Electrical engineer Conor Maton from rail telecommunications leader telent has won this year’s Graduate of the Year title.
Born and raised in Coventry, Conor studied electronic engineering at Sheffield Hallam University. He joined telent in 2015 and has made a big impact in a relatively short period of time.
He was described by colleagues as a ‘highly capable engineer’ and as having an ‘enormous amount of potential’. One of the nominations read, ‘Conor constantly displays a positive attitude and maturity beyond his years of experience. His strong desire to learn – not just the immediate tasks in hand, but also the broader aspects of the project delivery – have expanded his role to make him become a key critical member of the project team.’
Crossrail win
The 26-year-old was credited with helping the company to win an important contract to supply an IP WAN comms network for the Crossrail project in London. Following the contract award, Conor showed an outstanding level of dedication to learn about IP Networking technology and fully understand the project delivery.
As well as his work as an engineer, Conor also represents the company as a STEM ambassador, promoting engineering as a fulfilling career path.
Conor said, ‘I feel absolutely incredible. It was just nice to be nominated, let alone to win.
‘I know I’ve worked hard the last 12 months but to actually win the award is just incredible.
‘I’ve got to thank the guys at telent for supporting me through the graduate development programme and a thanks to everyone that nominated me.
‘From here, I want to finish the graduate scheme, push on to some more major projects for telent and Network Rail and hopefully win the next award.’
Next generation
Graduate of the Year was sponsored by train operator Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) – the custodian of the Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern rail franchise.
GTR chief executive Charles Horton said, ‘The Graduate of the Year category is so important as it demonstrates GTR’s commitment and interest in the next generation of talent for the rail industry.’
Highly commended: Fiona Power, Costain, and Ruth Shevelan, Mott MacDonald.
