Last week, I was delighted to welcome our entire international team here for a whole week to have our Global Sales Kick Off. The team flew in from all corners of the world, including Europe, Australia, Singapore and the U.S. The week flew by with presentations and learning sessions, and featured some real highs such as the warm round of applause when we unveiled our new brand and new video, our Americas team singing and dancing, business noughts and crosses, the very well deserved staff awards and – last but not least – the long awaited Global Party in Manchester’s Black Dog Ballroom. The week resulted in more than a few sore heads. And I hear a flight was missed, but I won’t name names. One thing I know for sure, we certainly know how to both work hard and play hard…
One of the highlights for the team was on the Thursday morning when we were joined by Sir Terry Leahy for a Q & A session. He explained why investing in Purple was an easy choice for him to make. Sir Terry was happy to answer all of the team’s questions on any topic they chose which led to some good discussion. When asked what trait helped him be successful, he asked a question back – ‘you need to decide, are you a selfish or a generous person? If you are generous, always giving back will help you in life, whether with your colleagues, your customers or your partner’. Wise words.
So, our crusade to turn the world Purple certainly kicked off with a bang…and whatever challenges and success 2016 will bring, I know I have a pretty amazing team alongside me.
Finally, I’m really pleased to post up our award winners here. Although we’re all winners at Purple 😉
Staff-Elected Award Winners:
Employee of the Year – Iain Jewitt (Head of Technology)
Passionately Purple – Kerry Wright (Director of Marketing and Alliances)
Leadership Team Departmental Awards:
Tech with Most Assists – James Wood (Technology Manager and Head of Integration)
Most Prolific Developer – Stuart McPherson (Senior Developer)
Unsung Hero – Dave Musgrove (Senior Creative)
Technical MVP – Raymond Jones (Senior Developer)
Marketing Star – Becki Wood (Website and Content Manager)
Support Star – Mark Syme (Support Engineer)
Professional Services – Jonathan Hill (Project Manager)
Finance & Operations – Karina McIntyre (Accounts Assistant)
Sales MVP: Bill Williams (Sales Director UK and Africa)
Most Extreme Sales Pioneer: Saurabh Madan (Sales Manager A/NZ)
Highest Sales Achiever: Stacy Deprey-Purper (Enterprise Sales Manager Americas West)