Meet the Core-Tech Team
Get to know the Core-Tech team here at GOSS. We've caught up with them to find out what they do.
The Core-Tech team at GOSS are concerned with designing, prototyping, implementing and maintaining the software technology that GOSS uses to implement its Digital Platform and services. The team is comprised of Richard, Steve, Ronald C, Tom, Ronald M, and Andrew - read on to discover a bit more about each of them below...
Richard Bolingbroke
Core Tech Team Lead
How long have you been at GOSS?: 23 years - since the doors opened on the first day!
What do you do at GOSS?: I write and maintain software. I used to use an IDE, now I mainly do it by speaking to my team and drawing pictures
What is your greatest achievement so far at GOSS?: I was instrumental in writing the first online booking system for a large ferry company, and it took millions of pounds of bookings
What's the best thing about working at GOSS?: They push me, but not to the point that I can't keep up
Favourite motto/quote:
- "Premature optimisation is the root of all evil"
- "My dog stepped on a bee"
- "Your lyrics lack subtlety! You can't just have your characters announce how they feel! That makes me feel angry!"
What is your guilty pleasure?: Midweek 5 o'clock cocktails
What's your go-to karaoke song?: Teenage Kicks by The Undertones. There's only 5 notes in the entire vocal melody, and it requires shouting, rather than controlled singing
What three items would you take with you to a deserted island?: Large boat, outboard motor, GPS navigation system
Steve Wyatt
Senior Software Developer
How long have you been at GOSS?: At the time of writing - 17 years, 2 months, 3 days
What do you do at GOSS?: I maintain the .NET framework and work on the new unified technology stack
What is your greatest achievement so far at GOSS?: Seeing the iCM.NET framework which started off as a Friday afternoon self-development project turn into a fully-fledged product which is being used today to power client sites.
What's the best thing about working at GOSS?: The people - I've known a lot of the people here for a long time and I still keep in contact with several who have since moved on.
Favourite motto/quote:
- "The devil makes work for idle hands"
- "Never rub another man's rhubarb"
What three items would you take with you to a deserted island?:
- A contract guaranteeing regular supply drops from a passing Hercules (I'm not slumming it folks)
- A decent tent/shelter
- A sassy grass skirt (Ed Stafford makes his own but sadly I'm more Ed Miliband)
Favourite place in the world?:
- The wild unspoilt vastness of Dartmoor
- Home Park (Come on Argyle)
Ronald Chan
Java Developer
How long have you been at GOSS?: I have been here 1 year
What do you do at GOSS?: Coding, support and more coding
What is your greatest achievement so far at GOSS?: Moving clients to use STAN build
What is the best thing about working at GOSS?: For me its the flexible working hours, they really allow me to maintain a good work-life balance
What's your go-to karaoke song?: A Cantonese song called 身體健康 which means stay good health
Favourite place in the world?: Home where I can take a rest and have a lovely moment with my family.
Tom Simpson
Senior Software Developer
How long have you been at GOSS?: Six and half years
What do you do at GOSS?: Backend Software Developer
What has been your greatest achievement so far at GOSS?: Async Workers and when its released Worker Cells and a new tech stack
What's the best thing about working at GOSS?: For me its the people
If you could become an animal, which animal would it be?: A cat (they get to sleep a lot)
Favourite motto/quote:
- Never put off till tomorrow what you can avoid all together
What three items would you take with you to a deserted island?:
- A satellite phone
- A solar charger
- A copy of 'how to survive on a desert island'
Ronald Middelkoop
Senior Software Developer
How long have you been at GOSS?: A good two years
What do you do at GOSS?: I'm a senior developer in the Core Tech team, the team responsible for the re-implementation of our stack in modern technologies. I'm also involved in the development of our payment integrations quite a bit.
What is your greatest achievement so far at GOSS?: The addition of a reconciliation mechanism for payments where the customer does not return to us after the payment process at the third party.
What's the best thing about working at GOSS?: Definitely the culture. Great set of people with a real love for their product.
If you could become any animal, which animal would it be?: I have to say that cats seem to have it pretty good
What is your guilty pleasure?: Long Showers
Favourite place in the world?: That must be New Zealand. If only it wasn't so far away...
Andrew Al-Refae
Graduate Software Developer
How long have you been at GOSS?: As of writing this, twenty three and a half days.
What do you do at GOSS?: I'm a graduate software developer on the Core-Tech team, so I get to help develop and implement GOSS's latest technology.
What is your greatest achievement so far at GOSS?: Up to this point, dodging a technical sermon of the applications of finite state machines in text parsing from Richard B. On a serious note though, my greatest achievement at GOSS so far was completing my first real ticket.
What's the best thing about working at GOSS?: There's an abundance of talent and experience to learn from, it's a great place improve your own abilities.
What is your guilty pleasure?: It has to be donuts. Specifically, the chocolate-glazed ones.
Top 3 things on your bucket list?:
- Travelling through East Asia
- Going skydiving
- Actually finishing an India game project I start
What three items would you take with you to a deserted island?:
- A satellite phone
- A GPS system
- An inflatable beds that inflate themselves
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