Carly Koch, Partner Manager, Selenity

What interested you about the tech industry?

I grew up surrounded by technology, brought up by parents who worked in technology and ensured we always had the latest technology for the home available (does a wireless tv remote count?!). We were based in Santa Clara, an area of the Silicon Valley in the late 80’s where I saw from a young age how multinational technology companies were supporting and speeding up the growth and development of global technology. ‘Technology’ encompasses so many touch points within both our day to day lives as well as supporting the improvement of so many business processes both seen and unseen. I love how technology can improve and support both business processes and business intelligence.

Why did you want to work for Selenity?

Selenity have a proven track record, successful continued growth and a clear path towards continued innovation and advancement. I liked that it was very clear what the business was doing in terms of offerings to the market. Two core cloud technologies that reduce costs, increase efficiency and ensure compliance to HR and finance.

It wasn’t just the products though, the company has an outstanding reputation for being an excellent place to work. I liked that they do everything in-house here at our Lincoln HQ. The first time I came to Selenity, I picked up on a welcoming, engaging and efficient environment. There seemed a good balance between a driven and professional approach combined with a sense of fun (as it turns out I picked up on this correctly!). Also important to me was the role itself, I am a big believer in effective collaboration and the role of Partner Manager, particularly within the technology sector massively appealed.  

Selenity took the time to not only ensure I was right for the role but that I had all the information I needed to fully understand the requirements and responsibilities of the role prior to making a decision. It’s important to me that a business understands finding the right person for a job is a two way street, any company that illustrates this at the recruitment/interview stage says a lot about how a business treats its staff in general.  

There really was a combination of reasons why I wanted to work here at Selenity, I did my research, understood the role and just followed my instincts which turned out to be a great choice.

What work experience did you have coming into your role?

Moving many times with a partner who was in the military means that I have a varied employment experience. These varied roles have included: Events Co-ordinator at a bespoke wedding venue, Information Officer at the MOD, Recruitment Consultant, Marketing Executive at a global instrumentation company and more recently, working with a provider of cloud technology in the enterprise retail planning space. I have found I am always drawn to roles which require working with people. Each job I have had added a little more in terms of experience, knowledge, confidence and an understanding of different business models and processes. 

The role of Partner Manager is fantastic as I get to work closely with our in-house teams along with our partners and their clients.  

Can you describe a typical day for you?

There are not really many days in this role which are the same. On a daily basis I am lucky enough to be engaging with members of different organisations fulfilling a variety of different roles. My role requires support from nearly every department at Selenity and there is a real cohesive and agile approach to teamwork here that forms the basis of a positive experience, resulting in happy teams and most importantly, happy customers.  One day I may be demonstrating our products, researching and contacting potential new partners, then the next attending partner sales meetings or customer events, or perhaps planning campaigns with our Marketing team alongside plenty of other activities!

From an external perspective I really enjoy spending time with our partners.  Our partner channel consists of small consultant firms to large global brands.  These channels allow us to market our products to a much wider audience by utilizing our partner client networks. This helps us to maximise revenue and increase the market presence of our cloud technologies.

What qualities do you bring to the role?

For a role such as Partner Manager, there is a requirement to remain adaptable and confident to take a different approach where needed.  Generally, there is a need to work with different stakeholders, able to approach situations with care and understanding of different cultures and working practices.  

I hope I bring a sense of professional engagement with a sense of fun, remain down to earth and able to communicate effectively with all stakeholders I come across in my role. I like to see things through and get the job done.

What is difficult about your role?

The role of Partner Manager does often mean trying to bring people together and get the right people communicating effectively. With busy schedules and other demands this can sometimes be frustrating. It helps to be organised and open and clear when managing different channels.

Although I enjoy the diversity of the job, it can also be a challenge sometimes, aligning objectives and priorities across many parties, but then who doesn’t love a challenge?

What is the best thing about working at the company?

Great people and great technology! Being able to work with like-minded, professional and driven colleagues is a real pleasure. There is a common goal of delivering the best technology we can, propped up by a value driven culture encompassing innovation, respect and passion. Achieving results with a fantastic group of people, having a laugh and ensuring happy customers make every day enjoyable!

Selenity take real pride in supporting a happy workplace, hiring and retaining the best staff is a priority. There is also a lot of fun to be had with events, team days and birthdays being made special. On the first day back of the New Year, we were welcomed with a four-course brunch from an award-winning local chef which was delicious! It’s both the small and big things which go a long way to how not just myself, but also my colleagues feel about working here.  

Why would you recommend working in the industry?

Machine learning, zettabytes, AI, algorithms, data visualisation…  the industry is so interesting, fast-paced and influential on all our day to day lives, why would you not want to work in technology?

My role may not include coding, delivering product updates, managing sprints, writing user stories or formulating plans to incorporate bitcoin allowances into product. However, it does allow for constant learning and an ability to support innovation. It is an industry which delivers constant change and improvements and working closely with other professions and sectors to understand requirements to deliver the best technology.

It’s important to remember that there are plenty of roles within the tech sector which do not require a technical background. If you are interested in working in a thriving community, constantly evolving and adapting, working with forward-thinking and driven individuals then there are many opportunities in the tech sector which may be of interest.

Name:  Jan Rose

Company:  The Retail Data Partnership Ltd

How long have you been with the company: 6.5 Years

Job Role:  Wholesale Relationship & Senior Manager

Where did you find the job advertisement to apply for the role?

I originally joined the company as the Administration Manager and applied for the vacancy via an on-line advertisement for positions in Stamford.

Why did you want to work for the company?

At the time I was working in the care industry after having a break from an office environment where I had been for the previous 25-yrs.  I had always wanted to work with people but the care environment wasn’t for me and so I decided to go back to what I knew best, which was working in business.  I didn’t consciously choose to work at TRDP, at the time I was just looking for a job but, what a job and fantastic company I found.

What interested you about the industry?

I wish I could give a response to this question that is truly inspiring but to be honest I fell into retail and the convenience sector.  Yes, I have always shopped but never really thought about the process and didn’t even know what a barcode was until 7-yrs ago.

Can you describe a typical day for you?

Well no two days are ever the same, that’s for sure!

My time is split primarily in the office but also on the road, managing our Wholesaler relationships, ensuring that our corporate customers are happy and that our partner’s field teams have as much information as possible to promote our ShopMate EPoS system.

As well as managing our existing wholesale partners at a corporate level, I try to visit as many regional teams around the country, which means that I get to meet a lot of extremely interesting people and travel to all four corners of the country (hopefully not in the same week though!)

What qualities do you bring to the role?

I hope that if you asked some of our partners this question, the answer you would get would be that ‘I believe in delivering’.  Being able to listen to our customers and partners and ensuring that our business delivers the best service and solutions so that they can run their businesses well.

As part of the Senior Management Team, my role is to contribute ideas and initiatives that will build on our already solid foundations and ensure that we move into the future with a business portfolio that drives us forward for many years to come with a happy and well organised team of employees, all focused on our business objectives but, enjoying the process of getting there as well.

What is difficult about your role?

The convenience sector is not an easy industry to be part of and over the last few years there have been many hurdles.  My role of managing our partner relationships means that I need to be able to adapt quickly to requests and feed these back into our organisation.  The most difficult aspect of this, is managing the needs of the customer against the business needs of The Retail Data Partnership and the frustrations of getting changes implemented quickly enough to make the difference.

What is the best thing about working at the company?

It’s hard to know where to begin really.  The Retail Data Partnership is not like any other business I have ever worked in before or experienced, and I do experience a lot of other companies during the course of my day-to-day role.  Many companies promote that great service is at the heart of their business and that they recognise the importance of their staff.

At The Retail Data Partnership, we have ‘Customers’ whether they are external or internal, we have an ethos whereby we strive to ensure that everyone is treated as we would like to be treated ourselves; it sounds a little corny but it’s true.

There are no boundaries here, I started off as the Office Manager because I had many years of office experience.  I don’t have a degree or a string of qualifications but I do have life skills that our business appreciates and recognises which has led to me moving from middle management to senior management. 

The saying ‘hard-work pays-off’ is definitely true here, if you give 100% you will get that back ten-fold.

Why would you recommend working in the industry?

If you enjoy a challenge and constantly changing targets, then convenience retail is the industry to choose. 

EPoS technology is an area whereby you can visibly see the benefits it can provide to retailers.  Seeing our customers receive their new systems and observing increased sales and footfall because of the solutions we have provided and, getting great customer feedback in the field is an incredible buzz.