Mark is a talented Product Manager whose role focuses on keeping Cintra a market-leading solutions provider. He ensures Cintra products stay one-step ahead of the competition. His calm, analytical, straight-talking approach enables him to recognise customer pain points, identify solutions and develop functionality within the product to resolve them.
What year did you start working at Cintra?
2012
How did you get into the payroll industry and the role you’re in now
?
I took a position at East Lindsey District Council as a Systems Support Officer where payroll was just one of the many systems I looked after. During my time there I managed the tender process and implementation of a new payroll system.
What has your career path been like at Cintra?
I joined Cintra as a Senior Implementation Manager, working with customers to set-up and get the most out of their systems.
I did this for eight years until a job for Product Manager came up. My role leading implementation had given me lots of insights into competitor software including, the weakness of our systems and the benefits certain enhancements could deliver to customers. I felt I also had a 360 view of the product– from end-user to developer and implementer all the way through to customer support. This, coupled with my IT background, meant I could bring a lot to this role.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The variety. One day is never the same. I deal with lots of different stakeholders across the projects from customers, to my team of tech-savvy developers through to our busy implementation team. It keeps me on my toes, I love it.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on a product development that is about to set us apart from the competition and the impact of which will go far beyond payroll, helping transform the way some companies delegate authority and manage teams and business units! It’s a truly exciting project as there is currently nothing like it on the market. Watch this space!
What has been your greatest achievement in your job?
It was at Cintra, leading a team on a 3-year implementation project for Carnival who sought to centralise their payroll in Mumbai. It was a hugely complex project involving 5 banks, over 80 currencies and more than 18 different payrolls with near-time interfaces with a fleet management software.
The project team won two awards off the back of this ‘The Payroll Awards 2017 – Global Transformation Project of The Year’ and the ‘Payroll World Awards 2016 – Implementation Project Award’, so, I’m immensely proud of being responsible for delivering this.
What do you do in your spare time?
Believe it or not I’m a creative person outside work. I’m learning how to play the Ukelele and I love painting with acrylics, I’ve even sold a few!
What was the last book you read?
The Phoenix Project – it’s a best-selling, fictional novel about an IT project on the brink of destruction with an IT Director charged with turning the project around. It’s a business allegory about how a company becomes profitable after a crisis-driven change in its information technology style.
If you could do any job for a day, what would it be?
A pilot. I’ve always loved planes. My parents were in the Royal Air Force, so I’ve grown up around them and spent many years on Royal Air Force bases. My first job was also working for the Royal Air Force as a Systems Analyst where I had the opportunity to be a passenger on some of the training missions, which was incredible. It was definitely the highlight of the job.
What Mr Men/Disney Character would best describe you?
Mr Busy is definitely apt for the job I am doing as it involves juggling many things at the same time.
Tell us something we didn’t know about you?
I started my own business developing websites to pay my way through university.
Where can we find out more about what you’re up to?
The best place is to check out my LinkedIn, as I regularly post there to showcase our progress and get everyone excited about what is coming.
Interested in joining our team? Check out our current vacancies here.
