Aaron Ridgewell joins Firemind as a senior cloud engineer

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

I was initially approached on LinkedIn, and after speaking with a number of people from Firemind, I was very excited to join the team and work with the technologies that were being used, as well as working with the existing team.

What is your role at Firemind?

I’m a Senior Cloud Engineer, and I’ll be working closely with the Data Scientists to build and maintain cloud-based services using AWS.

Which areas of our business interested you the most?

Generative AI, being the buzz word that it is, really caught my eye. And seeing that Firemind had a tangible product already in the Generative AI space showed me that they are a leader in the space.

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

I would love to create a legacy at Firemind and help to grow the company, not just in revenue, but also in process and policies, as well as helping to expand on the Firemind brand.

Which aspects of your role are you most excited about?

Coming in as a senior Engineer, I’m excited about working on complex projects, but also having the chance to mentor and help other Engineers to progress in their own roles at Firemind.

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

I’d like to establish myself as one of the go-to Engineers at Firemind. As well as help to improve some of the processes within the business as it continues to scale. I’d also like to progress in my career and look towards a lead role if the opportunity arises.

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

I’m a big foodie and love nothing more than a good meal out. I usually unwind by going to the gym or pool, but I love a nice long walk with my dogs as it wakes me up in the morning and chills me out after work in the evening.

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

I tend to cycle through different genres/eras, but right now I am back to playing the Collision Course album.

Any fun nicknames we should know about? If Yes, what’s the backstory?

I have two nicknames that I am usually called by. One is little legs (for obvious reasons), the other is Len, as there were a couple of Aarons in my footie team so they started calling me by a shortened version of my middle name.

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

I love carbonara and would happily eat that every day.

What is at the top of your bucket list?

I would love to take a flight in an old WW2 Spitfire or Hurricane, as I love the way they look and sound.

What is one skill you would really love to learn?

I’m a terrible cook, despite being a foodie, so would love to be able to create meals off the top of my head. Right now I have to follow a recipe like it’s a scientific process to ensure that the food I cook is edible. 😆

How do you wind down after work?

Dog walks, bike Rides, gym/swim, meals out or beers with friends.