How do you spend most of your time at work?
I spend a lot of time travelling, as I feel it’s important to meet with customers and staff from across all our operations as often as possible. At Simoco we’re driven by a consultative approach; you can’t create a business with that ethos if you’re not following it through with regular face-to-face time.
What’s the one gadget that you can’t live without?
It would have to be my smartphone. It keeps me connected to everyone and everything.
Describe your most unforgettable project.
I’m especially proud of our work for Western Power Distribution. It’s a UK utilities organisation with nearly eight million customers. We started off providing just voice communication but have gradually shifted towards integrating voice and data networks.
What advice would you give to a young radio engineer who’s starting their first job in the industry?
Expose yourself to as many different technologies as possible. We live in an era of integration, and increasingly organisations are looking to pull together different systems into unified communications infrastructures. It’s not enough to be a specialist in a highly specific type of hardware or software any more.
How has your role changed since you started working within the radio industry?
I’m extremely proud of the fact that I entered the radio industry as an apprentice and have worked my way up to CEO level through a combination of – I hope – hard graft, people skills and an ability to forecast where technology is evolving. Obviously that evolution goes hand-in-hand with having to take a much broader view of company strategy, and creating a long-term vision for all of our staff and customers.
What do you do to relax?
I relax better when I am active, so I like to keep fit doing various sports and activities, from golf to walking and mountain biking. I occasionally get a chance to sit down though – I love watching football.
Norfield has spent over 30 years in comms with a variety of organisations, including the Metropolitan Police.
