Tom O’Reilly has joined as our Head of Development and brings with him more than 15 years’ software development experience.
We talked to Tom to hear where his focus areas are and what three things he would want if he was stranded on a desert island:
Hi Tom, firstly a big welcome to the Avondata team. Can you tell us a little more about your career to date?
I have always been in software development with an expertise in web-based application development. In my most recent role, I was a director for a SaaS company. As a result, I worked predominantly on performance intensive applications.
I’ve worked my way up from working as a software developer after university, then I grew into a software development manager role, before progressing to a technical director, and just last month I received the opportunity to join Avondata as Head of Development – I’m thrilled to be here!
What do you do day-to-day in your role?
I start each morning with a team huddle, we discuss what we’re currently working on, try to pre-empt any workflow bottlenecks, and outline the plan of action for the day. We operate under scrum, which means we work in sprint cycles of three weeks.
Throughout the day, I’ll be tackling new developments and projects, and the team will chat if we have any issues. As required, we’ll set up calls and work things out as a team. As our team works from home, communication is the key!
Initially, it was difficult adjusting to the work-from-home environment. Previously I have worked out of offices. However, the flexibility is great, and it does save me on commuting time.
What is your favourite feature of Rezcontrol?
I would say it is the architecture – it is based on very modern practices so the engineer in me really likes the set-up.
What do you get up to when you’re not working?
That’s a tough one! I’m a bit of a workaholic to be honest and you’ll often find me burning the midnight oil.
However, I got engaged in June and we’ll be getting married next year, so there’s lots of planning and anticipation for our big day.
I have a very energetic Labrador and there’s a park opposite my home, so you’ll often find me there out on walks. George is a chocolate Labrador and very mischievous – he takes up most of my time! His bed is in my office, so he’s normally sat there while I’m working, keeping me company.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what are the three things you would take with you?
Let me think. It would have to be a Wi-Fi dongle, a charger pack, and a laptop! That way I could stay on top of things and take remote working to a new extreme! I’m definitely a bit of a workaholic, and I think my partner would agree. I do live on coffee, so maybe I should take a jar of that with me too.