Employee Stories


James Gates

Design Engineer // Engineering team

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What’s your background?

I have studied engineering in school as far back as I can remember, and I have been interested in manufacturing and engineering all the way through to completing my degree in Aerospace Science. I spent my first few years in work as a design engineer at a small company manufacturing bespoke pumps for the oil, chemical and wastewater industries, developing my skills with machining drawings and acting as both engineer and salesman for all products sold. I started at Tiger just over a year ago and have since been expanding my skills and knowledge concerning fabrications and sheet metal forming.

What do you like about working at Tiger?

I enjoy the office dynamic and the conversations we have, which make the working day much more enjoyable.

What do you like doing outside work?

Outside of work I like to go for walks with my partner as well as tend to our ever-growing collection of plants. I keep tropical fish, which I maintain regularly, and attend regular board games nights with my friend group, usually with us playing games together online if someone can’t make it in person that day. I tend to travel abroad to Switzerland a lot as my partner’s family lives over there and it’s a good excuse to catch up with her relatives and explore some of the many mountain trails.

Got any pets, or anything else nice to share about family?

I have three cats and an aquarium full of various tropical fish.

Tell us some interesting or funny facts about yourself!

I used to do historical re-enactment and still own the full set of armour and weapons from it. I also used to do a lot of charity work through the re-enactment society, putting on small events for vulnerable children as part of a group. During this time, I also got hired as a background actor for a BBC documentary where I worked with many of the smaller actors from Game of Thrones.