Tag Archives: people

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.

GDPR in lead generation: meet compliance manager Kathy Fleming

In 2017, we appointed compliance manager Kathy Fleming to lead a comprehensive GDPR programme and ensure compliance with other key regulations. Here we discuss her role, the impact of GDPR in lead generation and her time at TLA.

What can you tell us about your role at TLA?

My role is to oversee all legislation compliance for the business. Naturally, my immediate focus has been on GDPR – making sure we had robust and responsible programme in place that involved the entire business. But I also look after our regulatory activity to ensure we meet the Financial Conduct Authority requirements; plus PECR and Ofcom regulations.

You’ve worked in both the public and private sector, working for companies such as Betfred, Your Housing Group and Barclaycard. How would you say data protection has changed over time and between these industries/sectors?

In the public sector, data protection has traditionally been far more stringent due to the fact that any money they spend comes from the public purse. Legislation has always been taken more seriously with greater levels of accountability. In the private sector, there was always the need to balance the commercial interests of the business against their regulatory commitment. However, GDPR has put far greater emphasis on private sector organisations in accepting that they have to be accountable for their actions.

There has rightly been a lot of focus on GDPR over the last few months. How would you summarise the changes?

In the past, each EU member state had their own legislation regarding data protection; GDPR has introduced consistency across all EU member states. One of the fundamental aspects is about strengthening the rights of individuals because the way in which we use data today is completely different to how we used data twenty years ago. The old legislation was no longer fit for purpose and needed to change.

What impact will Brexit have on the UK’s commitment to GDPR?

None whatsoever. The Information Commissioners Office (the regulator for data protection in this country) has stated that despite the UK’s decision to leave the EU, the implementation of GDPR will not be postponed or affected. GDPR is an important, comprehensive and thorough piece of legislation applicable across all EU Member states.

What are the significant ways in which GDPR will impact lead generation and marketing?

Any organisation that processes personal data must establish a lawful basis for processing this information. Here at The Lead Agency, we mainly rely upon consent. Under the old legislation, companies were able to rely upon a pre-ticked box which would assume that customers had consented; however, under GDPR this form of consent is not valid. Consent is only valid if it is a proactive indication of a customer’s wishes (i.e. a clear and proactive tick of a box to indicate positive consent or the click of a submit button to confirm that the individual is happy for their personal data to be processed). This is bad news for lead generators that have traditionally focused on low quality and high volumes. But good news for those that focus on high quality, qualified leads.

Is it possible to be a responsible lead generation company?

Absolutely. Lead generation companies tend to have had bad press, but our CEO Anton Hanley wants us to stand out from the rest. We are a quality lead generation company. We create a relationship with consumers that have shown a genuine interest in our clients’ products or services and engage them to ensure they are in-market before giving them the opportunity to connect with our clients. This responsible attitude is one of the main reasons why our transition to GDPR compliance has been smooth and why I believe GDPR is a good thing for the business. We can fully demonstrate our accountability, which can only help us to build trust with our clients.

TLA’s approach to GDPR has received strong praise from automotive specialist ASE Global. What do you believe has been the key to our successful preparation?

Firstly, can I say how delighted we were with ASE’s report and comments. To hear that of the hundreds of companies ASE had assessed or worked with, TLA had by far the most good practice in place was very rewarding after the hard work and commitment of the team. And that was the key – having a commitment from our CEO from the very beginning and a team willing to learn about the new legislation, understand it and then bring ideas for how we could improve our processes. We have used GDPR to become a better organisation.

Which brings us nicely to our final question. How have you found working for TLA so far?

Genuinely great. It is a fast-paced and exciting business with supportive colleagues. Everyone is willing to give up some of their time to help each other. Not to hand-hold but to always be there for support and guidance. Anton’s enthusiasm and drive to make the business as successful as possible radiates throughout the organisation and encourages everyone to be the best we can be.

Visit our News & Views hub to read more about our preparation for GDPR.

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.

 

Justin Thorne joins TLA to lead digital team

As we continue to extend reach within each of our verticals and improve the efficiency of our lead generation processes, we have appointed Justin Thorne as our new head of digital.

Justin (left) has joined us from neuromarketing company Lab, where he had spent three years and was responsible for leading its performance marketing teams. Prior to that role, he held senior marketing positions at Kenshoo and SmartFocus.

At TLA, Thorne will lead a team of digital channel specialists, UX designers and CRO specialists in creating intent and technology-led, lead generation campaigns.

His focus will be on developing strategies that help us connect with and nurture in-market consumers within automotive, property and education.

Justin’s arrival follows the appointment of Antony Neill as performance manager, who joined us from a technology business within the Bibby Line Group earlier this year.

Commenting on their arrivals, TLA’s CEO Anton Hanley said: “We continuously look for ways to improve the services we provide to clients and consumers, which includes recruiting people who can bring something special to our team. Justin and Antony have a wealth of relevant experience in marketing roles; but more importantly, they have the skills, enthusiasm and ideas to implement positive change within the business.

“Justin will help us extend our market reach, so that we connect with more of our clients’ potential customers at different stages of their buying journey; while Antony will drive performance improvements across each stage of our process to ensure the leads we provide are of the highest quality.”

Our growth is set to continue with a number of other exciting vacancies now live within our careers section. 

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.

Former Time Out marketer joins The Lead Agency

As part of our continued growth and investment in the team, we are pleased to welcome Paul Court to the company as our first head of online trading.

Paul joins us from global media company Time Out Group, where he spent two-and-a-half years. In his role as senior digital marketing manager, his responsibilities covered activity for all paid media channels as well as contributing to the overall acquisition strategy.

In his new role at The Lead Agency, Paul will develop our paid acquisition strategy with specific focus on content and email. His remit will be to lead a team in creating digital marketing campaigns within the automotive, higher education and property.

Paul Court

Connecting with more customers

Automotive managing director for The Lead Agency, Tom White described Paul as “an excellent addition to our digital team.”

“His experience in leading and supporting successful traffic and customer acquisition strategies at Time Out will be invaluable as we seek to advance our paid activity and connect with more consumers than ever before,” he added.

At Time Out, Paul played a pivotal role in the strategy to move Time Out into the e-commerce space as well as managing its affiliate partnerships in the travel market. Prior to that role, he spent almost four years in PPC roles at travel booking website lastminute.com.

Paul said: “The Lead Agency has all the tools and the right people in place to be the dominant force in lead generation – not only in the UK or its existing markets but on a global scale. I was particularly impressed by the team’s ability to execute quickly and this is something I’m looking forward to building on to deliver maximum efficiency for our clients.”

Are you ready for a new opportunity? Take a look at our full list of vacancies.

TLA strengthens in Liverpool with double appointment

We are pleased to welcome two important additions to our team in Liverpool.

Patsy Mawdsley (left) has joined the business as our new head of the contact centre from Arvato’s BMW team.

Patsy will lead a team of more than 40 customer service operatives and report directly to Tom White, who joined us earlier this year as automotive managing director. The contact centre is responsible for engaging, nurturing and qualifying our clients’ future customers within automotive, higher education and property.

Our new addition brings more than 12 years’ experience in contact centre management, spanning basic call handling through to multi-channel engagement.

Data protection officer

Joining her through the door is data protection officer/compliance manager Kathy Fleming (right) who arrives from Betfred, where she held the role of data protection officer. Her remit will be to continue developing the company’s compliance programme, which covers data and finance as well as a number of other processes.

Kathy, who has previously worked for Your Housing Group and St Helens Council, is a specialist in data protection and will be responsible for developing and embedding processes that ensure the business’s full compliance with GDPR.

For our latest vacancies, 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.

International Business Festival launch

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.”

Prince William International Business Festival IBF

‘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.

New starters join TLA’s London team

Following our recent growth in Liverpool, we’re delighted to announce two new arrivals in our London office.

TLA London
Frankie (left) and Irina (right) join the team.

Frankie Sartori has joined the business as head of sales for our higher education business The Study Network.

She joins from global education media provider TES, where she managed media agency partnerships. Her remit at The Study Network will be to build relationships with universities, other higher education providers and publishing partners.

Our CEO Anton Hanley said: “Frankie is an important addition to The Study Network team. Her experience and contacts will be a great asset as we look to grow the brand and forge new partnerships within the industry.”

Joining Frankie in London is account manager Irina Ashakhanova, who joins us straight off the back of graduating her English Literature degree from Bristol University.

Irina will be working on the automotive team, helping to manage relationships with car manufacturers and their agency partners.

We are recruiting for a number of digital jobs in London as well as our head office in Liverpool. Check out our latest vacancies.