Operations Director Conor Barwise
The gaffer may be something of a control freak, but his compassionate, dulcet tone and strong leadership is appreciated by client and team alike. Has been called many names in his long history at the company but the one that sticks is ‘Mr Guardtech’. Greatest success outside of work, other than his beautiful family, is coming third in the world in Premier League Fantasy Football – must have been the Irish luck!
Commercial Director Mark Wheeler
From womb to cleanroom, born into a life of making contamination control interesting and exciting. Left-brain thinking, brand-developing, problem-solving, construction-focussed product innovator with 20+ years of cleanroom experience. Devoted dad to a kind-hearted, fun-loving princess, wannabe sportsman – football, golf, skiing (weather and location dependent), happiest when singing with abandon, hoping for world peace and an Arsenal Champions League title (close second).
Director Ray Wheeler
Senior statesman of the Guardtech Cleanroom Kings and therefore sheds more particles per cubic metre, Ray’s pressure cascade is reducing but still has enough air velocity to reach the exhaust vent even after 30-plus years in controlled environments. Golf, football and old cars are his passions outside of work – along with cultivating the new dynasty (and his garden).
Manufacturing Manager Michael Burton
There isn’t a thing on planet Earth that this man can’t fix. He’s the inspirational leader of our world-class CleanCube Manufacturing team and a truly dedicated family man. When he isn’t using those magic hands to build beaut controlled environments from scratch he loves nothing more than spending time with his wonderful wife and kids. Awww…
Manufacturing Co-ordinator Ash Burton
Speaking of Mr Burton’s wonderful wife… here she is! Ash backs up Michael and the CleanCube/Isopod teams at our Brandon manufacturing facility – supporting with everything from unit construction to day-to-day administration. Which is a huge thing, given all the international sales for both solutions! She runs a tight ship, too – if there was an award for most spotless warehouse in Britain, hers would win hands down.
Design Manager David Scholes
It’s fair to say that Scholesy is an ‘outdoorsy’ type. He’s a keen cyclist, semi-pro photographer and has played rugby all his life. Well, until recently when his body gave up! He also spent 22 years operating as a Royal Engineer in the British Army, taking part in conflict zones around the world as well as honing his design skills in various roles throughout his service. Speaking of those design skills, he spent 10 years working as Senior CAD/BIM Manager at Kier on major projects including Crossrail, Hinkley Point C and HS2 and now heads up Guardtech’s dream team Design squad.
Project Manager Elliott Pearce
All-rounder Elliott not only rocks cleanroom design, he also provides exceptional support as a Project Manager in his own right. The only thing he loves more than design and project management is cars – one day he WILL restore that BMW e30! He also enjoys mountain biking, too, the odd bit of five-a-side footy and, in true Guardtech style, enjoys a pint in the sun. He also has some rather tidy electrical engineering qualifications.
Project Manager Arran Williams
The man with a plan, Arran is our guy when it comes to organisation. He’s also a dab hand with the tools, too. Arran coaches an Under-16 rugby team in his spare time, and there’s nothing he likes better than tackling the more tricky challenges in a big job to try to get the, er, conversion of an epic build over the, erm, tryline…
Project Manager Craig Druce
Craig has been projecting managing major cleanroom construction projects for years now – and it’s no surprise he’s got the right sort of temperament for all those high-pressure situations. Craig CHOOSES to referee football matches in his spare time! Luckily, he hasn’t had to dish out any red cards at Guardtech Cleanrooms sites yet – but that’s because his teams always behave so impeccably.
Quantity Surveyor Daniel Sawyer
Dan the man is learning the ropes at Guardtech – and by that we mean, every inch of every rope! He’s currently a Junior Quantity Surveyor and part-time student, but as a newbie to the cleanroom industry, he’s getting an insight into every aspect of the game – including Quantity Surveying, Project Management, Validation and Design. He’s also a big Tottenham fan – but we’re hoping to teach him a better way forward on that, too!
Commercial Manager Andrew Cressey
Andrew is our highly experienced controlled environment sales superstar – for him, customer experience is king. And it’s fair to say AC knows a thing or two about, erm, AC… He’s a problem solver who’s been delivering high-performance cleanrooms in a wide range of industries for more than a decade. Beyond selling wünderbar reinraums, AC is an all-weather supporter of Newcastle United, the team of the North, a committed retrogamer and collector of shiny things AND the proud owner of a life-size Imperial Stormtrooper.
Business Growth & Development Lead Jack Pummell
Jack’s our all-round business development superstar – with more than 20 years of experience working in fields such as marketing, advertising, creative, social, digital, public relations, direct marketing, e-CRM and data. Phew! His interests include tennis, golf, F1, motorsport, skiing, and swimming, and he played football for Essex, Dagenham & Redbridge and also had trials at Watford. He’s also the proud father of one son, Jake, and a grateful grandad to a wonderful grandson, Freddie.
Marketing Manager Joe Shackley
Joe loves to go with the laminar flow. A committed father, Marketing Manager and Aston Villa fan, this cleanroom king is never happier than when he’s snapping pics of nitrogen generators or swinging a golf club (badly). ‘Shackers’ began his working life as a sports editor in local news before plying his trade on The Times sports desk and, latterly, as Deputy Production Editor at Match of the Day magazine. Words, design, videos, websites – there isn’t much he doesn’t do.
Decon Manager & Programme Manager Lee Burton & Sarah Mayes
It’s the Clean Team Dream Team – our amazing senior Decontamination Team duo, Lee and Sarah. These guys work hard and play harder. They have more than 30 years’ combined experience decontaminating controlled environments for applications in almost every industry – from healthcare to pharmaceuticals, battery manufacturing to medical device. When it comes to deep clean knowledge, expertise and skill, these guys are unbeatable – plus they’re absolute stalwarts on a big night out!
Compliance Manager Chris McGinn
Chris is our highly experienced Compliance Manager, who recently moved into overseeing our high-quality cleanroom documentation after working as Guardtech’s Services Manager. There isn’t a controlled environment in any application or industry that this guy hasn’t validated. He’s also a big Ipswich Town fan and a devoted father of two.
Electrical Services Manager Dave Vickers
It’s the Guardtech Group’s resident bright spark Dave Vickers. Our Electrical Services Manager oversees everything electrical on Guardtech Group builds, backed up by experienced Cleanroom Solutions Projects Director Sean Gaylard. Dave likes to rock out in his spare time – you will usually find him tinkering with tracks as a music production aficionado or taking centre stage with his Gibson SG in his punk band.
Cleanroom Solutions
Consultant Jan Pyrgies
Jan is the man who started it all – he created Cleanroom Solutions alongside ex-business partner John Healy in 2000 after initially honing his controlled environment skills at Laminar Flow Systems. Jan is the Yoda of cleanroom design & build, and also a Chelsea fan. But he’s such a genius at designing amazing cleanrooms that we don’t hold it against him!
Projects Director Sean Gaylard
Sean used to run his own electrical services company when he first met Jan – they were working on a Cleanroom Solutions project in Sean’s home town of Plymouth. A friendship blossomed, which saw Sean become Jan’s new business partner seven years ago, and they’ve been building world-class cleanrooms together ever since. Sean’s a former youth table tennis champion for the South West who loves walking his Shih Poo, watching Liverpool and entertaining friends in his hot tub. Jealous!
Design Engineer Graham Wyatt
When it comes to engineering, Graham has seen it all – from showers to wheelchair motors to high-quality controlled environments. Graham, who’s known Jan since their days at Laminar Flow Systems, is a Tottenham season ticket holder who loves spending time with his grandkids and taking his one-year-old miniature schnauzer for walks around Crawley Down.