Category Archives: People

TLA Book Club: Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins

Welcome to The Lead Agency’s Book Club, a newly-introduced office library, that is part of our ongoing commitment to support and encourage self-improvement throughout the business.

Our growing collection of titles on business, leadership, tech, marketing and more has been introduced to help people learn and grow both in and outside of their roles.

So, what’s currently sitting on the bookshelf? Find out with our regular 5-minute summaries from the team – starting with our head of studio Neil Cosgrove…

1. Hi Neil. What have you been reading? 

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins.

2. What was the book about?

Goggins should have been a statistic, the odds stacked against him to amount to anything in his life. Come from a rough childhood, to growing to 300 pounds in the Air Force, then loosing 110 pounds in 3 months to become a decorated Navy Seal, ultra-distance endurance athlete and world 24h pull up bar record holder (4,030).

3. What were the key takeaways for you?

  • Master your mind.
  • Most people only use 40% of their capability!
  • Take control of your life – you are the only one who can affect your future.

4. Who do you think would enjoy reading it?

Anybody who enjoys inspiring, motivational stories.

What have you read lately? Let us know what has inspired you and we’ll add it to the TLA library.

My Internship at The Lead Agency

As a recent University graduate, I was in search of an opportunity that would allow me to get my foot in the door and begin my professional career.

I was hoping to secure an internship, so when I was selected as The Lead Agency’s new PR and Content Intern I was extremely grateful and excited.

The past five months have flown by. I have learnt so much during my time here and have really enjoyed the whole process, thanks to my manager, Keith Price, and the rest of the TLA team.

First impressions

the lead agency liverpoolSet on the 13th floor of Liverpool’s Unity Building, the TLA office is open and bright with 360⁰ panoramic views of the city. (The picture to the left has been my view of the Liver building from my desk!).

From the very start, I was made to feel extremely welcome and was taught all about the company culture and core values that are so very important to the business.

New challenges

During my time here, I’ve had the opportunity to take on many different tasks and challenges. This has involved writing a number of articles for the TLA website – the content of which has varied from employee interviews and charity press releases to industry opinion pieces. I’ve also taken responsibility for TLA’s social media platforms, creating content to be published across the company’s LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram profiles.

My experience here has taught me an immense amount about digital marketing, content writing and SEO. I have had the opportunity to work with many different members of staff across different departments within the Liverpool HQ, and have received continual support, guidance and advice since day one.

Positive culture

The culture at The Lead Agency is very positive, one in which everyone is open, honest and made to feel trusted. There is a really strong work ethic here too. Every member of the team is focused and committed to their role but will always offer a helping hand to anyone who needs it.

The social side of my time here has also been great fun. The company has many employee benefits, such as the 4pm Friday ‘check-in’ – in which everyone heads into the office’s very own bar for a drink. ‘Cake Friday’ at the end of the month always goes down well with everyone too, along with other events throughout the calendar, such as the team social that was organised in celebration of TLA’s Tech Track 100 ranking!

I’ve made some great friends that I will remain friends with as I move on to the next stage of my career.

Grace Boardman

Do you want to join Liverpool’s fastest-growing tech company? Check out the latest career opportunities in Liverpool and London.

Chris Gawor joins TLA as Head of Agency Partnerships

With 20-years’ experience in media sales and a deep understanding of the automotive industry, we are delighted to welcome Chris Gawor to The Lead Agency team.

gawor automotiveChris joins us with a remit to develop strategies that will grow and develop our relationships with key media partners and clients within our two main verticals, automotive and property.

As former agency sales director for Auto Trader UK, and having previously held senior positions at Orange, Mail Online and WPP, Chris’s wealth of knowledge will help us to identify ways we can further support the objectives of our clients and partners.

‘Strong reputation for quality’

As Head of Agency Partnerships, Chris will be working closely with our Group CEO Anton Hanley and our automotive managing director, Tom White, who spent seven years with Auto Trader and three with Time Out Group before joining us in 2017.

“I’m thrilled to have joined a growing business with such a strong reputation for quality.”

“I was immediately attracted to the team’s genuine commitment to build partnerships based on trust by providing transparent, insight-driven services that consistently deliver results. That proposition is one that I’m excited to work with as we grow relationships with new and existing media agency clients.”

‘In-depth understanding’

Anton commented on Chris’ appointment, telling us about how “Chris’ in-depth knowledge and understanding of the automotive industry’s commercial challenges and together with our growing team of account managers will provide a premium customer acquisition service for our clients”.

We wish Chris a happy and successful future with us here at TLA!

If you’d like to be a part of team TLA, visit our careers page to find out more about our vacancies.

Life at The Lead Agency: Meet Finance Assistant Joanna Walmsley

Finance assistant Joanna Walmsley joined The Lead Agency straight from sixth form three years ago and is on her way to becoming AAT qualified. Here, she tells us about her time at TLA so far.

What were your first impressions of The Lead Agency?

Really positive! When I started here everyone was so lovely and welcoming. The team made it really easy for me to fit in, despite how shy I was to begin with.

What lead you to this role?

I’d worked in a shop for a little while once I had finished school and was ready to move on, but I knew that University wasn’t the right option for me.

So, I decided to look into apprenticeships. I started at TLA doing a general apprenticeship in financing that required an industry work placement. Three years later, the company has given me the opportunity to sit my AAT exams and develop a career in finance. I will finish my current qualification in September, after which I hope to complete the final year to become AAT qualified (Association of Accounting Technicians).

What three words would you use to describe your role?

Challenging but interesting! It can be stressful at times, but I genuinely enjoy it.

What sort of responsibilities does your job involve?

I look after the cash-flows, invoicing, and many other day-to-day tasks. My role also includes other responsibilities such as looking after the payroll – basically keeping everyone happy by making sure they’re all paid on time!

How have you found balancing studying with your full-time position?

It’s hard at times when I have an exam coming up as I put a lot of pressure on myself to balance work and studying.

When I have an exam coming up, our financial controller Sam Reaney ensures that my day-to-day tasks include areas that I will be tested on in the exam. That’s really helpful as I can learn in the role and understand it before I even begin my online classroom time!

What would you say to others that are thinking about doing an apprenticeship like this one? Do you have any advice?

If it’s what you really want to do, go for it! It takes dedication, but it’s worth it.

Have you been able to take on more responsibilities and progress within the business? If so, what?

Yes, definitely. I’ve progressed a lot whilst working here. At school I was good at maths and thought I would do well working in finance, but when I started working here I knew literally nothing about finance or accounting.

Step-by-step, I’m handling more responsibilities and that means I’m always facing new challenges. I’ve learnt everything I know about finance by working here alongside Sam, and I’m really grateful for that. TLA invested in me as an 18-year-old and gave me a great opportunity. Since then, I have grown so much, both as a person and in the workplace.

What’s the culture like at TLA and within the team?

I love it! Everyone is welcoming, sociable, friendly and supportive too. It’s a lovely place to work.

I like how chilled out it can be, we all make sure that we get our work done but we laugh along the way and make sure to enjoy ourselves.

 

We’re hiring! To find out more about our career opportunities, visit our careers page.

Life at The Lead Agency: Meet Software Developer Shannon Miller

Shannon Miller joined The Lead Agency four years ago, whilst completing her studies at Liverpool John Moores University, before joining us full-time as a Software Developer.

Here, she gives us an insight into her time at The Lead Agency so far…

What lead you to your role here at The Lead Agency?

I first started working here during my placement year whilst I was studying Software Development. Having spent a whole year in a corporate environment, it meant that I had a great advantage going into my final year at University as I had lots of new skills and a real understanding of software development.

What sort of responsibilities are involved in your role?

I work in the platform team, so our responsibilities are mainly to do with improving and maintaining the back-end systems, such as dealing with the call centre systems, and CRM amongst many other responsibilities.

How would you describe working within the platform team?

Everyone is super helpful – if you’ve got any questions people are more than willing to help you out.

We dedicate lots of our time to making sure that things are done properly and on-time. Everything we work on is vital to the smooth-running of our business, so the pressure is on to minimise risks. There’s some late nights and early mornings to do that but there’s always someone on-hand to help you out, even from out of office!

What project(s) are you currently working on?

At this moment, I’m working on the CRM which will be used across the entire company, from field sales down in London, to campaigns, processing and the call centre. Working on the CRM system has been one of our key focal points recently as it’s the main central system that the company is looking to use.

How would you describe the culture at TLA?

Even though we are busy, there’s always a nice and relaxed atmosphere. There’s also a great social side within the company, especially when we finish on a Friday.

I get involved in the free personal training sessions every Tuesday and there’s always other fun activities going on, such as Cake Friday at the end of the month and various charity events!

Which aspects of your role, or working at TLA, in general do you love the most?

Within our team, the day-to-day work is always different – one minute we might be working on a project and then fixing bugs the next. We have so many systems that we’re constantly switching between, so it makes my role extremely varied and fun.

There’s always new technology coming out that we’re open to trying and so we’re always learning new skills. If there’s something that you specifically want to work on, our managers are always willing to help us learn and incorporate the new technology to improve our current systems.

How would you sum up your experience at TLA so far?

Really positive! I’ve learnt mostly everything I know about software development from working at The Lead Agency and made some great friends along the way too.

Would you have any advice for someone who is starting their career as a developer?

Just be open to trying new things. When I first arrived at TLA I was expecting to become a web developer, but I ended up working on different projects and embraced the challenges and opportunities that I was given, and I’ve really enjoyed it.

We’re hiring! To find out more about our career opportunities, visit our careers page.

Life at The Lead Agency: Meet CSO Team Leader, Ryan O’Connor

Ryan O’Connor joined The Lead Agency just over four years ago as a Customer Service Operator (CSO). His strong performance saw him progress quickly to the position of Sales Team Leader.

Here, Ryan reveals more about his role, his team and life at The Lead Agency…

How did your career at The Lead Agency begin?

Once I’d graduated I needed to get a full-time job. I’d never planned for a career in a call centre but worked in one part-time during my three years at University and spotted the CSO (Customer Service Operator) vacancy at TLA.

I listened to a couple of the calls the team were making and knew that I would be able to do it – and I’ve been here ever since!

Can you talk a bit about your progression within the company?

I quickly settled into the team and had the support and patience of everyone around me. I always made sure that I hit my targets, so, despite only working in the CSO role for a year and a half, I decided to apply for the Sales Team Leader position.

As a Team Leader, I’m expected to lead by example by ensuring all targets are consistently met or exceeded. In my opinion, being a leader is all about getting to know people, knowing how to speak to people and how to give feedback.

What are the main responsibilities of your role?

I’m responsible for my own team which consists of several CSOs. On a day-to-day basis I’m required to support my team members by making sure that they’re aware of their targets and delivering on budgets at a good-quality standard.

What do you enjoy most about working at TLA?

Being able to work with many different and passionate personalities. All the individual characters in the group make for a fun working environment, meaning that we enjoy what we do and work well as a team.

Although it’s technically a sales job, we’re not actually selling anything! We’re ringing existing enquiries and fulfilling their needs.

Sales roles are often high-pressured. Is that the case at TLA?

There is a pressure to perform, but our targets are always achievable. The targets are set based on several different factors, but we have never been set an unachievable target.

There are always incentives and bonuses in place to reward the people who hit and continue to exceed their targets too. At the end of the day, those who are willing to work hard will always reap the rewards.

What does your team do on a day-to-day basis?

It’s about working through your enquiries (which become leads once they’ve been qualified) and ensuring that you do it in the smartest way possible to meet your goals. All new members of the team learn how best to achieve these targets as they go through the induction process.

call centre jobs LiverpoolWhat is the culture like within your team and the wider team?

We all get on extremely well with one other and someone is always there to offer their help and support.
When new people join, we ensure they are made to feel very welcome and integrate them into the group as quickly as possible.

Patsy (Mawdsley, Head of Contact Centre) regularly organises social events for the whole team. Last month we went to Roxy’s Ballroom and we played beer pong and pool which was great fun.

My team also managed to hit an incentivised target last month, and our prize was a £200 restaurant tab which we spent at Viva Brazil!

What sort of characteristics do you value in your team members?

I value people that are hardworking and willing to learn and adapt!

What advice would you give to someone who is starting their career as a CSO?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Those who do choose to ask for assistance when they need it will always achieve better results.

Another key piece of advice I would say is to make sure you concentrate, listen carefully and take onboard the guidance offered to you from the more experienced members of the team. That way, you’ll learn and adapt quicker and achieve great results.

We’re hiring! Find out about our latest call centre jobs in Liverpool.

Development manager James McDowall discusses his journey to TLA and search for innovative .NET developers

We’re growing. And as a result, we’re recruiting for the very best .NET developers to join us in Liverpool. But what can future employees expect from the city’s fastest-growing tech business?

To answer that question (and more) we’re joined by development manager James McDowall, who arrived at TLA earlier this year from Iceland Foods. He begins our chat by telling us what attracted him to his new role.

 “TLA is a market-leader and a technical innovator. That was obvious right from the outset and I knew it was something I wanted to be part of.”

James’s journey here via the world of frozen foods began with a Computer Science degree at Staffordshire University before roles as a systems developer at Aegon, a contracting position with Alliance & Leicester and five years at Hill Dickinson as a senior IT developer.

The Iceman cometh

At Iceland Foods, where he spent 6 years (most recently as technical architect) James was primarily responsible for leveraging their technology systems and leading a project which added over £1 million to the business in its first year.

“It was a versatile role,” he explains, “I was able to work on many different projects such as HR systems, a supplier financing portal, and labour and schedule planning for the 800+ stores and 26,000 staff that Iceland had at the time.

“Considering the number of technical challenges that we faced, the ability to seamlessly link all the pieces together to deliver a solution that had such a hugely positive impact within its 12 months was a significantly proud moment for me and my career”.

A few months after leaving Iceland, James is in Liverpool heading up our Platform Development team, one of three within TLA alongside Engagement and R&D. His remit covers leading a team of seven junior, mid- and senior-level .NET developers, steering the development life cycle on key projects and working on a major CRM development project.

“My main responsibilities are to apply the right technology fit, and work with my immediate team to deliver the best solutions for the business to further our lead generation activity.

“On a day-to-day basis, they will use bespoke technology to quantify and qualify the leads that come into the business before sending them on to the client.”

Technical innovators

As we continue to grow as a business, James is working with our in-house talent acquisition team to find and appoint .NET developers that have “technical diligence, problem-solving skills, and the ability to articulate technical requirements to non-technical people”.

He believes those new starters will be joining an “innovative, dynamic and progressive” team that “wants to be here and wants to keep improving”.

He cites the studio’s regular ‘brown bag’ lunches as one of the ways, the team push each other to be the best they can be. “One of the developers will give a talk about a subject within IT that they’re passionate about. The talks inspire new solutions, which helps to create a passionate, supportive and collaborative environment.”

James is determined to grow his team with the right people – a vision shared by other departments.

“Anyone considering a role at TLA needs to be prepared for a fast-paced environment where every day brings new challenges and where new technologies are embraced,” he says.

“We don’t just want developers, we want technical innovators with the willingness to strive beyond the norm and help us pioneer industry-shaping technology.”

If you’d like more information on the opportunities within James’s team and across the business, visit our Careers section today.

The Lead Agency’s Anton Hanley interviewed in LCR Business Post

Following our involvement in the International Business Festival’s launch campaign as a Next Level Business, our founder Anton Hanley has been interviewed by Liverpool City Region’s Business Post.

Anton discusses the early days of The Lead Agency right through to the current day as well as his hopes for the festival, which takes place in Liverpool next month.

You read Anton’s interview by picking up a copy of the latest LCR Business Post in and around the city or by downloading the full interview.

Life at The Lead Agency: meet developer Liam Moorcroft

Ever wondered what life is like inside one of Europe’s fastest-growing companies?

Developer Liam Moorcroft joined The Lead Agency in November last year and has made a great start within the business.   Here, Liam explains what drew him to TLA and what excites him about his role in the Engagement team.

What appealed to you about joining TLA?

They offer career progression, which is important to me. There was the potential for opportunities that I’ve never had before and, when I came into meet the team, it was clear that they were willing to help me progress. It was also about being able to gain a position in a bigger company.

And finally, there’s the office. When I came in for the interview, I was blown away by the vast views of Liverpool. I knew immediately I wanted to work here.

What can you tell us about your role?

The development team is split into two teams, the engagement team and the platform team. My team, the engagement team, create all the websites and front-facing sites that customers interact with.

My role varies day-to-day due to new features or add-ons that stakeholders may have asked for. Every few weeks we carry out work to maintain the websites to ensure they’re as user-friendly as possible.

What aspects of your role are you most passionate about?

I think discovering new technology is really important to me and it’s what I enjoy most within my role. As a developer, you can’t stand still- you have to keep up to date with new technology as it is always changing. The team I work with are great and make the projects that we work on even more enjoyable.

What can you tell us about your work that would be of interest to developers who are ready for a new challenge?

I think the technology is the big one – if you’re intrigued and enjoy experimenting with new software and technology and being able to do that on a daily basis, then this is the place for you! I guess that’s what continues to appeal to me about this role – the idea of constantly being involved with new technology, being able to research and explore whilst constantly being challenged to find improvements.

We are always asking ourselves, “how can we make this page faster?”, “how can we make this page more user-friendly?”. We are always trying to think of new and improved ways of making the user’s journey through the site better. If those sorts of challenges excite you, then this sort of role is definitely for you.

What else can you tell us about life at TLA?

I think the office and the aesthetics of it make it a great place to be. We’ve got 360⁰ views of Liverpool from our office floor and it just makes it a really pleasant environment to work in.

The bar is pretty cool too. On a Friday, we have a check-in where we grab a drink and discuss whatwe’ve been working on throughout the week. It’s good to hear about what everyone else is up to in the office as we are normally working within our own smaller teams day-to-day. That’s great because it creates a togetherness and a fun teamworking environment.

What’s it like working with the rest of the team?

What I have found working here is that everyone is super friendly and helpful. As a whole, and within my team, everyone is willing to support each other. The general attitude is that there is no such thing as a dumb question and this really gets the best performance out of you as it encourages us to take on a challenge and not be afraid to make a mistake.

I think that’s what helped me to get off on the front foot when I first started at TLA. I had quite a few gaps in my knowledge and I had to learn a lot quite quickly, but everyone was supportive and patient with me, which has helped me to get to where I am today.

To view our latest developer jobs in Liverpool, visit our careers page.

Paul Dowman joins The Lead Agency as tech architect

We are delighted to welcome CRM and .NET architecture specialist Paul Dowman to The Lead Agency team.

Paul joins us as technical architect with a remit to take responsibility for technology selection, system architecture, quality of code and adoption of best practice across all of our development teams. His initial focus will be to progress our Dynamics CRM implementation – an area of expertise Paul has outstanding experience in.

Paul has earned an exceptional track record for integrating Dynamics CRM with legacy systems, facilitating rapid roll out of new capabilities in complicated IT environments. Two of his previous implementations were, at the time of launch, the largest Dynamics CRM implementations in the UK.

His career has included senior positions at Entrepreneurial Spark, Lookers, ISS Facility Services, London Borough of Newham, Manchester City Council, 2e2, Avanade, HBoS and Moneysupermarket.com.

‘Palpable sense of innovation’

More recently, Paul has been operating as a consultant working with a number of different businesses – including The Lead Agency. However, he is delighted to have made the move permanent.

“I’m really excited to join The Lead Agency at a time of rapid growth and expansion for the business. The Lead Agency is unashamedly ambitious, wanting to lead the market, not follow it. That ambition is driving a palpable sense of innovation and vitality throughout the organisation.

“The technical team are keen to understand the latest technologies and collaborate well to help each other find the best use of the technology to deliver business value. On the business side, the team have a proven track record of delivery and growth, never resting on their laurels always looking to improve performance and drive further value.

“With innovative business ideas and cutting-edge technology there is a dynamic synergy that is very exciting to be a part of. Across the whole company there is a strong sense of quality, high standards, and most of all inclusion – everyone has an important part to play.”

‘Meeting of minds’

Our chief technology officer Edward Clark said: “Paul is widely regarded as one of the foremost authorities on Dynamics CRM solutions and has a proven track record of leading major projects for a wide range of ambitious organisations.

“During his capacity as consultant, it became clear that there was a meeting of minds regarding our vision for The Lead Agency and that Paul was the right man to help us deliver it. We believe he will be great addition to our growing development team.”.

If you’d like to be part of our ambitious and innovative business, visit our Careers page for the latest roles.