Sharpsmart Spotlight: Damien Simpson

There’s a rumour of a house with its light switches disabled and replaced with motion sensors by an enthusiastic tinkerer who couldn’t sleep…

We want to take a moment to shine the spotlight on Sharpsmart’s hands-on DIY expert, our Junior System Admin, Damien Simpson.

Who Can Fix Your IT System, Modify Your Car, and Fit Your Bathroom?

Damien Simpson is a natural hands-on problem solver who’s not afraid to dive into projects, whether it’s fitting his own bathroom, installing cruise control in his camper van, or tinkering with personal websites and coding.

Damien’s Sharpsmart journey kicked off at the service desk, where he provided support and learned the ins and outs of Sharpsmart’s operations. Once he had a grasp of the company’s sites and technologies, Damien didn’t stop there – he set his sights on improvement.

In just over three years, Damien’s expertise has grown exponentially. He found himself taking on responsibilities and tasks typically handled by the Global IT team. The sort of tasks that if not executed flawlessly, can kill a whole site – in terms of technology that is, not people…

This journey has led Damien to his role as Junior System Admin, marking a shift away from the service desk to focus on the System Admin side of the business. Damien thrives on providing excellent service and debunking false narratives about IT experts being desk-bound tea drinkers. He’s living proof that IT professionals roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty, and drive meaningful improvements.

Beyond the tech realm, Damien’s self-taught handyman and mechanic skills make him a valuable asset in a wilderness survival situation. His Army Cadet background, filled with mock military drills and survival exercises adds another layer to his diverse skill set.

So now that you have an idea of who Damien Simpson is, let’s hear directly from him. We sat down with Damien to learn more about his Sharpsmart experience.

What were your first impressions of Sharpsmart?

I’ve loved IT since I was a teenager and with Sharpsmart I immediately saw a lot of potential to put my own mark on things and make a difference.

What do you enjoy most about working for Sharpsmart?

Because we’re a relatively smaller business with so much going on there’s been a lot of freedom to express myself and test what the business needs and there’s not usually much pushback on the solutions I suggest – in most cases, my recommendations are respected and taken on board.

We’re growing fast and the change I’ve seen over the past three years has all been positive, we’re always moving forward – it’s never a one-step forward, two-step back situation.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve been asked to do whilst on the job?

To climb inside the shredder at our Normanton plant and install a camera, I never would’ve imagined myself doing that before. It was switched off and isolated of course, but it was also dark and didn’t smell too great.

I also get a lot of requests to fix people’s personal laptops…

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned over your career?

Being patient, and it’s still something I struggle with but being a new father I’ll hopefully start getting better at it.

At times there can be urgent tasks but they might take time to execute, it’s important not to get frustrated and understand that patience often delivers a better result.

What’s the most fulfilling thing you’ve done with Sharpsmart?

It’s been a great opportunity to prove my own ability and skills to myself.

In July 2023, we had our two-day UK National Summit and my personal life was hectic at the time with my wedding booked for August and a new baby but in spite of that the IT team managed to pull together the audio-visual equipment and make the event a success.

I came to work straight off the back of my stag weekend and it had been over three years since I had worked with audio-visual equipment. When we were around 70% of the way through setup when the decision was made to turn the room 90 degrees, we pulled it off and the result was well worth the effort of the set-up.

What does growth look like for you and your dept/team/plant?

Expansion within the IT team will be important to keep up with business growth. In the last three years, we’ve moved from a 65-laptop user base up to almost 200 in the UK. We’ll need to expand to have the capacity to provide IT support even if some of us are visiting sites or working on other projects.

We want to always be able to provide the excellent support service we’ve come to be known for.

How would you describe the culture at Sharpsmart?

There’s a real closeness and everybody’s friendly and willing to help – nobody’s door feels closed and even the Senior Leadership team are approachable.

If you could dispel one myth about the healthcare waste industry, what would that be?

The thing that surprised me most was the types of waste we get. I expected things like needles, blood bags, and bandages, but never thought about stuff like anatomical waste such as limbs, or what dentists do with teeth they’ve pulled.

Another thing is the variety of treatments and what can actually be done with medical waste in terms of recycling or using it as a fuel alternative.

What advice would you give someone looking for a career with Sharpsmart?

Get stuck in and try not to get siloed in your own department, there’s a lot of different things going on a daily basis and it’s great to get out there and learn the different processes and operations.

It’s good to try and get out with the drivers and see the customer sites and other moving parts of this business.

If you were abandoned on a desert island, which three Sharpsmart colleagues would you want with you?

Martha Nutkins, because she’s sporty and a good swimmer so I feel like if we needed someone to go out and catch fish or get food, she’d be that person. Dameon Ward, because he’d come up with some way of collecting rainwater or purifying seawater so we had clean drinking water. And finally, Suneet Parmar because everyone needs a laugh.

Bonus Question: In a world without computers, what would you do for work?

It would still have to be something hands-on, maybe electrician work or plumbing. Last year I plumbed in my own bathroom and I’ve still had no leaks or problems – I get bored when I’m not tinkering with things.

Join Our Pride!

Are you currently considering an exciting new career with an innovative company that gives you a platform for growth and development?

If you are, and you’d also like to be a part of making healthcare safer and more sustainable, you’ll fit in nicely with the Sharpsmart pride.

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