Greg Farnan began his journey with Cirdan as a result of Cirdan’s acquisition of Philip’s PathXL, in 2020. Since then, he has worked as Technical Team Lead as part of Cirdan’s PathXL division, working on many exciting projects such as Tutor, Cirdan’s digital pathology education platform, and Cirdan AP, for use in the lab. Greg balances many different projects and responsibilities on a daily basis, providing structure and guidance for the technical teams. In doing so, he forms an integral part of product development which helps Cirdan to accurately plan our product development towards the needs of customers working directly in healthcare environments.
Aside from his busy role in the technical team, Greg is lucky enough to have switched Lisburn living for a vibrant life in sunny Lisbon! He returns regularly to visit his team in Lisburn and has created a great routine combining both styles of work.
We caught up with Greg to get a deeper insight into the daily life of a Technical Team Lead, and how Cirdan forms an integral part of his busy life.
What activities does your job involve on a daily basis?
This varies a lot. Some weeks I’m looking at strategy and planning, other days I’m focused on the people and the teams – which is the most important aspect of the job in my opinion. On occasion, I get to dig into the code a little bit. At Cirdan we have big ambitions and expect our products to be best-in-breed. On any given day it’s about tackling the most important activities to benefit the teams and products. My calendar can be crazy sometimes!
What is your favourite thing about your job?
My favourite thing about my job has to be receiving positive customer feedback and excitement about the future. When a customer tells us how good our product is, the sense of satisfaction and pride in the team is unrivalled. It’s all about people, working with amazing teammates to benefit our users and, of course, their patients. It gives us excitement to push the boundaries of tech. A nice clean architecture diagram is also a thing of beauty!
How do you spend your time outside of work?
Living in an apartment and owning a small dog means much of my time is spent on short walks around the neighbourhood. Luckily, living in Lisbon (not to be confused with Lisburn) makes this a pleasure with its many squares, parks and cafes baked in 6 months of summer. I force myself to the gym now and again and enjoy a dinner or an evening out. I’ve also been learning Portuguese, somewhat reluctantly.
What are you most passionate about?
I guess I’m still trying to find my passion. At 42 I’ve tried many things: an interest in cars and F1, rugby and rowing. I enjoy cooking, too, but honestly prefer eating out! I love my dog, and all dogs. Music, art, photography, the gym are all things I’d love to love, too. I suppose I have a few more decades until retirement, so have time to figure it out!