This month we welcomed our new service desk manager Michael Warren to the Synextra team. Michael is bringing his expertise to the forefront and coordinating our service desk team to ensure only the highest quality and maximum efficiency. We sat down with Michael and got to know a little more about him in and outside of his professional life.

You’ve joined Synextra at an exciting time, how are you finding it so far?

Things have been very hectic but in a good way. There are a lot of exciting things happening at Synextra at the moment and being the new Service Desk Manager means my role touches on almost all of them in one way or another. There’s a lot to think about and get involved with!

Tell us a bit more about your career up to this point.

I’ve worked in Telecoms & IT for most of my working life having started from a part-time job at, what was then, Orange (yes the mobile phone company) in one of their call centres dealing with handset faults calls. I moved from there into another MSP where I worked for 5 years and then I went on to manage a service desk for almost 6 years at one of the UK’s leading telecoms providers. Now I’m here at Synextra and excited to see what the future holds.

What’s your favourite thing about working in operations?

I just really enjoy how every day is different and I can see the work I do having a positive impact on colleagues and customers alike. No two days are the same and there’s always a new challenge to get my head around. I’m a great believer in pulling together as one team and that’s something I see a lot of at Synextra.

What has been your biggest achievement?

I’d have to say earning my degree in Chemistry after 3 years of hard work. I haven’t ended up working in that sector of course but I’m still really proud of the fact I earned it and I think the skills I learned around teamwork and problem-solving have served me really well in the years since.

What does a typical weekend look like for you?

Mostly dog walking, we have a cockapoo who has more energy than any dog I’ve ever known and if she doesn’t get her weekend walks she certainly lets us know about it! I also play a lot of miniature tabletop wargames (Warhammer for those of you in the know!). I try to get at least one game in every weekend.

What was your first job?

My very first job was actually as a sales assistant for a retail store called Past Times. It taught me some very valuable skills around customer service and how to deal with the pressure of working in retail. I really enjoyed my time there but I wouldn’t say retail is something I’d want to return to now that I’ve worked in IT for so long.

Tell us something not a lot of people know about you?

I once attended a charity event aboard the Belmond British Pullman train for a ride around the south of England. We sat in the “Phoenix” carriage which The Queen Mother dubbed her favourite and enjoyed the most amazing beef wellington I’ve ever eaten.