Jamie Taylor is Head of Commissioning and Support at Krucial. Since joining the team in 2020 as employee number three, he’s seen the company grow from strength to strength, and he spoke to us about the potential of the product in tackling big issues, his role in getting the cutting-edge kit out on site, and his love of mountain biking.
Tell us about yourself
I studied mechanical engineering at university and since I was young I’ve been a natural problem solver. Looking for solutions to challenges is something I’ve always had a knack for, and I’m glad I’ve been able to make a career out of doing just that. Even in my spare time I’m a serial builder and fixer – whether it’s using microcontrollers to control the house or finishing my campervan build.
Prior to becoming Krucial’s third employee, I worked at a few different places, from big multinationals to startups – most recently on an airborne wind energy system (power generation using airborne kites) – and actually featured on the One Show demonstrating our technology!
What do you do at Krucial?
Ultimately, I’m responsible for deploying our hardware in the field and then managing any technical queries from customers and providing advice. It means that I get to go out in the real world and meet the people Krucial is supporting.
For example, I’ve been working closely with colleagues to support Mowi Ireland, which has recently deployed our solution to monitor environmental parameters continuously and detect algal blooms.
Working with customers, external stakeholders and people across Krucial means every day is different and I’m able to work across different projects. As we grow my role will also develop, which I’m looking forward to – and given the kit is fully ruggedised and able to work off-grid and offshore, I’m aware that my job could take me literally anywhere on the planet!
You were the third employee at Krucial – how has that journey been so far?
I’ve been here since the very early days – our solution was actually still on an early iteration, so to see it now as a fully commercialised product out there on the market is extremely exciting and satisfying on a personal level.
When I spoke to Allan and Kevin and decided to join, the vision was what appealed to me. I appreciated the fact that the proposition was relatively niche – satellite communications-enabled connectivity – but widely applicable across so many use cases. The potential was obvious to me from the start.
Since day one I’ve also loved the ambition of the company; to build a product that will not only serve a lot of different, high value industries, but which could also contribute to tackling some of the big existential challenges we face today – from climate change to food security. We’re enabling technology that can transform how we manage resources at all levels. That’s something I like being a part of.
