When Chris joined the company as a project engineer in 1990, it was because he wanted to move away from the work he was doing in the public sector and to join a mainstream consultancy.
He saw a lively go ahead business that was going places. Rolton saw not just a young engineer with limited experience of the commercial world, but also an individual with plenty of enthusiasm and the potential to grow and develop.
Once he'd settled in at Rolton, he set himself some demanding goals. His plan was to become an Associate Director by the time he was 30 and to become a Director within another five years - both of which he achieved.
But it takes more than a plan and a great attitude to go from keen raw recruit to a director of the business. Chris is the first to admit that he's benefited hugely from the Group's commitment to mentoring and developing its people.
He says: "We're committed to the personal development of the individual. It's an integral part of the way we operate here - it's not some kind of extra that's been bolted on to the firm's approach to business.
"Mentoring, learning in a structured way from the more senior and experienced people around you, is vitally important. The other directors mentored me when I was working towards becoming a director myself. Now I mentor other engineers here and I get a real kick out of seeing the way they develop.
"We've won awards for the way we develop our people. And now that I'm also the Group's training director, it's something I'm very proud of."
Needless to say he didn't take up his training role until he'd been through the necessary training himself.
Chris joined Rolton as a project engineer and was impressed by the speed with which so many of his projects went on site or were completed within the first year. "It was a complete turnaround from what I'd known before.
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There was more pressure than I'd been used to, but it was fun to see projects being completed," he says.
Chris has found Rolton a good place to develop himself both personally and professionally. He had already taken a BSc before joining the Group but he achieved his Chartered Engineer status while working and studying with Rolton. He was given help with his applications for professional qualifications and had his application fees paid by the company.
During his time with Rolton he has also become a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE). He has also attended more professional development courses than he can list from memory.
He specialises in conceptual design, three-dimensional modelling and the supervision of design from feasibility to project completion and final account settlement of a large range of projects. Over the years, he has worked with a large number of blue-chip.
His current role includes overseeing the general day-to-day operation of our Solihull office and its 13 staff. He hopes to see the office develop a full multi-disciplinary engineering capability of its own within the Group.
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