Tag Archives: liverpool

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.

The Lead Agency named one of the north’s five fastest growing companies

We are over the moon to have been named as the north’s fifth fastest growing tech company as part of the Northern Tech 100.

Tech North’s ranking of the north’s fastest growing tech companies, sponsored by GP Bullhound, was announced last night (Thursday) in Edinburgh alongside the Northern Tech Awards.

The list consists of companies from a wide range of tech-based industries from cities such as Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh, Newcastle and Glasgow as well as towns throughout the north of the UK.

Companies are ranked by their turnover growth over the last three years, so we’re thrilled to be named in the top five.

You can read more about the Northern Tech Awards and Northern Tech 100 via BusinessCloud.

TLA’s Paul Dowman to discuss artificial intelligence on Binary Festival panel

Our recently appointed tech architect, Paul Dowman, will take part in a panel discussion this afternoon as part of Liverpool’s Binary Festival.

Paul will be one of a number of digital experts taking to the stage for An Intelligently Artificial World, which will discuss, debate, debunk and demystify AI.

The gathering has been put together by BIMA’s AI Think Tank and is one of a number of talks and workshops taking place throughout the city.

The session will be hosted by the Think Tank’s chair Pete Trainor and Feed Forward co-founder Lydia Gregory. The session promises to discuss ‘solving full stack industry problems using subject-matter expertise, unique data, and AI to deliver products that help us survive the changes of an ever changing world’.

To attend the session, register here.

Binary Festival was established in 2016 out of Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle and aims to celebrate the city’s digital community.

For more information, visit binaryfestival.com.

The Lead Agency features in International Business Festival campaign

Later this year, Liverpool will host the International Business Festival – a gathering of 30,000 business owners, decision-makers and professionals from around the world.

The event will consist of nine high-growth sector-themed days running between the 12^th and 28^th June that aim to help organisations scale-up and fulfil their ambitions.

To help promote the event, The Lead Agency was approached by the organisers and asked if we’d like to be featured as a Next Level Business case study – an invitation extended to just three UK businesses.

We were naturally honoured and welcomed the organisers’ film crew at our Liverpool HQ towards the end of last year. As well as capturing footage of our office and surroundings, our CEO and founder Anton Hanley was interviewed.

Watch the film below to hear about our success to date – from a standing start in 2002 to becoming the UK’s number one new car lead generator – as well as with Anton’s ambitions for the future and hopes for the Festival.

Meet Antony Neill, The Lead Agency’s new performance manager

New years often bring about new starts for people, which is exactly the case for our newly-appointed performance manager Antony Neill.

Joining us in a brand new role for the business, Antony is looking forward to applying his experience to the business’s performance channels. As a quick introduction, he tells us about where he’s come from and his ambitions for The Lead Agency.

Where have you joined us from and what can you tell us about your last role?

I joined The Lead Agency after four years at Bibby Line Group, where I worked across a number of sectors, including shipping, distribution and technology.

The majority of my time at Bibby was spent in a variety of marketing roles, but my most recent role was as a technical sales manager for a new technology business that Bibby launched, where I was responsible for analysing supply chain operations for retail and manufacturing clients, and designing and deploying RFID-based tracking solutions to help them unlock efficiencies.

What are you most proud of from your career to date?

Achieving promotions at each of my last three employers and helping to build Bibby’s ship management arm into a significant challenger within its market both spring to mind. But my most coveted achievement is probably playing a key part in helping Bibby’s technology business – made up of all of nine people – to land a multi-million pound contract with a top 10 UK retailer, an engagement that lasted more than two whole years and many more working hours!

What attracted you to The Lead Agency and this particular role?

The vibrant brand image, the exciting line of business and the company’s culture and ethos all initially attracted me to The Lead Agency; it seemed to match my own personal way of working, and my short time here so far has proven me right.

The role itself is, to me, an almost perfect storm of everything I’m skilled at – analysing and optimising process-led operations within both a marketing and technology context. I can’t wait to get stuck in.

What will be your main responsibilities and what are you hoping to achieve?

The purpose of my role is to ensure that the internal enquiry processing operation – everything after acquisition from marketing, all the way up to distribution to clients – is running smoothly and efficiently. As part of this, I’ll be working across multiple functions within the business – digital marketing, technology, contact centre, compliance and client relations – to make sure that each stage of the operation is linked seamlessly to the last and to the next.

I’ll also be helping to introduce new systems and platforms to the business to help develop our internal operations even further, which will translate to greater value for clients down the line.

To join Antony at The Lead Agency, visit our Careers page.

TLA chosen for International Business Festival launch campaign

We have been chosen as one of three UK businesses to feature in the launch campaign – including a short film – for next year’s International Business Festival.

The film was shown at an exclusive launch event held in London last night, which was attended by the Duke of Cambridge. Prince William was officially confirmed as the festival’s patron for 2018.

We were chosen alongside production company Zut Media (which also shot the film) and biologics organisation Absynth to be the faces of the launch campaign as the organisers look to build excitement and interest for the 16-day festival.

Ambition, innovation and growth

The promotional film, which we’ll share with you soon, will appear across a wide range of media leading up to the event. It tells each company’s story of ambition, innovation and growth as well as discussing our hopes and aspirations for the International Business Festival.

Our founder and CEO Anton Hanley was interviewed for the film and was in London for last night’s launch. Speaking to The Business Tribune about TLA’s involvement, he said: “Prince William was really interested in the company and asked whether we were using AI within our platform, so I explained about our chatbots we use to speak to customers online,” he said.

“I wasn’t expecting any of the attention that’s come with being part of the Festival’s campaign so it was a surprise when I arrived here, picked up a leaflet about the Festival and saw myself on the front.

“It’s been a really good evening and it’s nice to be from a Liverpool business with ambitions to grow and being aligned with a major Liverpool event that also has ambitions overseas.”

‘Ingenuity, drive and commitment’

The Duke took to the stage last night to discuss his decision to support the festival.

“I am pleased to announce my patronage of the 2018 International Business Festival; an event held in Liverpool on behalf of Britain, bringing together business people from around the world,” the Duke said.

“The UK’s prosperity relies on its wealth of innovative and ambitious small and medium-sized businesses. Whenever I have had the chance to meet the people who run such enterprises, I have been struck by their ingenuity, drive and commitment. They demonstrate the best qualities of our national character.”

The International Business Festival takes place at Exhibition Centre Liverpool between 12-28 June 2018.

Five new arrivals for the TLA development team

We have welcomed five new additions to the TLA development team.

Stephen Donaghy (technical team lead), Lehasa Moloi and Geraint Taylor (both senior developers), Joshua Duxbury (developer) and James Van Den Houdt (junior developer) have arrived to strengthen our programming department.

Stephen has made the move from Amaze, Lehasa from GB Group and Geraint from Redrow Homes. Meanwhile, Joshua has joined us rom Scan Computers and James has made the switch from Carfinance247.

developer jobs Liverpool — New teammates (From left to right): James, Lehasa, Geraint, Stephen and Joshua.

Identifying the right people

“We’ve been working hard to identify and recruit the right people to help us take the business forward and believe we’ve made five exceptional additions to our development team,” said Ed Clark, our chief technology officer.

“The experience they have earned at respected digital agencies, specialist software companies and in-house development teams will help us to enhance our proprietary platforms and websites as well as explore new technologies to create opportunities for consumers and companies to connect.”

We’re hiring for a number of digital and tech positions across the business. Check out our latest vacancies.

Life in tech – Michael Fitzsimmons, head of talent

Next up in our Life in Tech series is Michael Fitzsimmons, our recently appointed head of talent. Michael made the move from a Manchester-based digital recruitment specialist to The Lead Agency last month and is already enjoying life on the 13^th floor.

Tell us about your role and what you’ve been appointed to do at The Lead Agency…

I’ve been appointed as head of talent. My job is to manage all recruitment in to the business across our Liverpool HQ, London and New York offices. My objective is to recruit all new hires internally, build a recruitment philosophy and implement a recruitment procedure that is followed for each new hire.

What do you think is The Lead Agency’s biggest appeal for potential recruits?

A major reason for me was the potential growth and career opportunities the company could provide. Meeting my colleagues and seeing the fantastic working environment only convinced me further that this was the place for my future. Has anyone else got a better view in Liverpool?

What roles are you recruiting for?

I’m focused on digital roles covering development, design/UX and digital marketing.

What are your immediate priorities?

Like anyone joining a new organisation, I’m learning about the business, how it operates, its processes, its past and future goals. I’m getting to know each of the teams and actively pursuing the best talent to help us fulfil our mission.

What advice would you offer potential candidates?

I would advise people to come to an interview properly prepared, be confident and have good reasons why you want to join The Lead Agency. We are looking for ambitious and driven candidates so make sure you display these qualities when you speak to us.

What do you think Liverpool has to offer people planning a career in digital or tech?

Liverpool’s digital influence is growing and hubs in the Business District and Baltic Triangle are spurring on this growth. You can find tech companies like The Lead Agency who are ready to invest in talent and promote career development. Liverpool is also a great city to live and socialise in with lots of entertainment to keep you busy outside of the office!

What are you passionate about?

Having worked in recruitment for nine years, I am passionate about my industry. I still get a buzz out of finding people a new job. I think what I am most passionate about and what keeps me interested is the interaction I have with people. I enjoy the social and psychology aspect of the job. I think some are too quick to describe themselves as a ‘people person’; however, I do truly believe I am and it helps me build and manage relationships which results in making good hires.

What type of attributes are you looking for in candidates?

When you are looking for attributes in a candidate there are many that you are hoping to see. If I had to pick five, I would choose – integrity, ambition, drive, creativity and hard-working.

Ready for a move? Check out our latest digital jobs.

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