Your new Account Manager
We’re delighted to welcome a new Installed Base Account Manager, Richard Dawson.
He will be working closely with STL’s Sales Director, Clive Mallender, to help our existing customers get the most out of their STL Evo solutions. He will also be feeding customers’ business challenges and functionality suggestions through to STL’s software development team, headed up by Steve Fowler, to ensure our ongoing development roadmap reflects customers’ actual needs. All three previously worked together at Merlin Business Software (acquired by Aptean).
Caring about customers
As our new Installed Base Account Manager, Richard Dawson brings to STL two decades of sales and customer support experience, along with a strong teamwork ethic forged in sport, and a caring ‘can do’ approach to customer relations that’s been enhanced by his ‘side job’ of dog fostering.
It’s a powerful mix, one that initially evolved through successive sales and support roles at telecoms and networking provider SBS Technology Solutions, then at Unipart Rail – where, in addition to account development, he also gained valuable experience using IT to manage his own company’s stocktakes, pricing, orders and reporting.
This blended background caught the attention of Merlin Business Software, which was seeking someone with in-depth IT sales and user experience to become its first Account Manager.
It was there that Richard first worked with STL’s Clive Mallender and Steve Fowler. Together, they recognised the value of investing in personal, long-term relationships with the company’s installed base, and of maintaining open communications between Merlin’s own sales, support and software development teams. It was a philosophy that was rewarded with strong company growth.
It’s not really surprising that teamwork comes easily to Richard. He’s always enjoyed sport and studied a PE degree at University. It was there that became involved with the niche but fast-growing sport of korfball – a netball-like game involving mixed-gender teams who must work together in quick-thinking, fast-moving plays to shoot goals through the ‘korf’ or basket.
While he still plays for a Sheffield-based team today, he increasingly enjoys his off-pitch roles as a coach, scorer and Treasurer. He credits the sport for teaching him the value of diversity and equality as well as perseverance in problem-solving and progress.
With Merlin’s acquisition by multinational corporate Aptean, Richard found himself in a culture that didn’t match his values, so he moved to a smaller, more customer-focused connectivity and managed services provider, DuoCall.
Around this time, his caring side was also channelled into fostering young Labradors who are in training with charity Supportdogs.org.uk. Providing the animals a home while they learn the difficult skill of supporting people with both visible disabilities and ‘invisible’ conditions like epilepsy and autism, is something that Richard finds exceptionally rewarding – and helps enliven Teams calls when he works from home.
Although ‘very happy’ in the company, Richard couldn’t resist the chance to work again with the ‘dream team’ of Clive and Steve when the call came.
He says, ‘I’d like this to be my job for life, now, so it’s brilliant to be working with a senior leadership team that is as committed to investing in service as solutions. I’m very excited about getting on the road and meeting all of our customers.’