my multiple skills rather than being pigeon holed to one thing in a larger corporate. The openness and honesty of the directors came across, and gave me the confidence that it was the right move for me.

Which areas of our business interested you the most?

Definitely the chance to work on multiple projects at once, that’s more suited to my personality and work style.

What will be your main goals/objectives whilst working at Firemind?

Helping the business grow and delivering the solutions that give the best value to our customers. Initially though, I’ll be getting to know the great Firemind team and learn the way the business works.

What are some highlights of the job over the last few days?

Only been here a few days, but it has to be the fun culture and openness/willingness of everyone to help.

Which aspects of the job are you most excited about?

Working with an exciting company and working with new clients in an exciting work environment; being able to get things done without lots of bureacracy.

What do you hope to achieve within your first 12 months here?

Delivering a few client projects successfully, taking more AWS certifications, and becoming a valued member of the Firemind team.

Outside of work, what do you get up to? Tell us about your hobbies.

I enjoy walking our 2 dogs and I also sail at a local sailing club with my sons. I often volunteer for Challenge Wales Crewing on 70ft Yachts, taking a range of ages on sailing trips.

What’s your favourite song on your playlist right now?

Bit of an old song, but has to be Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody.

Any fun nicknames we should know about?

The only one I really had was Pottsie, pretty obvious where it came from.

If you could only chose one dish to eat every meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Would have to be a Sunday roast dinner.

What is at the top of your bucket list?

Given no limit on free time and money, it would have to be to sail around the world.

What is one skill you would really love to learn?

I enjoy DIY and one thing I’d love to be able to do is to plaster walls properly.

How do you wind down after work?

Typically, I walk the dogs, do a bit of DIY or have a nice glass of red wine to wind down.

We’re growing from strength to strength, expanding our diverse and specialised team to enable us to work faster, smarter and have more fun along the way!

Visit our Careers page for further details about the Firemind culture.