CONFESSIONS.

of a maintenance man Ross Gazzard is operations and maintenance director for acityabode, a company letting fully-serviced apartments in Cardiff, Bristol and Belfast. The 28-year-old works across the company's portfolio and lives in Cwmbran Q How long have you had your job? AI joined acityabode Serviced Accommodation six months ago.

Q What did you do before that? AI began my career with a four-year apprenticeship in electrical/electronic engineering. I then became a service engineer for four years for Cafe Bar ltd, South Wales and West. I then moved over to Checkpoint Systems, South Wales and West, where I was a service engineer for three years before moving to acityabode Serviced Accommodation where I now oversee the day-to-day practical side of the business, making sure all of the apartments are up to the acityabode standard and staff know what they are doing.

Q How did you become involved in the field and what inspired you to choose it as a career? A I have always been good at practical jobs and multitasking and wanted to put my apprenticeship, skills and past experience to good use, so when the opportunity arose to get involved in the family business which let me utilise all of these, I jumped at the chance. As the company was growing, it was a great and exciting time to get on board. As the business acquired more accommodation, my position developed into a managerial role and I now direct a number of jobs and staff. The prospect of working with my brother and sister was also a big factor.

Q Is there a lot of training involved? A My apprenticeship in electrical engineering helps with all aspects of the job. However, every day brings a new challenge so the best way to train is on the job.

Q What are the best and worst things about it, the most challenging and rewarding aspects of the job? A Some days can be really busy. As we gain more apartments, there is more to do and it can be challenging to divide my time between all the jobs that need doing at once. Working for the family is both challenging and rewarding as you all benefit from the hard work put in, although family dinners can sometimes turn into a meeting.

Q What has been your proudest moment in the job? A Being rated 28 in the top 100 hot start-up businesses in Wales was an extremely proud moment for me and made all the hard work worth it.

Q What's so special about your job? A Every day is never the same so you never know what's going to happen when you walk through the door. It means you never get bored. Operations is a pretty general term, so I end up doing a variety of jobs - but that suits me fine.

Q What qualities do you need to do your job and why does it suit you? AI think being able to multitask and plan ahead is essential for a job in operations and maintenance. For any job honesty, hard work and the ability to work well with others is also very important.

Q What advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps? A If the opportunity arises to have a go at something different, and as long as you're hardworking and have the drive to succeed, don't be afraid to take a chance.