Michael

My career at Gratte Brothers began as an Electrical Apprentice. I worked my way up from Engineer to Managing Director of the company’s security division and now I act as the Business Development Director for the Group.

Gratte Brothers is a well-known and respected company within the industry but we are never complacent. We are constantly looking forward, recognising where we have the ability to develop and taking advantage of the opportunities we have to grow within the markets we best fit. We can’t just sit still with the work we have, we have to be proactive and see what projects we can add value to next.

I know how important it is to build and maintain relationships with our clients and therefore I am constantly meeting new people. After 40 years of working for Gratte Brothers and having trained as an Electrical Engineer, I know the depths of our capabilities. I act as the interface between Gratte Brothers and our clients, understanding their requirements and ensuring that we communicate as a team to deliver an end-result that fulfils their expectations at every stage.

Gratte Brothers is a family company that will always value respect and we gain that from our clients through our honesty. We are constantly evolving as a company and as we begin to show the industry the next generation of the Gratte family, we remain steadfast in our values and in our commitment to excellence.

Bronwyn

My career at Gratte Brothers started 15 years ago when I worked as an Administrator in the Human Resources Department whilst studying alongside for a business degree. I was advised of an administrative role internally that had become available in the Accounts Department and there I began before progressing to the role of Credit Controller.

Once I completed my degree, I was able to earn my ACCA qualification whilst still working for the company and afterwards, Gratte Brothers promoted me to Group Accountant. I continued to progress internally, working my way up from Group Financial Controller to my current position as Finance Director.

Our people are integral to the success of this business and it is the culture of respect and integrity throughout this company, which makes it such a great place to work.

Iain

My career at Gratte Brothers began over 35 years ago as a Surveyor. As the department developed and I progressed, I went on to run the specialist services division of the company before moving my way up from Commercial Manager to Operations Director. My role now is one of leadership, ensuring that the business is where it should be and implementing the programmes that support our objectives.

We are proud to have a reputation for engineering excellence and we believe this is down to the calibre of our people. It is critical that we invest in our staff and give them the opportunity to attain the professional standards that allow them to progress. We want to build a legacy to be proud of and for us that also means placing an increasing emphasis on environmental sustainability and the highest health and safety standards.

We also believe it is important to listen to our clients and understand their needs. This means engaging early on in the process, bringing value to a project by collaborating and building a partnership. By taking advantage of new technology such as BIM and off-site engineering we are able to better understand any concerns before we go on site to ensure a safer, more efficient delivery.

Gratte Brothers is a family company and as it enters the third generation, it continues to stand for respect and loyalty. We have a desire to be the best, individually, as a team and as a business. We believe our people want to be the best and we support that.

Niamh

As Group Sustainability Manager, it is my responsibility to ensure that we are not only compliant with energy and environmental legislation but also that our commitment to sustainability is actively maintained throughout our programmes.

We know that our clients are increasingly pursuing the benefit of sustainable development. Through initiatives such as Community Wood Recycling, we are happy to be involved throughout the process, from tender to project completion to ensure all environmental requirements, such as low emission vehicles and low impact materials, are met. We also support our Supply Chain by ensuring that all labour and materials required for a client’s programme are procured in a manner, which reflects our social and ethical standards.

We are motivated by the BREEAM ratings our projects achieve and the high sustainability ratings we receive during tenders. We are committed to expanding on this success to help protect the environment and support the communities we work in.

John

As the Health & Safety Director, I am responsible for setting the policies and standards throughout our company, which ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of our staff and colleagues.

At Gratte Brothers, we strive to provide safe working environments for all and it is the top-level commitment from our Directors, which ensure they are without risk to health. As Ian Gratte has said, ‘safety is the primary consideration in everything we do’ and so we are involved at every stage of a project, from tender to completion to ensure the risk has been identified, that all health & safety requirements are budgeted for and that we are capable of controlling the risk involved.

I oversee a team of eight individuals who monitor what we implement to ensure all risks are managed. Our team move between sites to ensure that every project or area of the business has a safety advisor to manage the risk involved with the vastly different situations we work within. We are also a supporting department that ensure all calls for help are answered. We assist project teams, complete site inspections and audits and provide support sessions when needed.

Our health & safety strategy is based on values, engagement and leadership and we review our objectives annually and our KPIs monthly, to ensure we are constantly meeting our high standards. Our employee comment card scheme ensures that we are listening to those working under our policies and we consider all suggestions when designing and implementing our strategy.

Clair

Currently an Electrical Project Manager for Gratte Brothers, I have been with the business for over 4 years. What I like about working here is the good family feel that the company has and the fact that everyone work as a team.

I began working within the industry as a Document Controller and studied for 5 years to achieve my Level 2 & Level 3 in Electrical installation before completing an HNC in Building Services. I transitioned to Trainee Building Services Engineer and began running my own projects. Since joining Gratte Brothers, I have continued to progress, working my way from Project Engineer to my current role as Project Manager.

What I enjoy most about working in construction is being able to see my work come to life right in front of me, being able to see an end-product and knowing that my skills were involved.

John

I commenced my career at Gratte Brothers in 1990 as an Apprentice Electrician. After progressing to Trainee Engineer, I got the opportunity to work within various internal departments before working my way up from Engineer to Contracts Manager and now my current position as Operations Director.

As Operations Director, it is my responsibility to manage and mentor our teams from the tender stage right through to the successful delivery of projects on budget and to programme. Ensuring successful delivery means carrying our regular project reviews and onsite inspections, monitoring the commercial and contractual elements of the programme and monitoring the implementation of company procedures such as health & safety within those teams to ensure successful delivery.

Gratte Brothers is a professional, client-focused company with a collaborative and non-confrontational ethos. We know how important it is to build and maintain relationships with our clients throughout our partnerships so that we can provide a personal, client focused service that exceeds their expectations.

Megan

Today, it is vital that a business has a team of IT Engineers capable of dealing with the problems produced by complex technology. An IT infrastructure affects the culture, efficiency and relationships of any business and therefore one of my main responsibilities is ensuring that we have the best technology and that the servers and systems, which the entire company operate off, are constantly working at an optimum level. Providing this service often has the benefit of helping different departments streamline their workloads for increased efficiency.

Some of the biggest concerns facing businesses currently are IT security and Data Protection. Ensuring our compliance and security forms a large part of my job and often requires a change in company culture. I regularly run workshops to help educate our staff on the importance of following procedures that ensure their data is both secure and compliant.

What I enjoy most about my job is seeing a project through, being able to witness the end-result and knowing that our efforts have benefitted the company. Gratte Brothers is a business where you are made to feel appreciated and the Directors always make the effort to recognise the work that you have put in.

Malcolm

I began my career as an Apprentice Electrician before joining Gratte Brothers in 2000 as an Electrical Engineer. After several years and a great deal of experience gained of Mechanical and Electrical services, I progressed within the company to my current role as Contracts Manager. My experience includes commercial office, new build and fast track fit outs, shell and core infrastructure replacements and data centres, with many of these projects undertaken in occupied buildings.

As Contracts Manager, understanding that projects are built by people is important. I therefore strive to build and retain professional relationships which allow uninhibited and those sometimes difficult conversations which are essential to the success of any project.

I am responsible for the delivery of projects through my dedicated teams from order to handover and would be the first point of contact attending mid-bid and post tender meetings to establish continuity of personnel from the start. My objective is always to exceed client expectations and achieve project completion within the agreed programme and budget and with zero defects in order to retain the repeat business that Gratte Brothers currently enjoy with many of our existing clients.

Billy

My career at Gratte Brothers began as an Approved Electrician. After working here for over 20 years, I have worked my way up from Chargehand to Foreman and now Site Manager. It is my responsibility to oversee our on-site operations on a day-to-day basis and to ensure that a project is constantly being driven along on time, safely and to the highest standard of quality.

An important part of my role is ensuring that all of our people, including sub-contractors are following the correct protocols. This is especially important concerning health & safety where we carry out rigorous risk assessments and follow method statements to minimise risk as far as possible. Any concerns regarding health & safety on-site are reported to me immediately so that potential risks can be reviewed and the appropriate measures taken to ensure they are not repeated.

It is also my responsibility to know everything that is going on so I frequently walk around the site and get reports from the various chargehands so we can insure the quality of the engineering installation is being met as well as ensuring that the client’s programme is being kept to.

Marie

As Reception Supervisor at our Head Office, my role requires me to be a face and voice for the company. I am the first person that a client, candidate or visitor interacts with when making contact- be it over the phone or in person. This requires me to be constantly informed of everything that is happening and to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

Successfully running the front desk whilst maintaining a high standard of service demands an impressive line-up of hard and soft skills for the ability to think fast and come up with innovative solutions to different challenges – all while reassuring clients, customers and co-workers that they are in the hands of a professional.

Every visitor whether it is a client, candidate or service personnel is important to us. Our aim is make everyone feel welcome and know that their visit or call is important and appreciated.

Chris

My time with Gratte Brothers began during a summer placement helping to manage the Fleet but it officially began in the Accounts Department in 2011. After a 2 year spell in which I led the computerisation of the payment authorisation process, I transferred to the Security Division as Commercial Manager. Continuing with a systems theme, I oversaw the development of our Supply Chain administration, implemented new contract management tools, designed new stock controls and refreshed the reporting systems.

Today, my role is working within the M&E sector of the Business Development Team. It is my responsibility to listen and understand where our strengths lie and monitor the industry for prospects where we can deliver successfully. I endeavour to ensure we are best positioned to receive opportunities that match our core strengths and then assess what opportunities will deliver key relationships.

What makes Gratte Brothers such a great company to work for is that they understand the importance of work/life balance. This attracts great people who want to stay. We all work hard to retain our enviable reputation in the industry, receiving investment in training and the technology we use. This approach has allowed us to work with some fantastic clients who continue to include us on some of the most rewarding projects the industry has to offer.