Meantime IT
It’s all about the people and here we are
The Meantime people: where we're from and where we’re heading...
This is a tricky page... so, after some consideration, we’ve split it in two. Firstly, there’s a bit about ‘us’ in principle, ‘us’ as a group and a team, and how that is creating a unique Meantime culture. Secondly, we’ve each written a little bit about who we are, what we do and why we’re good at it.
So, the theory. There are two aspects to what we do: firstly, the passion and the enjoyment that we take from building good stuff; and secondly, the fact that we really love making our clients happy. We simply want them to be bowled over by what we do.
In order to satisfy ourselves and each other, we need to innovate; to find new and better ways of doing what we do. So, we love to learn, we love to practice and we love to do. What's more, we love to share. No one here is worried about using sentences that start "How do I...?" or "How did you...?" We’re constantly educating ourselves and we’re always open to new ways of doing things. We have a great team and a wonderful working environment, and we've built a culture that works and has given us a clear idea of how we want to grow.
And our clients seem to like us, too – have a look at our testimonials page to see what they've said about us. If you'd like to know more before you start working with us, we can put you in touch with them, so you can have your concerns and queries addressed by someone who isn't trying to sell you something.
So, to the team...
Fenner Pearson, managing director :
"I’ve worked in IT since 1988, when I left university with a degree in Physics, and throughout that time I’ve worked with companies ranging from start-ups to international banks. I’ve been involved with every aspect of IT in my career, from coding to web developing right through to systems testing and business analysis and I’ve become increasingly frustrated over the last two decades at the acceptance of shoddy practice in IT. It’s expected that projects will be late, budgets will be exceeded and the end result will be a compromise of what was promised and what was delivered. This infuriates me, because it’s totally unnecessary.
Throughout my career I’ve fought to challenge perceptions within IT, and with Meantime I’ve managed to bring together a team of extremely talented and experienced people who think exactly the way I do; that IT systems can and should be delivered on time, on budget and to the exact specification of the client.
I’m passionate about my work, and committed to proving to our clients that IT systems can help them to grow, not hold them back."
Martin Winetrobe, business systems analyst :
"I’ve travelled all over country to enable me to pursue my career in IT, and since I graduated in computer science in 1984, I’ve worked my way up the ranks and embraced developments in new technology – and there have been plenty! But I’ve really found my ideal job here at Meantime because, like Fenner, I’m passionate about using best practices to produce quality systems so when he contacted me and asked me to join him I didn’t hesitate.
I perform a variety of roles at Meantime, from business and systems analysis to estimating to compliance issues, but as I’m BCS (ISEB) certified in System Testing and ITIL certified in Service Management I work closely with clients to ensure that our systems are tested thoroughly and work exactly as per the agreed requirements. I’ve been in this business a long time in various roles and I’m passionate about quality. Testing isn’t always at the forefront of a client’s mind, but it’s an imperative part of what we do here at Meantime to ensure we’re delivering exactly what we say we will. We take pride in a job well done."
Steve Parker, lead developer and project manager :
"Working with Meantime has enabled me to indulge my passion for coding, which I discovered when I was writing copy for a website. I was working in a sales role within a public service partnership, shortly after I finished my degree in English Language. I swiftly realised I was much more interested in writing the code that made the page work than the copy that was going on it! I really found my niche, and after undertaking a huge amount of training in various developing systems was quickly promoted to IT manager, developing systems that saved the company six figure sums.
I streamlined the systems to the extent that I wasn’t being challenged anymore, so when I met Fenner in 2004 and we discovered we shared the same ethos and a genuine belief in delivering IT systems that exceed expectations, it was the obvious choice for me to join Meantime. I love the variety in my role, and thrive on the diversity of the work that I do each day, which includes everything from the initial meeting with the client right up to the end user testing; I’m usually the first point of contact for the client and oversee every aspect of each project. It’s a great team, a great culture and we take great satisfaction in creating systems that we can shout about."
Phil Telfer, web developer :
"When I decided to leave Hertfordshire and my job as a senior database developer at tesco.com and relocate to the Lake District, I wasn’t confident that I would find an IT company that shared my need to deliver the best possible product. I specialise in ecommerce – I got a distinction in my ecommerce MSc three years ago – and there’s no satisfaction for me in creating a product that people will struggle with, or won’t do what they asked. I have to make sure that everything I create is the best it can possibly be, and the ultimate validation for me is knowing that it’s useful for the client and creates profit for them.
But when I met Fenner and we spent an afternoon having animated discussions about the IT industry and our frustrations at the lack of commitment and quality, I knew that I’d met someone I could work well with. As a child in the 1980s my idea of fun was programming my ZX Spectrum, so computer coding has been my second language from a young age. It comes naturally to me; when I glance at a brief I translate it into code as I’m reading, just as you would if you were reading a foreign language. That’s just the way my mind works!"
Louise Illingworth, web designer :
"When I completed my degree in graphic design I had a real urge to learn more about HTML and CSS, so I took on extra training while I was working with a design agency in Germany. Although I loved print design, it didn’t excite me the way web design did – the whole process is much more satisfying, and because technology is changing all the time it never gets stale or dull. I spend my spare time keeping up to date with advances and making sure I’m at the top of my game.
I love taking a project from the initial concept right through to the end result; creating something from nothing. Working with the rest of the team to deliver a product that’s valued and relied on by the client is incredibly satisfying for me. I’ve been with Meantime for three years, and I love my work. There’s a great atmosphere in the office – which is why I don’t mind driving 100 miles to get here."
Hannelie Pearson, operations manager and financial control :
"I started my professional career with Coopers and Lybrand in Cape Town, then moved to Edinburgh 12 years ago. Although I was a strong MS Office user my IT career really started when I was offered a Server Administration position as maternity cover. I went on to become a Lotus Notes developer and worked for a large financial institution and later a national property developer in Edinburgh. Life intervened and I found myself in the South Lakes working for Meantime - first as a software developer and now working in a combined role of operations manager and financial controller."
Dave Clare, system tester :
"Let's just say that Village People were in the charts when I began tapping a keyboard in anger. Many years of developing software with clients ranging from Blue Chips to one-man bands have followed. On the way I've acquired a wealth of experience including a postgraduate degree in design and evaluation. These days I concentrate on software testing with a focus on usability and credibility - I ensure the product is what the customer wants and hopefully something that their customers will buy into."
Siqi Li, web developer :
"After I finished my degree in Computing Science at the University of East Anglia I did an MSc in Infomatics at Manchester University. I’ve been at Meantime since I graduated, and the work I did for both my degree and MSc have been invaluable in my role as a web developer. You need to have good mathematical and logical skills to do my job, which principally involves developing web-based software and I work on a wide range of projects, from developing content management systems to building e-commerce websites. Meantime’s ethos is to make sure we never miss a deadline, and that sits very well with the way I’ve always worked, so for me personally I couldn’t have asked for a better position after my MSc; I’m working with hugely experienced people on interesting and exciting projects in a company whose culture reflects my own commitment to IT."
Derek Beckwith, network systems engineer :
"There are two aspects to my role here at Meantime. The first is looking after our servers and making sure they’re fully PCI compliant. When you’re hosting retail sites that take credit card payments it’s imperative that everything is up to date and there are no known software vulnerabilities. Most of our clients come to us for hosting as well as software, so they know they don’t have to worry about that side of things as we take care of it all for them.
The second part of my job is fixing IT systems that don't work – so I have a completely different set of clients to everyone else! We frequently get calls from businesses that have had computer engineers in and they haven't installed something properly, so I go in and troubleshoot and find out where the problem is; it could be anything from software to hardware to networking. I can't stress enough how important it is to put your trust in computer engineers who have take the time to become certified. CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate), MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) and the more recent MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist) are the three to look for – think of them as the IT equivalent of a Corgi registered gas fitter."