Alessandro Piscozzo

If you could swap roles with anyone at Gill for a week, whose would you choose and why?

I don’t see myself doing a different job within this or any other organization. Rather than swapping roles, I’d switch careers entirely to become a full-time carpenter. However, that side of me is relegated to the hobby department.

What excites you most about Gill and your role here?

The opportunity to modernise the internal design process in agreement with the rest of the team and formalise that in written form required design hands-on experience, internal process knowledge, a fair amount of listening, learning, discussing and doing. I think this is one thing that was missing in our department, and significantly delivers for the company in terms of productivity.

Mentorship is another thing that I am doing at Gill, that I have received in the past, often done over the last few years, and I have always enjoyed at both sides of it.

Who has inspired you the most in your career, and what did you learn from them?

I am always fascinated and inspired by people who are capable of showing beauty, pleasure and passion in their work, beyond the basic “meet the requirements and get things done” criteria.

I have had examples in my career of people (mentors and professors) whose works speak more eloquently than their own voices. I have learned from them the importance of meeting a deadline adding to this a sense of pride in my work.

What’s something you’re currently learning, inside or outside of work?

As a foreigner, the learning process of a new culture, its language, literature, and the people is undoubtedly a journey that I am still on but that has already enriched me deeply and that I would recommend to anyone. I have passed all my exams for UK citizenship.

As soon as I bring myself to pay the unexpected amount required, I will swear allegiance to His Majesty.

What does precision measurement actually mean in the real world, can you give an example?

My degree thesis was about precision and accuracy applied to a measurement device which I designed. There is a very precise definition for these two words in the technical world and they should be mentioned together because doing so makes it easier to understand both.

I would probably say that efficiency/precision is about getting what you want (doing things right), and effectiveness/accuracy is knowing what is right to ask for (doing the right things).