Delivering data-driven personalised experiences at scale

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Interview with Russ Bennett, General Manager at Plexure

Office Manager

Engineering Manager

Data Product Manager

.Net Developer

Customer Insights Analyst

Engineering Team Lead

Plexure

_From dreams of making it big in badminton to getting swept up in the rapidly evolving technology landscape of the 1990s, Milind Thakur, Engineering Manager at Plexure certainly seems to have found his home working in tech._

_We caught up with Milind to learn more about what initially caught his eye about tech as a career, what his day-to-day role actually entails and what he loves about it._

_Thanks for sharing your story, Milind_.

> “Like a football coach, I help the teams perform at their best yet have fun along the way.” 

**Firstly, how would you explain to a five-year-old what it is you do?**

I look after the awesome engineers that build cool tech. Like a football coach, I help the teams perform at their best yet have fun along the way.

**And for the adults, what does that translate to in regards to your day-to-day?**

On a daily basis, I look after and support a couple of engineering teams working across multiple platform domains that work towards delivering high-value quality software.

My primary aim is to empower the teams by creating supportive and inclusive environments, enabling them to be self-organising and providing them with guidance for future growth. Along with this, I collaborate closely with the product, architecture and support to align the teams with company objectives and commitments.

At the wider engineering level, I help with continuously refining engineering practices through sponsoring initiatives, getting involved in engineering strategy and planning and delivery of business initiatives. And lately, I am getting involved in co-ordinating on-call support that helps attending incidents in an effective manner and in turn build my understanding across the wider services, infrastructure and processes. 

> “As a kid I always dreamt of making big in badminton...” 

**Was working in tech something you dreamed about doing as a kid, if not what was?**

As a kid, I always dreamt of making big in badminton until in the later years of high school when I was introduced to telecommunications by my dad, who was then working on radio spectrum management within the armed forces.

The 1990s saw the advent of dial-up internet, txt based surfing and Pentium processors which opened up avenues for me to access information. Later my time learning BASIC, 8086 microprocessor made me feel at home and then I was sure that I wanted to take up tech as my career option. 

**Tell us a little bit more about your career journey and ultimately about how you ended up working at Plexure?** 

I finished my studies at Canterbury Uni and soon was working for an R&D-based organisation specialising in building L2/L3+ switches and routers. Spent a few years as a software developer (C, Linux kernel and applications) and helped build a library for automated tests on serial communications.

Since then, I always enjoyed developing frameworks for testing and tooling. Then from embedded systems, I moved on to web applications in the cloud. In my last job, I got opportunities to work across multiple business domains like; eCommerce, media and entertainment.

Having led teams in the past couple of years, I wanted to focus my career on leadership and building strategy. I came across a similar opportunity at Plexure and then ultimately landed this role. The role of an Engineering Manager is fairly new at Plexure and continuously evolving, and I am glad that I am adding value to its evolution. The time here has been interesting so far with many learnings and opportunities. 

> “...aim to be more valuable and less critical.” 

**What is the best piece of career advice you have ever received?**

While the saying “manage yourself out of the job” seem too oversimplified, I prefer “aim to be more valuable and less critical”. Yes, it is thrilling to be “the person” for a piece of work/project, but it is not sustainable in the long term. It is important to share the knowledge and responsibilities such that you no longer are the blocker.

Instead, spend effort in identifying blind spots for the team, provide tools to solve problems etc; thus being valuable and important but not the point of failure. 

**What are the core skills required to be good in your role?**

While being technical, looking after skilled engineers requires a lot of empathy, understanding and a keen eye for opportunities to continuously improve. A large focus of this role is to develop people and teams through coaching and mentoring.

To be able to first comprehend the “whys” and then provide appropriate context to the team helps with focus and involvement. Being able to align business objectives with technical Initiatives is key to this role. Driving adoption of development practices, and contributing to engineering strategy and technical vision are some of the technical aspects that keep this role exciting.

> “...engineers are encouraged to be proactive and contribute not just within but outside the team as well.” 

**Lastly, as Plexure continues to grow and evolve, what are the key traits and characteristics of people that will be well placed to work there?**

Plexure values people who are inquisitive and curious, have a growth mindset and a can-do attitude towards identifying solutions to different problems. In this remote working world, it is ever so important to have the right collaborative and team spirit.

Our practices are ever evolving which means engineers are encouraged to be proactive and contribute not just within but outside the team as well. A decent learning and training budget provides ample opportunities for those who are keen to explore and upskill.

Plexure has been working in the cloud since the beginning and at a scale that is not seen as much in NZ; so naturally, some understanding of cloud services and application performance is beneficial. Finally, it is not just the serious stuff; we like to keep the working environment fun and enjoyable too.

Milind Thakur, Engineering Manager at Plexure

_From dreaming of becoming an astronaut to falling in love with computer games, Mohammad Kashem, Team Lead at Plexure is pretty happy about the backup career option he found as an alternative to exploring space._

_We caught up with Mohammad to learn more about what initially sparked his interest to pursue a career in tech, what his day-to-day role entails, some common misconceptions about the role of Team Lead, as well as some sage career advice he has picked up along the way._ 

_Thanks for sharing your story, Mohammad._

> “I make apps for grown-ups!” 

**Firstly, how would you explain to a five-year-old what it is you do?**

I make apps for grown-ups! This is not entirely true, but it helps conversation going with 5-year-olds and creates interest amongst them regarding technology behind apps.

**And for the adults, what does that translate to in regards to your day-to-day?**

My day-to-day activity is a mixed bag between:

* enabling the team to continue with their current stream of work and assisting them where necessary
* project management in terms of prioritising work and managing stakeholders
* helping my team to grow and have satisfaction with their work, while focusing on deliverables
* maintaining/creating our work backlog
* a little bit of people management
* a bit of coding
* a lot of catch-ups

**What are some of the common misconceptions about working as an Engineering Team Lead?**

A common misconception is that I manage a team of engineers. My role is to enable the team to self-manage, guide them for self-improvement and enable them to work on exciting technical challenges.

> “Eventually, I learned you can play games on it and the rest is history.” 

**Was working in tech something you dreamed about doing as a kid, if not what was?**

As a kid, I always wanted to be an astronaut (I know it is very cliché and still want to). The next best thing that happened around the mid-90s was the introduction of personal computers. My uncle had one and he would write programs on an old DOS machine. Eventually, I learned you can play games on it and the rest is history.

> “We would like people who can share their battle stories and collaboratively improve each other.” 

**Tell us a little bit more about your career journey and ultimately about how you ended up working at Plexure?**

My career started off in the payment industry as a developer working in a payment provider and then a bank. I have acquired knowledge and had access to very niche payment-related technologies.

During this time, I have also gained skills for software development in commercial settings and was involved big projects where I got to use the latest tech stacks for API development.

Two factors led me to apply for my initial role as a software engineer here at Plexure, a similar tech stack and coupled with the fact Plexure operates in a high scale environment (100s billions of API calls annually).

**What is the best piece of career advice you have ever received?**

Never settle, always keep moving and improving!

**What are the core skills required to be good in your role?**

As a team lead, empathy goes a long way in understanding individual capacity and needs. As mentioned Plexure operates in a high scale environment therefore understanding distributed computing, cloud computing and their nuances goes a long way.

As we are writing code a keen eye on writing optimized code is crucial for performance (enables consumers to have a better experience and saves platform cost) in a high load environment.

**Lastly, as Plexure continues to grow and evolve, what are the key traits and characteristics of people that will be well placed to work there?**

We need people of all walks who are interested in enabling our clients to engage with their consumers. As this industry evolves, naturally Plexure will need people who are open-minded which will enable them to tackle upcoming challenges. We would like people who can share their battle stories and collaboratively improve each other.

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Mohammad  Kashem, Engineering Team Lead at Plexure 

_Having dreamt of becoming a vet at a young age and majoring in Arts at university, working in tech was not the obvious end result for Kathryn Byrne, Chief Strategy and People Officer at [Plexure.](https://www.plexure.com/)_

_We caught up with Kathryn to learn more about how she somewhat "fell" into tech overtime, what her role actually entails day-to-day, as well as some great advice about having the confidence to voice your opinion. Thanks for sharing your insight, Kathryn._ 

> “..as an Exec, you should have all the answers. Simple answer, I don't, and I would challenge any leader to make such a bold claim.” 

**Firstly, how would you explain to a five-year-old what it is you do?**

I work with lots of clever people to understand where our business is going and how to get there. A bit like drawing a map for a wild road trip...not forgetting the essentials like fuel, directions and good company!

**And for the adults, what does that translate to in regards to your day-to-day?**

My role is an interesting mix of People and Culture, Marketing, Strategy and Partnerships / M&A. It means each day is different and includes a lot of context switching (which keeps me on my toes)!

I could move from reviewing a conference pitch deck to a budget meeting, to a Values workshop or a partner meeting. I love the variety and wouldn't change it for the world! It does mean my time management and prioritisation skills are kept finely tuned.

**What are some of the common misconceptions about working as a Chief Strategy and People Officer?** 

The most common is that as an Exec, you should have all the answers. Simple answer, I don't, and I would challenge any leader to make such a bold claim. I like to think that a good Exec can harness the collective brainpower of the business in a way that creates something greater - for the business, the team and the individual. 

> “If I'd had my way as a kid, I would have been a vet.” 

**Was working in tech something you dreamed about doing as a kid, if not what was?**

I come from a family of teachers, so business, let alone tech was not something I grew up familiar with. I was an Arts major at university and only "fell" into tech when I got my first job at Accenture.

It was the time of the dot com boom (I'm dating myself) and everyone seemed to be jumping on the tech bandwagon. I "fell" into the more commercial side of it and helped start-up businesses to build their business case, teams and partnerships, which I thought was pretty cool!

If I'd had my way as a kid, I would have been a vet. In fact, I studied a lot of science topics at high school and almost applied for Vet science at uni. Part-time working in a vet put that idea to rest...you have to be made of tough stuff!

**Tell us a little bit more about your career journey and ultimately about how you ended up working at Plexure?** 

I have spent half my career working in consultancy (IT, Implementation, Strategy) advising businesses across numerous industries, and half my career working within a business, mainly in Strategy roles but with a dose of Marketing and Analytics.

In a previous role, I fell in love with the power of customer data, which led to an interest and then a role in Loyalty. When I moved to NZ, I was keen to stay in the Loyalty space and was introduced to Plexure...

> “Have the confidence to voice your opinion, even when others may not share the same view.” 

**What is the best piece of career advice you have ever received?** 

Have the confidence to voice your opinion, even when others may not share the same view. It's diverse thinking and constructive challenge that can move a topic forward. 

**What are the core skills required to be good in your role?**

Be curious. Ask questions. Try to think in the customer's shoes. 

Plus at least have a level of fellowship with Excel and PowerPoint!

**Lastly, as Plexure continues to grow and evolve, what are the key traits and characteristics of people that will be well placed to work there?**

We are a team. As individuals, we all have strengths but together we are stronger. 

We are a scale-up business. Understanding that not everything will be perfect all of the time and that we each have to be comfortable in operating with ambiguity or have a role to play to bring about positive change.

Bring your passion and focus. We work in an exciting industry and have a lot of opportunities to pursue. Only people can unlock our strategy.

Kathryn Byrne, Chief Strategy and People Officer at Plexure 

The person in the family that everyone went to when their computer broke, Summer Ren, QA Practice Lead at [Plexure](https://www.plexure.com/) was destined to end up in tech.

We caught up with Summer to learn more about her career journey into tech, what a day-in-the-life of someone working in QA looks like, as well as some of the common misconceptions. Thanks for sharing your story, Summer.

> “I was the guy in the family everyone went to when their computer broke.” 

**How would you explain to five year old what it is you do?**

I’m an engineer responsible for finding defects or bugs in software.

**And for the adults, what does that translate to in regards to your day-to-day?**

* I usually check my email in the early morning, if no urgent task has been leftover yesterday.
* There usually are 2-3 meetings per day after our daily standup meetings with different people to discuss testing related work.
* Most of the time, I have support tickets or performance testing I have to work on.
* This always take me really long time and I will raise ticket to the domain team after investigation (this week has four performance testing sessions on the list )
* Catch up with people who have issues or questions.

That seems like almost my day 

**What are some of the common misconceptions about working in QA?**

* QA is the person who only uses a mouse or finger to click buttons on the webpage.
* QA is the person who racks his brain to crash the app

**Was working in tech something you dreamed about doing as a kid, if not what was?**

* Yes, most of my life I would relate to computers and technology, it fascinated me. I was the person in the family everyone went to when their computer broke.

> “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” 

**Tell us a little bit more about your career journey and ultimately about how you ended up working at Plexure?**

My career journey is not that complex. I worked in a big company after I graduated from university. I joined as a developer initially and moved to QA since my manager was seeking someone who could be SDET about 14 years ago.

I then worked in the MS Cosmos team, I learned lots of QA skills during that time and I still remember I have been asked to update a test plan more than eleven times. After my family moved to NZ, Plexure was my first perm job. I enjoy working here.

**What is the best piece of career advice you have ever received?**

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

**What are the core skills required to be good in your role?**

* Firstly, I will say self-learning. This goes for all IT-related work, since the tech is being updated every day.
* Second, be customer-focused. Customer impact issues can lead to a big failure.
* Third, self and relationship management. We have to work close to the developers and team.

**Lastly, as Plexure continues to grow and evolve, what are the key traits and characteristics of people that will be well placed to work there?**

Plexurers are all friendly and magnanimous. I appreciate working and learning with these people.

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Summer Ren, QA Practice lead @ Plexure 

From dreaming of becoming an architect to figuring out how to make sense of billions of data points. Caroline Izzard, Head of Data and Insights at Plexure has found a space working in tech that allows her to apply same skills and thinking that initially appealed to her about architecture. 

We caught up with Caroline to learn more about what her role entails, what she loves about working in the data space as well as some great advice about getting behind decisions once they are made. Thanks for sharing your story, Caroline.

**Firstly, how would you explain to a five year old what it is you do?**

We measure and record information about what people do, then use this information to understand why they do it and what things we might be able to do to help them or better meet their needs.

> “Asking questions like, what does this really mean, what is sitting behind this, how will this help drive tangible value back into the client’s businesses.” 

**And for the adults, what does that translate to in regards to your day-to-day?**

In a month we will capture billions of data points on what our clients’ customers are doing. My job is to help structure this information into something that can help add value to their business and their customers' lives. 

Translating the meaningless mass of data into a range of tools and information sets that help guide their decisions, understand what is working, and drive superior customer experiences that increase both engagement and loyalty from their customers. 

I don’t really have a typical day. My days vary greatly depending on the business and client areas of focus and what opportunities we are working on at any time. But across each and every piece of work, I would typically be playing the role of inquisitor and devil's advocate. 

Asking questions like, what does this really mean, what is sitting behind this, how will this help drive tangible value back into the client’s businesses.

> “The opportunities it offers for us to learn new things, find new connections, and create new ways of engaging with people is almost limitless.” 

**What are some of the common misconceptions about working in data and insights?**

That it’s all technology, databases, and data lakes, and therefore must be a bit boring. But in my mind data is super dynamic and creative. The opportunities it offers for us to learn new things, find new connections, and create new ways of engaging with people is almost limitless. 

What I enjoy most about my role, is the scope it delivers me to be inquisitive and creative, while still delivering tangible things to our customers and clients.

> “ ..I actually wanted to be an architect” 

**Was working in tech something you dreamed about doing as a kid, if not what was?**

No, I actually wanted to be an architect. But I have been surprised by how working in data allows me to apply many of the same skills and thinking that initially appealed to me about being an architect.

**Tell us a little bit more about your career journey and ultimately about how you ended up working at Plexure?** 

I have always worked with data or information in one way shape or form, but in a variety of roles touching on it from almost all angles. 

I worked in roles that produced data, that consulted on its uses to third-party clients, I’ve worked in commercial data roles, insights roles, and now in big data and AI roles. 

There are so many different ways you can approach using information to guide businesses in their decisioning and marketing activities, and with each role I’ve rounded out my knowledge and expertise. 

At Plexure, I feel like I’m getting the opportunity to bring all these pieces together. Pulling on experience and tools I’ve learned in the past, to meet the broad range of challenges and needs our clients are facing in today’s rapidly changing digital landscape.

> “Don’t go around only half supporting it, or undermining the work in the background.” 

**What is the best piece of career advice you have ever received?** 

It relates to always making sure that you are fully on the bus and fully moving in the same direction as the business. 

Simply put, when we are in the ideation phase, all ideas are welcome and should be debated. But once a decision has been reached, and a course set, regardless of whether it was my preferred choice, I needed to be onboard and back it 100%. 

Don’t go around only half supporting it, or undermining the work in the background. This ability and willingness to debate, but move forward quickly and support delivery regardless, has treated me well while working in numerous fast moving roles and businesses in my career.

**What are the core skills required to be good in your role?**

Be curious. Have a good ability to make connections and join the dots. Excellent translation skills. Being able to connect the things we see in data with what they mean in the real work and how they can positively impact a client’s business. 

**Lastly, as Plexure continues to grow and evolve, what are the key traits and characteristics of people that will be well placed to work there?**

Smart, interested people. People who like to work with others, and share ideas and accountability. There is little room for ‘owning territory’ at Plexure. Your good ideas are welcomed, and nurtured, regardless of your job title or role, and you need to be happy to return that in kind to others.

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Caroline Izzard, Head of Data and Insights at Plexure

The vision at Plexure is to be the all-encompassing global platform of choice from marketing through to operations for the hospitality sector, with a mission to make business simple, streamlined and effective for our customers.

**The market opportunity ahead for Plexure** 

We are at the start of our journey to bring the power of the two businesses together and are already seeing customer excitement at the prospect of the full suite of services the Group can offer.

Joining Plexure Group today means you can be part of creating a world-class cross-functional solution for some of the world’s largest restaurant, food service and stadium brands. Be part of the future of customer engagement.

**Why Plexure is a great place to work**

We’re focused on creating a better outcome for our customers. We do this through believing in the power of the team and working together to deliver real value. Our culture fosters collaboration, keeping a curious mindset, and having a passion for technology innovation and continuous improvement.

We aim to offer the career development and care of a growing, established company, coupled with the diversity, challenge and innovation excitement of a startup.

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Interview with Russ Bennett, General Manager at Plexure

Milind Thakur, Engineering Manager at Plexure

Mohammad Kashem, Engineering Team Lead at Plexure

Kathryn Byrne, Chief Strategy and People Officer at Plexure

Summer Ren, QA Practice lead @ Plexure

Caroline Izzard, Head of Data and Insights at Plexure

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