We recently caught up with our Tech Lead, Rich House, to find out more about his experience getting into tech and his key areas of focus within his work at Counter.
What career experiences shaped you most as a tech leader?
I am privileged to have had an long and exciting career before moving into tech, including working on some of the biggest events in the world. Working on both the 2012 Olympics and the main stage at Glastonbury (changing over to an act in only 10 minutes!) stand out as formative leadership experiences. In tech, winning the AWS Gameday World Championship taught me a huge amount about team dynamics and ‘soft’ leadership.
What client are you currently working with?
I’m currently working with MAG (Manchester Airport Group), on a couple of different projects including working on their three airports’ websites. You can find out more here.
What problem does Counter aim to solve?
Counter aims to provide technical prowess, mentorship and deliverable outcomes for it’s clients, and engaged, invested associates who have the skills and the outlook to succeed for them.
What is the most interesting technical challenge you’ve faced while working for Counter?
Experimenting with Gen AI up to and including production ready deployment was great fun, and working with some Event Driven Serverless Architecture in MAG is challenging and rewarding in equal measure.
How do you maintain alignment and communication across distributed teams?
Two way communication is absolutely key, making sure you are present, contactable and approachable for every member of the team when they expect you to be, and set clear guidelines as to how and when you won’t.
What advice would you give to developers looking to work at a consultancy?
Try to maintain a ‘Strong opinions, lightly held’ approach – don’t be afraid of voicing your thoughts but don’t take offense if they are not taken on board.
What industry trends are you watching that could impact Counter’s direction?
All AI advancements are worth watching at the moment, but cutting through the noise is key. Serverless tech continues to provide interesting ways to innovate and help reduce emissions.
What tech or tools are you personally excited about right now?
Agentic AI is very exciting to work with, and takes a lot of getting used to. Watching algorithms argue with each other and change code in real time is quite an experience!
