Tell us a bit about yourself and your areas of expertise
I'm a professional leader experienced in global sales, customer service and operations. I've part of the technology business sector for over 30 years working on teams delivering customer-facing solutions and services. After a 4-year tour of duty as a Cryptographic Operations Technician in the United States Navy, I spent 18 years on the Network Operations leadership team with pioneering internet company Bolt Beranek & Newman - primarily in support of the US Department of Defence at The Pentagon.
In the UK I was a member of the Senior Management team at Plusnet Plc as Head of Major Customer Partnerships, leading the cross-functional team of developers, support engineers and service delivery managers before moving on to lead the Sales Operations Team at AIM-listed WANdisco. At WANdisco my focus was primarily post-sales. This gave me direct responsibility for service delivery, customer success and satisfaction. I've built relationships with customers based upon trust and value, maximising long-term revenue opportunities by becoming a trusted advisor and strengthening loyalty.
For the past 18 months, I've been fortunate to be part of the management team at Sheffield-based tech consultancy, The Curve where I lead our business development and customer advocacy efforts.
What made you decide to become a mentor for the AWRC Wellbeing Accelerator?
I love this program! So many exciting businesses working in this space - creativity and hard work abounds. It is very humbling for me to be part of the business mentor team and have the opportunity to help play a small role in helping these businesses scale and grow!
How are you supporting the startups/founders?
I'm focused on helping in the areas of both sales operations and customer service delivery. I have a solid sales process that leads into customer onboarding is often a critical piece of the customer journey that is often forgotten. Too many customer relationships can sour at this stage - to the detriment of the businesses' reputation. People buy from people - and we expect to be looked after through the relationship. Customer references and referrals are the best form of marketing you can get!
How can we find out more about what you do?
For more about my work history, you can go to LinkedIn, for more about the amazing company I work for? The Curve - But the absolute best way you can find out more is to get in touch and let's have a chat...I'd love to meet you!