Thales engineer from Crawley selected for Great Britain​​​​​​​ Women’s Bobsleigh squad

Maddison Illsley, who works at the Thales Crawley site in West Sussex, has now left the UK to start her winter training in Norway, before the team competes in the Europa Cup and events across Europe.

Former degree apprentice, and now a systems engineer with Thales, Maddison’s selection for this season’s GB team is all the more amazing in that – although she is an experienced track and power athlete – she was only selected for bobsleigh training earlier this year.

Thales in the UK has also implemented a hybrid working scheme that allows her to balance her engineering career with the unique demands of her sport; Maddison is able to commit to a high level of athletic training, while still developing her engineering career.

She said: “When I told my line management about being selected for the GB team, they were incredibly supportive. The sponsorship from Thales is going to make a huge difference. The chance to represent your country is an absolute honour and to have your company behind you is just amazing”.

Speaking from her winter training camp in Norway, Maddison reflected on her experiences growing up that have led her to this remarkable position.

She said: “As a kid, I wanted to be a pilot and engineering has always been there as a passion for me. My Dad was a huge inspiration for my brother and I; he is an engineer and scientist so it was just a family thing. Taking things apart, putting them back together was just a part of my childhood.

“When I got to sixth form and my friends were thinking about university, I wasn’t sure if it was for me. My dad was once again the inspiration – he had done an apprenticeship which also led to getting his Masters, so I started researching the largest UK engineering companies that could offer apprenticeships while studying for a degree.

Maddison’s experience with Thales so far has included time at Crawley and Glasgow, working on programmes such as the Royal Navy’s next generation Type 31 warship and optronics technology for the highly-advanced Astute submarine.

She said: “Engineers have a shared enthusiasm for understanding how things work and I’ve loved the fact I’ve been exposed to these sort of high-profile programmes already. It was definitely the right choice for me.

“Also, being an engineer has helped me understand the sport of bobsleigh that little bit better. The mechanics, the technical and weather challenges, how the sled moves on ice – that understanding of how things happen.

“It is a choice to do both and it takes commitment from both sides to make this work. But Thales have been amazing”.

Mike Seabrook, Company Secretary for Thales in the UK, said: “We are incredibly proud of Maddison’s achievements and wish her and the squad the very best as they head into the winter season. For us, it is incredibly important we provide the right level of support in such a demanding schedule.”

You can find more information about careers at Thales in the UK here.