Sharon Dewdney is Aeromark’s Head of Technical Delivery. She creates a collaborative link between the project delivery and technical teams within Aeromark. It’s Sharon who works out the detail of exactly how the system should be configured or enhanced to enable customers to work in a smarter and more efficient way. From designing the more complex aspects of workflows and processes to briefing our in-house developers, she oversees the technical aspects of your project, keeping everyone on track and testing their work to ensure it works as scoped.  

Why did you choose your career in technology? 

I have always had a love of ‘building’ things, but I think technology chose me! I’d been in the telemarketing industry and had experienced working in every department from the call centre, sales and marketing through to operations and was instrumental in the implementation of a new system there that would take the company from being paper based to electronic. I then transferred these skills over 12 years ago into my new role within Aeromark and have used them since to help support our clients through a process that can at times be quite daunting.  

What has been your proudest moment in your career to date? 

There’s not just one moment; it’s every time we go live and start running a new system for our clients and see it working for them. It’s the response we get from customers telling us what a difference using the platform makes to their working lives and how transformational it is. It makes the challenges encountered along the way worthwhile. 

What advice would you give someone who is starting out in your profession?  

I think the most important thing is not to have pre-conceived ideas. You need to be flexible because things change, and you should be able to adapt as they evolve. Being rigid in your approach is a barrier to creativity and getting things done. 

If you could change just one thing about the software/tech industry, what would it be and why?  

We take security very seriously and it’s frustrating that we work so hard on creating a system to make people’s working lives easier and more efficient, yet there are some out there who want to destroy it through cyber-attacks. Can you imagine how much more we could achieve if we could spend the time spent on security on something more productive? 

What’s your ideal way to spend a holiday? 

My perfect holiday is in the West Country, where I grew up. I like to build things at home as well as at work, and I’ve converted the stable where I kept my childhood pony, into a small holiday cottage. I planned the development myself and even worked as the builder’s mate carrying the tiles up to the roof. It’s near my family and allows me to keep connected to them. Relationships are so important because you never know when the people you care about won’t be there anymore.