What is your background and what brought you to Trustmarque?

My background has predominantly been selling into Healthcare. However, previously I worked with specific applications or solutions and not the multi-vendor landscape that Trustmarque is well versed with.

I was really drawn to the fact that Trustmarque has expertise in so many different areas and has a strong history of working within healthcare meaning they have good reference ability and arre widely known.  One of the reasons I joined Trustmarque was after carrying out my own due diligence on the company and finding out they have a really good reputation among their clients and a particularly strong foothold within the NHS.

As I spent many years working within the healthcare sector previously, I have a deep understanding of customer challenges. Pair that with Trustmarque’s holistic view of vendors, and we can provide strong consultative advice.

Tell me about your role  

When I first joined, I felt a bit like a rabbit in the headlights because we can provide so many options.  My first few months were primarily about getting a good understanding of how we work, how we go out to market and really getting to know my client base.  Since that time, I have really enjoyed understanding customer challenges, which is why I have moved more specifically into data and analytics. It is a highly relevant topic and challenge in the current landscape. Data is a door opener to so many conversations.

 Now, my day-to-day role centres on talking to clients about their challenges, working closely with vendors and highlighting our strengths to the market place.  I’m keen to make a different – I am a solution Salesperson. I like finding solutions for problems so I attend my client board meetings to understand their current key challenges, live projects and what their focus and strategy is.  I then come back to the business with ideas.  For me, Trustmarque is all about linking the tech to the challenge and the vendor to the client, we want to create win-wins.

At the moment, I am actually setting up some breakfast briefings / roundtables to address some of those key challenges.

That sounds exciting, tell me about the roundtables

The roundtables will bring together senior stakeholders from within the NHS, as well as technology vendors, to discuss understanding of data in the NHS and how to use data to drive efficiencies.   The objective is to look at challenges on the horizon and build trust and networking between customers.

Nine organisations have already joined up, which shows there is a need for peers to come together and collaborate.  I know there are pockets of similar projects going on in the NHS, but knowledge isn’t always shared easily. This is about pulling that together and utilising resources, saving money. We don’t sell tech for tech sake – we are here to support our customers.

How would you describe the culture at Trustmarque?

Collaborative. The collaboration between internal staff and being signposted to the right subject matter expert is ideal.

I think there is also a sense of feeling valued. Management will ask for and appreciate your opinion. You are not micro-managed but are given autonomy to try things – like the roundtables. Having access to the Capita estate and resources makes it more cost efficient, which gives us more freedom. And the kudos of Capita.

What next? Where do you see the role going?

Off the back of the roundtables, I would like us to get involved with large transformation projects In Health. They have a lot going on and don’t always know which way to turn for certain technology advice. I want us to be that critical partner and subject matter expert.

I’m also hoping to work more with the NHS STPs (sustainability and transformation partnerships) to improve collaboration across boundaries.

Why should someone join Trustmarque?

You have a real ability to find your place. I started as client manager on a patch and am now working more broadly on an area I have developed more expertise in (data). You can develop your niche, which is the opposite of the clichéd sales role to be a jack of all trades and master of none.

What three words would you use to describe Trustmarque? Supportive. Experts. Collaborative.