Employee of the Month

KARRIS SIMMONS

APRIL 2023

Karris is such a valuable part of our team, consistently demonstrating a tremendous attitude and teamwork ethic. She has taken on tasks with positivity and a determination to see everything through to a conclusion – playing a significant part in a very successful quarter for the Vendor Team. Karris is a superstar!. A delight to work with – her communication is always superb, her ‘can do!’ attitude is a breath of fresh air and nothing is too much for her! Karris is an unsung hero. We couldn’t have executed the Bett show without her support. Karris is a pleasure to work with and always goes above and beyond. She is always so helpful and is such a positive person to be around in the office!

RYAN DUTTON

MARCH 2023

The effort and care this guy puts into his work is astounding. Really gone above and beyond to ensure that Bett 2023 is a success; setting a seriously good example of dedication and hard work. What a BETTeran! Has gone over and above with the work put in to our BETT planning and execution! The embodiment of TIIAC. I hope Ryan knows how valued he is. He is doing an AMAZING job with the lead up to Bett. You are a pleasure to work with every day, always so understanding, thoughtful and helpful. Thank you Ryan for everything you do to make things run as they do… it doesn’t go unnoticed!

DUNCAN BROWN

FEBRUARY 2023

Great work and nothing is too much. Absolute legend of the Microsoft team, 2 weeks of back-to-back site visits all over the UK, leaving a trail of excellent work behind him deserves recognition! His work ethic and dedication to the job is fantastic. He is a legend.

GIANNI BRAZZA

JANUARY 2023

Gianni has been super supportive during our onboarding process. Dedicating a lot of his time to really ensure that we understand the correct process’ to get our work done. Gianni has also taken time to develop his responsibilities and attended a successful client meet last week which went very well. Always very helpful. Being so helpful with our first couple weeks, and feeding information in an understandable manner.

MARTIN DORSCHLER

DECEMBER 2022

A true asset to the company. Super hard worker. The perfect problem solver. A great manager.

HARMINDER BHOGAL

NOVEMBER 2022

It’s not every day you get to work with someone who shares the same passion, enthusiasm and tenacity – a fantastic engineer to work with coupled with an easy to approach personality! Super speedy on any task. Has been a great help across the board this month. Absolute top performer. Very helpful and very knowledgeable. Always at hand to help and provide the best service possible.

JORDAN RICH

OCTOBER 2022

Always helpful, mega efficient and a joy to work with! Great Communicator, hardworking, great work. Is a natural!

JEREMY SILVER

SEPTEMBER 2022

Jeremy is always incredibly supportive to his team; even when faced with external challenges. Jez is a great mentor and has lots of knowledge to share.

Since I joined Academia, Jeremy has gone out of his way to genuinely understand how I am getting on and where he can help out. In just a short amount of time he has been super inspiring. I know he is just a teams call away. It doesn’t go unnoticed Jeremy!

Jeremy is smashing it in his new role. He is a fantastic leader and vendors love working with him. He always has time for his team and is helping train the new members and share best practice. He is an unsung hero and a brilliant manager. Thank you Jez. I hope you win the EOTM 🙂

AMIRAH JAMAL

AUGUST 2022

For doing a great job proactively seeking a role we are seeking within the team. Has arranged everything proficiently including working OOH to get the right candidate for us. Solid effort. Her energy and enthusiasm as a New Starter is fantastic. She’s jumped right in, helped with setting up the new office; nothing is ever too much and she’s just been really keen to help. A real pleasure. Always going above and beyond for everyone across the company!

AIDAN GUARISCO

JULY 2022 (JOINT 1ST PLACE)

Seriously stepped up in recent weeks due to the team being slightly under resourced for internal AM’s. Aidan has not only been helping his aligned AMs/Customers but the team as a whole. Aidan has always been on hand to help and support me throughout July. He has worked his socks off, and really deserving of this July Award. Putting in a shift being the only internal in HE, going above and beyond for the team in the busiest time of the year. Has been positive, quick and a pleasure to work with. Setting the bar high for any new recruits! Aidan has been a great help to me and the wider Team. He has been proactive in offering support and been quick to respond to customer follow ups. Aidan has absolutely smashed it for me the last month. Always on hand to help and also upselling where possible. Keep it up mate!

CHRIS DAIRION

APRIL 2022

For soldiering on through a challenging few months. Top bloke and great work ethic. Shame he’s a Spurs fan. Maintaining repairs perfectly after Andy’s departure. Going above and beyond with regards to the smooth running of the repairs workshop, putting in additional effort since team numbers are down. An absolute machine in Repairs. Top guy and is a highly prized member of the team. He has kept the Repairs team running efficiently despite the loss of Andy and the office move. The quality of his work (and ethics) along with his incredibly easy to approach attitude is absolutely fantastic. An absolute gem to work with and a great sense of humour! Chris has been a champion this month. He is always on top of things, but recently in times of extreme workload, pressure, and change he has exceeded even the highest expectations and kept our critical repairs centre running with barely a hiccough. Amazing!

KOMEIL SHOLEH

MAY 2022

For being the unsung hero of the Microsoft Team. He is hard-working, supportive, always has the customer’s best interests in mind and nothing is ever too much. An absolute legend! Always ready to help, and this month has been a powerhouse helping with ITG and others. Forever grateful for the work this guy puts in, especially given the Unrelenting workload, Cool-tempered, Kind and empathetic, Intelligent and knowledgeable. Nice guy and Great at what he does. AWESOME! Been super helpful with Teams licencing issues! Down to earth, very approachable and extremely hardworking! A lovely guy always on hand to jump in and get his hands dirty with any issue! Komeil is always happy to help anyone and everyone. A real Superstar! Amazing at what he does, always there to help no matter what especially with the workload he has, Such a valuable asset to the team and the company. Komeil is always helpful! I’ve learnt a lot from Komeil since starting on the helpdesk, a true asset to the team!

BEN BURNS

FEBRUARY 2022

Always a superstar!! As always my vote goes to Ben. He is a solid employee, a great guy and always finds a solution for everything I throw at him, superstar !! Just a super person – so quick and efficient!!! props to Ben.

AMIRAH JAMAL

MARCH 2022

For doing a great job proactively seeking a role we are seeking within the team. Has arranged everything proficiently including working OOH to get the right candidate for us. Solid effort. Her energy and enthusiasm as a New Starter is fantastic. She’s jumped right in, helped with setting up the new office; nothing is ever too much and she’s just been really keen to help. A real pleasure. Always going above and beyond for everyone across the company!

DAVE PRINCE

NOVEMBER 2021 

For his amazing work, his dedication to the company and the works he puts in. Just an amazing asset to the Academia and the wider group.​ Dave has been immense this last month, working out on customer sites and delivering on all fronts as usual….the man’s an IT Deity.​ An absolute machine!​ He is a Legend and always going above and beyond.​

AMY JOYCE

JANUARY 2022

Going above and beyond the get the job done! Great in multitasking roles! Office move, recruitment, travel etc etc. Keep it up Amy! How could I not vote for this champ?!  She is the quiet little engine behind so much of what we do and she deserves this thoroughly.

SHELDON HOLDER

SEPTEMBER 2021

Always smiling and always happy to help! A very hard worker and a pleasure to deal with! An absolute gem to the wider business! Has been doing a great job in the warehouse and very helpful to CSR with RMA’s and returns. Nothing is too much for him. Professional, polite and efficient. He’s fantastic!​

KARRIS SIMMONS

OCTOBER 2021 

Simply the best as the song goes. Great help and a very strong part of the team. Always happy to help and has been doing a great job on the ITG helpdesk and offering support to other teams. Always happy to help no matter how busy she is. Very helpful and pleasant!

KARRIS SIMMONS

JULY 2021 

Great worker, has been doing a great job and has quickly become a strong member of the CSR team. Always keen to learn and take on new things, very proud! Always professional and competent in our busiest month! So helpful, always looking to improve herself and the processes. Thankful to have her in my team 🙂 She shoots she scores! Because she likes CSP and has picked it up mega fast 😊​

DAVID GRANT

AUGUST 2021 

Supported me in adding value and growing the software number across my accounts this year. Great asset to the business. Busy as always but takes time out of his day to help everyone. Full of knowledge and knows a lot of people in the industry.

GIANNI BRAZZA

JUNE 2021 

Since joining Academia Gianni has been great support to the team he is aligned to and also the wider business. He is always willing to help and keen to learn. Always willing to step in to support. He has been a big help to both Sales teams, star! He’s been so supportive and helpful this month. He’s gone above and beyond on many occasions. Nothing is ever a problem. Such an asset to the team

BARNABY MORTON-WOODRUFF

APRIL 2021 (JOINT 1ST PLACE)

Has hit the ground running, already doing a cracking job and all the time with such great positivity and enthusiasm, An Academia allstar in the making! So friendly and helpful, he’s supported me personally with multiple projects and his input is priceless.

STEPHEN DUONG

MARCH 2021 (JOINT 1ST PLACE)

Has been excellent, nothing is ever too much of an issue and always happy to help. The attitude, the character, the energy, you can’t imagine! a true legend. very hardworking and always willing to help. Stephen has been immense this last month, following on from his efforts in Scotland he has also been absolutely brilliant by completing work across our customer sites this last month – always available, always willing to help, just gets on with it …fantastic effort

AMY JOYCE

MARCH 2021 (JOINT 1ST PLACE)

Lives and breathes Academia and its values and consistently puts in more work that would be expected from her. Flawless recruitment work with the posts at Vital & always a pleasure to work with. Amy has been nothing but helpful and supportive!  Provided outstanding support and management of a very difficult HR issue. For the incredible feedback she’s received from Steve and the manner in which she handled a very difficult situation. So, so well done!

DAVID GRANT

NOVEMBER 2020 (JOINT 1ST PLACE)

Brilliant job supporting my team in getting lots of new adobe customers and big renewals across the line for the team. Cannot reiterate enough how valuable DG is to this business. He is honestly one of our MVPs and our sustained success in software is contingent on him. David has been outstanding with supporting me with our key accounts. Its been a pleasure introducing him knowing that he’ll impress every time!

SAJIM UDDIN

NOVEMBER 2020 (JOINT 1ST PLACE)

He’s just brilliant. Who else, considering? Saj, went above and beyond by submitting CPC MFD Tender. Considering he’s never bid for this type of work before, he picked it up and helped me put our best foot forward with a great response and submission. Thank Saj.

DAVE PRINCE

JANUARY 2021

The big guns!! Truly amazing work ethic and all-round great guy ! Been immense this month as usual! He’s been at the forefront of sorting out the issues that the rest of the teams (Sales, CSR, Finance, E-commerce) have been experiencing with office 365 / RDS. Also, major shoutouts to Stephen Duong and Darren Clegg as well – both work ethics are at god level now and honestly, 2 sound blokes to work with! La La La, Lancashire 🙂 Dave should always get this. I swear his working hours are 6am to 2am.

MICHAEL NICHOLAS

FEBRUARY 2021

Doing more than 2 peoples workload and still doing it well. Fantastic Project manager, really great to have Michael in the team, always on top of everything that’s going on and that’s due to his ongoing work ethic and commitment, real real real pleasure to work with! Been immense as usual. Proactive and helpful. Michael is a great team player who is always happy to help. He can be extremely busy but will never say no. To be honest I don’t think the word no exist in Michaels vocabulary. Overall a great guy! Since working with his talent of engaging with clients from day one we have nailed every obstacle in our path an quality asset to our tech team!!

ADAM LANEY

SEPTEMBER 2020

Never hesitates to help out myself and the wider team. Always available when needed. All round positive attitude which can be difficult during these times. Supports requests without question and with tenacity. Need a bit more of that around here! Has really helped out during an extremely busy period, really appreciate the help. Always helps me when I need it 🙂

STEPHEN DUONG

OCTOBER 2020

Stephen always makes himself available for those last minute tasks which he has done on numerous occasions this month, nothing is ever too much trouble! He has a great work ethic and is well received by both customers and colleagues alike. Dealt with my issues when no one else was available. His work ethic and attitude are always commendable and to be admired. Stephen has been extremely helpful in working to deliver customer projects.

JENNY TAYLOR

JULY 2020

An invaluable asset to the team who is always happy to help – went above and beyond for a customer of the Mac team which was greatly appreciated by them. Always helping in a big way to help push team forward. A CSR Queen and Genius. Jenny has done her utmost to get me settled within the CSR team. My training is going very well thanks to her training documents and she is always on hand to help when I get stuck (both on Teams and in office). Jenny has made the transition back into the working world easy and enjoyable!

ABDI HASSAN

AUGUST 2020

One of the nicest guys around, humble, helpful and always finds the positives in life. His work ethic is incredible and he has been working very hard to get customer projects delivered. top bloke. No matter what Abdi constantly has a smile on his face. He’s so helpful and nothing is ever too much for him. Abdi is always happy to roll his sleeves up and get stuck in quickly and efficiently. Such an asset to the tech team and the wider business! Go Abdi!! Happy to attend client site even when he had his own long list of tasks to complete. the best engineer in IT support world. Always helpful , nothing is too much

SHANE BYRNE

MAY 2020 (JOINT 1ST PLACE)

What a superstar, no matter what the circumstances, Shane takes everything in his stride and remains cool under pressure, even when his workload has doubled! He does an incredible job at keeping those around him motivated and positive and is always the first to help anyone in need. He is eager to learn and always willing to give 110%. He really is a true Academia hero and an absolute asset to the company! GO SHANE! Doing a great job staying motivated given the current climate and being rewarded with a good number this month.

CHARLES AWODE

JUNE 2020

Brave. Courageous. Iconic. Supported both while I’ve been away but also as a TL, deserving EOTM winner in my opinion! He’s been leading the team through the year with gusto and determination. He has been great at motivating the team to push forward even during difficult times. Put the team on his back and smashed him personal best. Developing into a top TL and only going to get better. Despite being busy as ever, he is always available to catch up and advise on deals.

ALEV AHMED

MAY 2020 (JOINT 1ST PLACE)

Alev is flat out, working as normal and gets back quickly on queries and has continually helped the business do business as normal. A good example of the right behaviours and company values. She is a great example of how everyone should be conducting themselves. Just a soldier. She deserves special mention as collecting monies in this climate is doubly difficult but Alev keeps soldiering on.

JEREMY SILVER

MAY 2020 (JOINT 1ST PLACE)

Marketing as a whole have been great at adapting and supporting sales messaging, embracing dynamics and driving us forward. Jeremy has been key to this and despite terrible taste in football, he is a huge asset to us and will continue to help drive us forward in these uncertain times. VTC’s have been a huge success well done to Ryan on these too!! Always looking for you. The Marketing team consistently go above and beyond and Jeremy’s leadership has been awesome. Jeremy is very honest, humble and is leading the team with a laser focus. His relationship skills are great and he leads with lots of passion and integrity.

AMY JOYCE

MARCH 2020

Very helpful recently with hiring new staff, and dealing with COVID-19. She’s done a remarkable job keeping despite very trying times – she should be so proud of herself. Her attitude is fantastic and she’s just a pleasure all round. With the mayhem that is going on at the moment she has remained calm and took everything in her stride!! Amy has done a great job in dealing with HR in Ash and Lauren’s absence. She has also handled the coronavirus situation very appropriately and efficiently. Massive congrats to her 🙂 Amazing work! Warrior spirit.

CARLY DANIEL

APRIL 2020

Carly’s done some fantastic work with analytics and reports for sales as well as training on Moodle. She just quietly gets on with it – a real team player and asset. Outstanding continued contribution to the group as a whole. Always ready to help and a common sense approach. How many changes can one person deal with in a month??? ask Carly! Taking on a lot of tough challenges with a smile on her face the whole time.