Monthly Archives: July 2019

Celebrating women in tech and marketing (part two)

Picking up from part one, in which we discussed preconceptions of the tech and marketing industry and the women who provide inspirational, we turn our attention to the roles our group play at TLA and the routes they took to get here.

Our groups’ time at TLA ranges from a few months to nine years, with various entry points and roles spanning marketing, development, quality control, account management and project delivery.

One of the longest-serving at the round-table was marketing executive Rachel Hellon, who joined on an apprenticeship five years ago. “I was kept on after my apprenticeship and now look after our content teams, covering written content as well as video for our automotive brand Car Keys. The marketing team is fast-paced and results-orientated. Everyone has a clear idea of our respective areas of expertise and work well together to achieve success.”

That first break in any industry can be like standing at the foot of an impossible mountain, but it’s something we feel passionately about helping people secure at TLA. As well as apprenticeships, we provide three- and six-month internships, work with local universities to provide placements and offer graduate and junior roles.

Opportunity to explore and use new tech

“I’ve been with TLA for five years,” said Shannon Miller, who joined shortly after Rachel and became the company’s first female developer. “I started as a placement while at university and came back after my final year as a junior. I’ve since moved up to a mid-level developer, working predominantly on our internal systems.”

One of Shannon’s standout achievements to date has been building the company’s call centre system, which plays a critical role in the way we function as a business. “There’s plenty of opportunity to explore and use new tech, which is a great part of working here. Plus, I like to learn from other people within the company and there’s a lot of intelligence in the room! It’s great to learn from their experiences and ways of working, so that I can keep progressing.”

Danielle Smith has enjoyed a similar journey, having joined as a junior and move through to mid-level as a support developer. In her own words, her role is to “take the pressure off the project team. Any bugs or support from the contact centre, any smaller projects that support the way we work, I help to ensure they run smoothly.”

She added: “The devs at TLA are always helpful. If you ever need support, they’ll come over and offer advice to help you in your role.”

From left to right: Shannon, Kathy, Alison, Danielle, Emily, Abi, Laurie, Amy, Rachel, Amara, Miki and Shania. Not pictured: Irina and Zoe from our London office.

Building a career

Away from development, Amy Smith joined the business nine years ago as a customer service operative, or ‘CSO’ as the role is more commonly referred to within the business. “I eventually moved from the CSO role into the QC team before moving into my position as account manager. That opportunity to move across departments has allowed me to build my career within the business, rather than moving elsewhere.”

Amy ensures the campaigns we bring on from clients are set up correctly in the CRM and coordinates with the development team to make sure the necessary tech work is completed.

Alongside tech and the contact centre, the QC department is one of the biggest functions within the business. They work alongside other departments to ensure the data we process and send to clients is of the highest possible quality to maximise conversion rates. Simply put, if the quality isn’t there, it doesn’t get sent.

Alison Eustace has recently been promoted into the role of senior quality and compliance executive after three years with the business along with fellow QC teammate Abigail Hanson, who has been with us for 18 months.

Commenting on her new role, Alison said: “Our focus is on improving quality from the ground up. All sorts of tasks are involved, from analysing calls to find a quality level to identifying potential issues that need to be addressed. We’re also working with the tech team to trial a new system for how we process data, which will have a positive impact on the way the QC team works.”

Abigail added: “We are currently going through all of our training documents to ensure everything is up to date and putting together a new coaching plan for the CSOs to help them, as well as call scoring and processing leads.”

Embracing change and opportunity

Changes like the ones Alison refers to are part-and-parcel of a tech-led organisation like ours. It’s even reflected in one of our core values – to embrace change and opportunity and as quality manager Laurie Bloor attests, “there’s been a lot of change during my five years with the business, particularly with the way different departments have embraced new technologies”.

But while technology impacts every role and department within the business, there is lots of variety with the types of roles available. QCs and CSOs aren’t tech roles but they have a huge part to play in making a tech company successful – and the same can be said for other functions within the business, including finance and sales.

Our account managers Zoe Hamilton and Irina Ashakhanova, who’ve been with the business for one and two years, respectively, are also from a non-tech background. The point being that you don’t have to be a marketer or coder to build a successful career within the marketing or tech industry.

As junior project manager Emily Abbey concludes: “The industry is changing so rapidly that we don’t really know what technology we’ll be living and working with in our day-to-day lives in the future, being a part of a technology-led business is very exciting.”

Look out for more content as part of our Celebrating Women in Tech and Marketing series over the coming weeks by following TLA on LinkedIn.

Celebrating women in tech and marketing (part one)

Women remain underrepresented in the UK tech industry. But what does that mean for those already there or starting their career?

There are small signs of progress with the topic becoming front-and-centre for some of the sectors’ biggest companies and an increasing number of female founders and directors being highlighted across business and social media. But it remains an industry that could do more – and needs to do more – to attract, welcome, retrain and progress female professionals.

At TLA, we proudly have a female-to-male split that is above the industry average. But we recognise there is a long way to go to achieve true balance across the business – particularly at a senior level. One of the ways we want to do this is to celebrate the women who work at TLA via our blog and social media channels.

We believe their journeys are worth sharing, particularly with women who might be considering a role or career in the tech or marketing industry. That’s why we arranged an all-female, all-TLA roundtable this month to better understand their experiences.

Taking part in the discussion were marketers Rachel Hellon and Amara Molloy; developers Danielle Smith and Shannon Miller; Miki Parr from the data insights team; account managers Amy Smith, Irina Ashakanova and Zoe Hamilton; project manager Emily Abbey; and Kathy Fleming, Laurie Bloor, Alison Eustace and Abigail Hanson from the quality and compliance department. Their time with TLA and, indeed within the tech industry, ranges from a few months to more than a decade.

Industry preconceptions

We started by asking what preconceptions they each held prior to joining the industry. The overriding and unsurprising view was that it was “male-dominated,” with Danielle highlighting that she was one of only five women on her university course out of 200 people.

Likewise, Shannon and Rachel highlighted that they were the first and only women in their department for a year before others joined. Rachel said: “In IT at high school, you would be one of only a few girls in the class. But you don’t get a true read on the industry until you join it.”

Emily had a similar view. But reassuringly added that she “hadn’t appreciated how strongly the industry is now advocating the empowerment of women”. Meanwhile, Miki admitted that preconceptions of male dominance led to concerns over whether she could make her mark in the industry but added that “once I decided it was what I wanted to do, I wasn’t going to let that stop me.”

Dominance may have been the word chosen to encapsulate preconceptions, but it may not be the right word. The numbers undoubtedly show men outnumber women, but as Amara pointed out, “the women at TLA more than hold their own” within the workplace and play an crucial role in the success we achieve.

Female role models in tech

It’s often cited that one of the challenges for the industry is the lack of profile for female business leaders, and therefore role models, for young women about to embark on careers in tech and marketing.

Not everyone in our group could name a female business leader, for example, but among those mentioned were Jacqueline De Rocas of Tech UK (Alison), information commissioner Elizabeth Denham (Kathy) and Thrive Global’s Arianna Huffington (Emily).

It was Miki’s response, however, that offered the most comprehensive example, highlighting the inspiration and legacy of Grace Hopper.

“Grace was born in New York in 1906 and from a young age was interested in how things work. She got her PhD from Yale in Mathematics and was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer. She popularised the term “debugging” when a moth got stuck in a relay within the computer and she commented on getting the thing out. (Fun fact: You can actually see that moth in a museum in America!)

“She also came up with the computer language COBOL. When she coined the idea, her male counterparts told her it wouldn’t work because “…computers can’t speak English…”. She proved them wrong!

USS Hopper

Miki continued: “During WWII, Grace Hopper tried to join the Navy but was rejected because she was too small. But later joined the Navy Reserves and worked her way through the ranks to Rear Admiral.

“She retired from the Navy when she was 60 but was frequently invited to return. She officially stopped all her Naval responsibilities when she was 79, making her the oldest person to ever be in the Navy. She even has a Naval ship named after her – USS Hopper!

She is a true inspiration and one of the reasons I studied Mathematics at university.”

We’ll bring you more insight and, hopefully, inspiration in the next instalment of our women in tech series over the coming weeks. Follow our LinkedIn page for the latest updates.

TLA Book Club: The Barcelona Way. Unlocking the DNA of a Winning Culture.

What can businesses learn from football clubs? Or, more specifically, from FC Barcelona?

The latest contribution to the TLA Book Club comes from head of culture and brand Keith Price. What can we expect from Damian Hughes’ 2018 book The Barcelona Way: Unlocking the DNA of a Winning Culture?

The Barcelona WayIn less than 100 words, what was the book about?

An in-depth look at Pep Guardiola’s tenure as FC Barcelona’s head coach (2008-2012) and the role that culture in the club’s success. The book identifies the five overarching principles of culture development led by Guardiola and draws parallels with the business world, offering practical steps for establishing a high-performance environment.

What were the key takeaways for you?

The book is packed with great takeaways – concepts that are applicable to organisations in any industry. From putting guiding principles in priority order to offer clarity to those expected to follow them. To identifying “cultural architects” within your company that can help make cultural changes take hold.

Arguably most important takeaway is that football clubs, like brands, need a clear sense of identity (or as Hughes’ describes it, “big picture”) to connect and inspire everyone associated to the organisation. For Barcelona, the big picture is encapsulated by the line ‘More than just a football club’. It implies that to play for Barcelona is to play for all of Catalonia; to play for freedom.

This provided the foundations for everything that followed. From Dutch legend Johan Cruyff’s philosophy for how the game should be played, which shaped how players are coached at every level, to Guardiola’s guiding principles that set the tone for behaviours expected of everyone involved.

This clarity and consistency took the club on a cultural journey that led to the most successful period in its history, winning fourteen of a possible nineteen titles.

Who do you think would enjoy reading it?

The book is an inspiring read for anyone in business who wants to foster a winning culture. Or anyone curious about what contributes to a football club’s success.

Everything you need to know about Dot Net Liverpool

Every month, Liverpool’s .NET community meet at TLA’s city centre office for technical presentations, networking and pizza.

We asked the group’s founder, TLA’s own Joshua Duxbury to give us the lowdown on what people can expect and look forward to from future meet-ups.

What is Dot Net Liverpool and who is it for?

Dot Net Liverpool is a meet-up community group in Liverpool for technologists interested in Microsoft products and tools. We meet every month at 20 Chapel Street (home of TLA) for a technical presentation with pizza and drinks supplied by a sponsor, followed by a networking session.

What prompted you to create the group?

Dot Net Liverpool is part of the Dot Net Foundation consisting of 300 meetup groups internationally. When looking for Microsoft meet-ups near Liverpool the closest groups are in Manchester. A lot of people I met at these events commuted from outside of Liverpool to attend (including myself).

Despite having many developers working with Microsoft technologies Liverpool didn’t seem to have a group to bring everyone together. That is when I seeked support from other meetup group hosts such as Rik Garner and Pete Vickers that helped me understand what was involved and put me on the right road to starting up my own meetup community group.

What have been the topics discussed at the Meet-ups so far?

All of our past events can be found on our meet-up page. So far, we have hosted six events all on different topics. From reviewing feedback, our attendees have been impressed and left feeling that our group has provided them valuable insight.

The highlight for me is the socialising aspect; not only with the speakers but the community we have brought together. We have gained a reoccurring assortment of tech enthusiasts and it’s great to see attendees coming time and time again. From the most junior to the most senior, and even previous speakers, they find value in the meet-up.

What topics are on the agenda for future sessions?

We are welcoming Microsoft MVP Luce Carter to talk at our next event on 25 July who is presenting a talk on Xamarin for C# developers.

Are there any guest speakers you’d love to host in the future?

There are many speakers we would love to get into Liverpool in the future but just to name a few: Jon Skeet, author of C# In depth, and Dylan Beattie, the organiser of London Dot Net.

You’ve recently launched a new brand identity courtesy of the branding team at TLA. What can you tell us about it and why do you feel it represents what the group is all about?

Dot Net Liverpool - Black logoThe design team have done a wonderful Job. We have chose this design because of its simplicity but also the professionalism it offers.

Inside the logo are interconnecting lines (a bit like how the internet works today, connecting peers over a network). That’s exactly what our meet-up group is trying to represent on a social scale – bringing people together to learn, share and discuss technology advancements.

The Logo is easily transferable to all of our assets such a T-Shirts, posters and our website and is easily identifiable as Dot Net Liverpool.

What should people do if they want to know more?

Firstly, come along. Once a month you get a chance to meet some great people, gain some knowledge, have a laugh, drink and some eat pizza!

Our website links all our pages together such as Meet-up and Twitter, where you can find the latest information. Make sure to join/subscribe/follow our channels to find out when our next events will be taking place.

As Josh mentioned above, the next meetup featuring Luce Carter will take place on Thursday 25 July, from 6pm – 9pm, at TLA’s office on Chapel Street. 

Five minutes with… TLA Strategy Director of Property and Financial Services Paul Earnden

Next up in our Q&A series we have Paul Earnden, who joined team TLA four months ago as Strategy Director of Property and Financial Services.

Following on from his recent move at Prodo, a digital transformation and growth agency based in Chester, we talk to Paul about his role here at TLA below.

What have been your first impressions of TLA and its culture?

I was pleasantly surprised with the approach to technology and data. Our platform is an incredible piece of technology which is going to help us achieve great things in connecting in-market consumers to brands. Like any tech-based organisation, things have to be fast paced. But this is fast paced with real purpose, structure and driven by data. So much progress is made on a daily basis.

Finally, I’ve been really impressed with the entire approach to onboarding, our culture code and the effort made to ensure that everybody in the business lives and breathes “The TLA Way” and genuinely, I feel they all do!

You took part in our London to Brighton cycle in aid of NABS. What was the experience like?

The cycle was great…but very difficult! It was a great opportunity to meet so many companies, agencies and tech providers in a completely different environment: no big offices, no shirts and ties – just helmets and lycra..! I learnt a lot about NABS, our charity of choice, and now look forward to being part of further fundraising activity for them.

What is your role and the role of your department at TLA?

The role of my department is to grow TLA’s Property and Financial Services vertical into a major arm of our business. I’m working directly with mortgage brokers, lenders, estate agents and other financial services organisations to deliver incremental revenue with our technology. The role is a real mix of product development, customer acquisition and operations, it’s great fun!

What can you tell us about Movewell?

Movewell is a new consumer website we’ve developed that is designed to guide homeowners, or soon-to-be homeowners, through the tricky process of buying a home, moving home, remortgaging or selling their home. In its current form, it’s contains useful content, guides, checklists and calculators which assist consumers through the process. These consumers can then opt to utilise our broker matching service and, based on their circumstances, we will place them with a broker who will hold their hand through the application process.

How has the property industry evolved over the last 12 months?

The last 12 months have been interesting. I’ve been involved in the housing and property space for around six years now and, in that time, most change has been driven by technology and digital transformation.

Such steep advances in technology have allowed for some fantastic products and services to be created, but at the same time some businesses have gone all-in on this technology before it’s really matured. There’s a big wish in organisations to be using things like blockchain, machine learning, artificial intelligence, augmented reality and more – but sometimes without purpose or a real use-case.

Due to the access to technology, we’re seeing proptech startups get large amounts of VC backing and one major development has been a sharp increase in the amount of online estate agents, which has been an incredibly turbulent sector with major ups and downs over the last 12 months. I fundamentally believe that online estate agents have a place in the market, but it will take a while to get consumer buy-in and for people to drop their guards around selling a property online. The younger demographics will likely opt for this type of service, but they’re not necessarily the ones buying or selling houses right now.

What do you anticipate the next 12 months will look like for the industry?

I guess the biggest changes in the industry are probably going to be as a result of what happens within the political environment, and I don’t think anybody really knows what’s going to happen or how this could change the industry. Staying with the theme of digital transformation and technology, I think we’re going to see further utilisation of technology in order to build some great products. I’m a big fan of fintech, and the use of technology within the financial services industry. The mortgage industry has seen some great products from the likes of Mojo, Habito and Trussle, offering an almost end-to-end digital experience, allowing people to apply for a mortgage from their phone.

In the last year, I feel we’ve seen the beginning of the traditional, large organisations who’ve been challenged by the so-called challenger brands react. This will likely result in banks, lenders, brokers, and estate agents etc. building innovative tech products to challenge the challengers. The digital experience from some more traditional banks has started to slowly rival the likes of Monzo, Starting and Revolut and I think we’ll see a similar trend in estate agency and mortgaging.

Finally, I’d like to think that the creation and adoption of open banking will enable mortgage lenders and brokers to shorten the application to completion timeframe and, as a whole, increase the customer experience within the sector.

What role can Movewell play in helping the industry?

Movewell exists to give unbiased guidance to those in the middle of quite a complex buyer journey. These consumers are looking for the best product for their needs, and we can match those needs to a brand (such as a broker, lender, or estate agent) who are looking to deliver further, incremental revenue.

If you’ve got a question for the TLA team or want to know more about what makes us tick, why not get in touch?

TLA Book Club: The Power of Habit. Why we do what we do and how to change. By Charles Duhigg

Welcome back to The Lead Agency’s Book Club – part of our ongoing commitment to support and encourage self-improvement throughout the business.

We have a growing collection of titles on business, leadership, tech, marketing and more that help the team to learn and grow both in and outside of their roles.

So what else is sitting on our book shelf? As part of our regular series of five-minute book summaries, TLA Developer Liam Moorcroft looks at The Power of Habit. Why we do what we do and how to change. By Charles Duhigg.

In less than 100 words, what was the book about?

The book explores what habits are and how they impact your personal life every day, how they make massive companies eye-watering amounts of profit and what impact they have on society as a whole.

Habits make up a large portion of your day and you probably don’t even realise they are happening! They take advantage of your internal reward system which means you probably wouldn’t use the toothpaste you have at home if it didn’t leave that tingly mint taste at the end of brushing despite giving you no real benefit. Huge companies prey on creating new habits and hooking into your internal reward system to make their products intrinsic to all your consumption decisions.

What were the key takeaways for you?

That although bad habits can lead you to always ordering a pizza every Friday night after finishing work, by understanding what they are and how you can take control can they be unravelled and replaced to make you more happier, productive and successful in life.

Who do you think would enjoy reading it?

Anybody who is looking to be more productive in work, nail down going for that run every day which they’ve always wanted to do or figure out what exactly is going on in their head every time they see a tray of donuts pass by the office!

What have you read lately? Let us know what books have inspired you.

TLA team to take on Tough Mudder Challenge

In recent years, taking part in physical challenges in the name of a worthy cause have become a big part of our culture. We’ve had cycles from London to Liverpool, Paris and, most recently, Brighton; plus, marathons, 10k runs, Man v Lakes and more.

Next up on the list, as part of our mission to raise £25,000 for NABS, is the Tough Mudder North West 5k, which takes place at Cheshire’s Cholmondeley Castle on the Saturday 7 September.

While our charity events are always open to any member of staff, this marks the first time that an all-female team will be representing the company. Ten TLA ladies will be wading through the mud and dirt to overcoming challenging obstaclesmarketers Rachel Hellon and Amara Molloy, developer Shannon Miller, project manager Emily Abbey, financial assistant Joanna Walmsley, QC manager Laurie Bloor, senior QC exec Abigail Hanson and customer service trio Paige Cave, Carly Hepworth and Grace Fitch.

‘Strength and teamwork’

Emily, who joined TLA earlier this summer, said: “The gents of TLA have been doing an amazing job this year raising money for NABS, and this seems like a great opportunity to not only contribute to that, but to also bring the women together in a show of strength and teamwork.

“I don’t think anyone was expecting us to choose Tough Mudder as our first all-girls challenge, but given that we’re going to need to look after each other to succeed it seems very fitting with the work NABS do in the advertising and media community,” she added.

Meanwhile, Laurie said: “In the five years I’ve been with TLA, I’ve watched many teams complete bike rides, races and challenges all for amazing charities. I’m excited to finally take part and raise money for NABS. This is our first all-girls team and I’m looking forward to us working together and completing Tough Mudder.”

Over the coming weeks, we’ll bring you updates of how the team are getting on with their preparation as well as shining a light on the work they do at TLA. As a business rooted in the tech and marketing industry, we hope to provide insight and advice for other women looking to enter and/or develop their career in this field. Follow us on LinkedIn to stay informed of the latest content.

If you’d like to support the team with their challenge, please visit the JustGiving page.