Meet our IT Team: Katie Bywater and Aidan Gilman

This week, we are proud to be shining a spotlight on our IT department as part of our ‘Meet the Team’ series. Here at The Compleat Food our IT team play an integral role across our group and we’re thrilled to introduce you to two of our exceptional IT colleagues.

First up is Katie Bywater, our Assistant IT Service Desk Manager and Aidan Gilman, our IT 2nd Line Engineer.

Learn more about their journeys below.

Meet Katie Bywater…

When did you join TCFG?

I joined The Compleat Food Group back in 2007 in our Tottle Bakery as a Receptionist, at the grand age of 19, on a 6 week temporary contract – 16 years later and I’m still here!

How long have you worked in IT?

I have worked in IT for just over 9 years now. I made the move from Reception up into the IT department in 2014, starting as IS Administrator. This was a great starting point to enable me to learn about everything “IT”. Being surrounded by the Team on a daily basis, meant I was constantly exposed to how all our systems worked and what different job roles within the Team entailed.

What made you consider a career in IT?

I’ve always had an interest in Technology, even from a young age. I used to love taking things apart to figure out why something wasn’t working and then trying to fix them. I found it fascinating to watch the guys here take PCs, Laptops and Printers apart, so when the opportunity to join the 1^st line support team arose, I jumped at it. Technology is constantly changing, there is always so much to learn and so many different career paths you can choose to go down within the IT sector.

What is so great about being in IT at TCFG?

The people! We have such a great team and everyone is always willing to help one an another, no matter how big or small the problem. The majority of what I have learnt about IT over the last 9 years is down to the people I have worked with. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.

What opportunities are there within TCFG for IT?

I have been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to work in 5 different roles within IT since joining the team. I moved from IS Administrator to 1^st line support in 2016 and from there, I naturally progressed into a 2^nd line hands on support position. A couple of years later, I had the opportunity to join the Systems Administration team, looking after servers and systems for all sites. I then moved back to a 2^nd line role, looking after our Riverside Bakery & Milton Keynes site, and in June of this year, also took on the Assistant Helpdesk Manager role.

There is always the opportunity to move around the department if job vacancies open up!

Why should you consider a career with TCFG?

TCFG have been really supportive towards helping me develop my career and provided me such amazing opportunities along the way.

Describe an average day at TCFG.

No day is the same at TCFG! That is what I love about my role in IT – it is so varied. One day could be spent in the fridge on the factory floor, fixing label printers to ensure product can be despatched out the door, and the next day I could be in the Boardroom making sure conference equipment is correctly set up for exec meetings!

Meet Aidan Gilman…

When did you join TCFG?

I joined a little over 3 months ago so I’m still very new here!

How long have you worked in IT?

I’ve worked in IT for about 11 years now; I actually started an apprenticeship straight out of secondary school which really helped me get an early foot in the door to this industry.

What made you consider a career in IT?

My family have all been in IT at some point in their life, it’s almost like the family business! My dad helped me build my first PC when I was still in primary school and that’s when I knew I’d like to help people with theirs too!

What is so great about being in IT at TCFG?

The food industry is really interesting and the IT behind it is all there to help make it safe and efficient for our employees. It’s great to see how the work you do goes on to make an impact on the company and the people who are part of it.

What opportunities are there within TCFG for IT?

There are always opportunities in IT, but especially within TCFG as we are growing as a company. The IT team is always busy maintaining and troubleshooting the systems people use daily and are always helping to improve their experiences.

Why should you consider a career with TCFG?

The people here are so friendly and you really get to see so many amazing parts of the food industry, I feel like I’m learning something new every week!

Describe an average day at TCFG.

For IT, the mornings are usually the busiest with checking on anything that happened overnight and helping people coming into the office with their IT issues – but you don’t really get a “normal” day after that. There could be something happening with printers in the factory, moving around cables in network cabinets, or even just helping someone with their laptop! Your day is usually so varied that it’s difficult to know what an average day looks like!