Employee Spotlight – Simon Smith
What is your position and how long have you worked at FOD Mobility Group?
I’ve been with FOD Mobility Group for over 5 years now. I initially joined the company in a Business Development role within the sales team. Since then, I have moved into a Project Management role and have been working for the last 18 months on several exciting new projects.
Tell us more about your current role and responsibilities.
My role as Project Manager involves a lot of planning, organising, monitoring and communication – effectively the day-to-day management of each project to ensure things are progressing against the agreed plan as well as being a central point of contact for the client for all aspects of the project. It also involves regular reporting and updates to the key stakeholders of the project both internally and to the client.
Which projects are you currently working on?
I can’t go into too much detail about the current project I’m working on at this stage, however what I can say is that this project takes our Fleetondemand rental platform onto the international stage and involves integration work through API’s with other third parties to complete the solution for this customer.
What goals you are looking to achieve within the next 12 months?
In regard to the current project, the key goal is to ensure that FOD successfully delivers the initial development work required and also to complete the roll out of the system to the various countries on the plan targeted for the first 12 months. It’s quite a challenging project from that perspective.
On a personal level I am currently undertaking Scrum Master courses to help develop my project management skills, so my goal would be to successfully complete those.
What do you find most rewarding about your role?
The thing I find most rewarding in my current project management role is seeing the development work come to life. You spend so long in the early stages defining the requirements but to then see that work in action as the system starts to evolve, and get feedback from those involved in the project, particularly the client, is the most rewarding.
What do you enjoy most about working at FOD Mobility Group?
The fact that you can learn something new every day as well as the people around you who make it a great place to work.
If someone was looking to join the business, what advice would you give them?
My advice would be that it’s a great company to join, with plenty of opportunities to progress in your career and plenty of support for that as well. There are some great and exciting things happening at FOD over the next few years which you could be part of.
What motivates you in your career?
Opportunity – to be able to do new things and learn.
The best career lesson you’ve learned to date?
To have the courage of your own convictions, particularly in difficult situations. Many years ago I was overseas on a government project when a critical issue arose and I had little support available to me. I had to make a swift decision which could quite easily have gone badly wrong. It was quite a daunting situation to deal with at the time. Thankfully having checked and double-checked things again I felt sure I knew the right solution, so I went for it – and sure enough it worked!
What things do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Outside of work I enjoy family time, I go to the gym a couple of times a week and enjoy seeing bands live. I’m a season ticket holder at the mighty Bradford City, who I first watched play over 40 years ago, so I can be seen down at Valley Parade on a Saturday afternoon during the football season. I occasionally go to some away games as well. Also, I’m an avid follower of Formula 1. I rarely miss a race on TV and I ‘ve been to a couple of races in the past too. I also enjoy reading the Jack Reacher series of books by Lee Child.
Choose three words that best describe you as a person.
Helpful, easy-going and witty (although my kids will say not with the dad jokes!).
What did you want to be when you grew up and why?
When I was younger at school I always wanted to be a helicopter pilot in the RAF, however when it came to career decisions after I left school I ended up going into Telecoms / IT.
If you could meet anyone in the world dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Dead – Lee Harvey Oswald. Did he really shoot JFK? I would like to put that conspiracy theory to bed!
Alive – Lewis Hamilton. I just think he’s an inspiration for everyone, especially the youth of today.
Where is your favourite holiday destination to date?
Thankfully I’ve been fortunate enough to visit a number of places over the years that have all been fabulous places, however my favourite would have to be Florida. I could quite happily live there when I retire!
What are your top three songs of all time?
Now this is a difficult one as I’d be hard pushed to name a top 10, let alone 3 as there’s that many! So, the 3 I’ve picked are a tribute to rock star legends who sadly passed away during the pandemic. They are:
Everlong – Foo Fighters (Taylor Hawkins)
Right Now – Van Halen (Eddie Van Halen)
Bat out of Hell – Meat Loaf
