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. 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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