Meet the Team
STUART DUNTHORNE
TeamTalks Issue 49, August 2010
It’s not that often TeamTalk makes it onto the TV. Last time it was in Japan, where for some crazy reason they decided to recreate David’s legendary arm wrestling match with MCS Digital that settled a business dispute. We still don’t know which actor sacrificed their career by playing David.
TeamTalk will be on the air again soon, thanks to our latest addition, Stuart Dunthorne, a Customer Engineer in Auckland.
“I was chosen to go on the reality TV show ‘Would Like To Work’, which matches individuals to companies, then shows all the skills that would be needed to land the perfect position. At the end of it all I landed this job at TeamTalk!”
It was a fairly unusual interview process, but the outcome couldn’t have been better for both Stuart and TeamTalk.
“Coming from a background in hospitality and entertainment, the technology focus of TeamTalk has challenged and excited me,” says Stuart. “My technical aptitude helped me through the learning curve, and with my get-it-done attitude, I have complete confidence that if a customer has a problem, I can get it sorted.”
On his days off, Stuart is kept busy being a dad and a ‘mild geek’.
“I spend time entertaining my 11 year old son and building computers. When the weather’s nice enough I like to get out on my motorbike and go cruising.”
If you want to catch Stuart and TeamTalk on ‘Would Like To Work’, watch out for it on TV1 shortly.
BRAD NAYLOR
TeamTalks Issue 48, June 2010
At TeamTalk we have a reputation and passion for delivering the highest possible customer service, a passion that's shared by our new General Manager of Operations, Brad Naylor.
"At TeamTalk it's real people making real things happen. The customer comes first and there aren’t too many layers between the customer and the decision makers for real improvement to occur," explains Brad.
Brad's role at TeamTalk is to manage the Helpdesk and to keep the Network Management Team, the Engineering Team and the Customer Engineers all in line.
With over 30 years experience at both Telecom and NZ Post, Brad shares a background similar to many TeamTalker's, "I come from the school of hard knocks," says Brad. "I used to run the Telecom 021 and 120 customer services centers in Wellington where it was my job to put things right for people."
On the weekends Brad fancies himself a bit of a biker, cruising around Wellington on his Harley Davidson Ultra Classic. "I'm more of a brunch biker than a biker! Heading out on a fine weekend for a cruise and a spot of brunch."
Brad had better watch out because a few round the office may be hanging out for a ride on his hog soon.
GREG WILKS
TeamTalks Issue 47, March 2010
Greg Wilks joined us in October last year in the role of Accounts Payable, which involves raising purchase orders and invoices and making sure the bills get paid. He’s definitely the bloke you want to keep onside!
Greg came to us after a year in a similar role with Fairfax Media, and before that he spent some time travelling in Canada.
Although he’s had “absolutely no” experience in the mobile radio industry, Greg is keen to point out that he’s a youthful chap with enthusiasm to burn and a maturity level above his 22 years.
You see, Greg is a father of twin boys aged 14 months. “I’ve certainly had to mature quicker than a lot of my peers!” says Greg.
Greg was born and bred in Upper Hutt and is a keen supporter of most sports. “I used to play badminton, soccer and cricket before the boys were born, but now I just don’t get the time,” says Greg. “I’m more of an armchair sports enthusiast now and will be cheering on the Hurricanes in the Super 14s.”
Greg enjoys working at TeamTalk and when we asked him if he had any funny stories about his time here he said, “I experience an embarrassing moment on a daily basis!”
Good to see we’re keeping you on your toes, Greg.
KYLIE FRASER
TeamTalks Issue 46, February 2010
Taking on the role of keeping David Ware on track is not for the faint hearted, but Kylie Fraser reckons she’s got what it takes to be our Executive Assistant.
“Apart from keeping DW on track, I look after the administration of our newsletter, diary management, collating survey information, travel, event management, project administration, investor relations, HR administration and coordinating meetings,” says Kylie.
Kylie comes from the recruitment industry and is excited about what TeamTalk has to offer.
“I’m impressed by the technology and diverse range of people that I’m working with,” says Kylie. “There’s always something new around the corner.”
Kylie is highly organised and likes to think outside the square, which puts her in good stead for her new role. Oh, and her impressive sense of humour is a nice bonus!
When she’s not giving her all for TeamTalk, Kylie likes to enjoy the finer things in life like visiting vineyards, travelling, dining out, Thai cookery, painting and collecting vintage jewellery.
“I also have an avid interest in music and can be heard from time to time broadcasting a show on Access Radio with a friend of mine,” says Kylie. “I love southern jazz and blues, but we play music from all genres.”
DAVE BROOK
TeamTalks Issue 45, December 2009
For four years Dave Brook has been working in the trenches for TeamTalk as a Customer Engineer, ensuring the smooth running of TeamTalk’s data services and providing technical support to customers.
Dave is a qualified NZ radio technician and his passion for communications began many years ago whilst working for the NZ Post Office, and some of you may even know Dave from his days at Tait Mobile in Auckland.
When asked what excites Dave about the mobile radio industry, Dave explains that it’s the hands-on diagnosis work that creates variety and challenges during his workday. He likes to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty.
Dave believes that taking ownership and ensuring things are resolved is paramount. “Even if I have to escalate a problem up the line or pass it on to someone else, I still see it as my responsibility to follow up and make sure there’s been a resolution.”
Dave likes a challenge and he finds them wherever he can. In his spare time, Dave enjoys getting out for a spot of rock climbing, writing programmes for microchips and getting creative with a wood lathe. We also believe he has a talent for photography – he’s been known to take a few good snaps of his colleagues at company conferences and events. Good on ya, Dave.
PETER FAULKNER BALL
TeamTalks Issue 44, October 2009
Peter Faulkner-Ball, or PFB as we like to call him, is our main man for keeping our networks running day-in, day-out. He prides himself in finding solutions for problems that others think are impossible.
Peter began his career in telecommunications over twenty years ago, training with Telecom and working as a field technician, before joining TeamTalk 12 years ago.
“My job is to keep all the networks running and provide technical support,” says Peter. “I spend a lot of time reading technical manuals to get into the detail of how our systems work, which gives me the knowledge to either fix it, or talk someone on site through a fix. And then there’s the setup, management and maintenance of TeamTalk’s network monitoring and reporting systems.”
Peter loves working with radio and is constantly looking for tricky problems to solve.
“Although the mobile radio industry is a small market in terms of the whole of New Zealand’s telco offerings, it’s a niche market and is critically important to those who use it,” says Peter. “So I’m always mindful of the fact that what we do everyday is making our customers’ lives easier.”
On the subject of fixing things, Peter’s two young daughters often come to him with broken dolls, toys and bikes, so he’s also a dab hand with super glue. On a larger scale, he recently rebuilt the family trailer tent, which the family uses to explore different parts of New Zealand on a regular basis.
It’s not surprising that Peter has a large home network to keep on top of as well.
“We have a home network of six Linux computers and a Linux media centre, which I need to ensure is running safely for my daughters to use,” says Peter. “My eldest daughter is eight and has had her own computer since she was two.” She certainly sounds like a chip off the old block!
DENE MAXWELL - Faults Coordinator
TeamTalks Issue 43, August 2009
Dene Maxwell has been with TeamTalk for three years and we’re very pleased to see that his passion for the radio industry just keeps growing.
“The speed that new technologies are introduced, particularly the way TeamTalk uses them in new and innovative ways, is really exciting,” says Dene.
As a Faults Coordinator, Dene is primarily responsible for managing network faults, which includes setting priorities and ensuring that customers are kept up to date with progress. More recently he’s been focusing on network management which includes analysis of trends within the network.
Although Dene has only been in the mobile radio industry for three years, he’s actually held a radio operator’s license for 30 years.
“I’ve also been involved with VHF and UHF radio design, construction and operation as a hobby and have a New Zealand Certificate in Engineering (Telecommunications),” says Dene.
So, as you can see, he’s a pretty handy guy to have on our team. Previous roles for Dene have been as a Service Technician for a security company; IT Project Manager; Network Management Support Team Leader and Transmission Technician, amongst other things.
‘I think my experience covering all telecommunication disciplines means that there aren’t too many situations or types of equipment that I don’t have an understanding of,” says Dene. “It also means that I look at problems from several different angles.”
Dene enjoys the safety of his desk job after getting into a bit of trouble up a mast as a young Post Office trainee.
“I spent some time with the radio riggers (they climb towers and fix aerials) who took me up to a local site (Colonial Knob) for some training. They gave me a climbing belt and a hard hat and pointed me towards an unused mast,” says Dene. “I got half way up when the cloud closed in. I couldn’t see the top or the bottom of the mast. I couldn’t even see my feet because the cloud was so thick. I was stuck up there for two hours until the cloud cleared. The riggers thought it was a great joke!”
When Dene isn’t at the end of the phone taking your calls and providing top notch solutions, he enjoys a bit of fishing, motorcycling and horse riding, when he can find the time.
RONG LIU and JEMMA MACKINNON - Credit Controllers
TeamTalks Issue 42, June 2009
As Credit Controllers, Rong Liu and Jemma MacKinnon are an integral part of TeamTalk's Finance Team - it's their job to bring in the money! Which in turn enables us to keep on providing a great service to our customers.
Rong has been with us for just over a year, and Jemma joined us in January 2009.
"Put simply, we collect money," says Rong. "But it's not all we do. We're here to help out customers with anything to do with their accounts, as well as the day-to-day stuff like banking, opening mail, credit checks and loading new customers onto our system."
"Neither of us has been in the mobile radio industry before, but one of the many things I like about TeamTalk is that we're really customer-focused. If customers have a problem with anything, we're onto it straight away," explains Jemma. "And we won't rest until the problem is solved."
As part of her 'induction' to TeamTalk, Jemma was tasked with cooking a barbeque for the entire team.
"Everyone has to do it," says Jemma. "And apart from running out of gas half way through - luckily there was a spare gas bottle on hand - I've heard through the grapevine that I'm the first girl to cook a whole office barbeque without any help from the boys!"
Watch out Jemma, you'll be on barbeque duties all the time if you say that too loudly! Hopefully Rong will be on hand to make sure there's enough gas in the bottle.
TRACEY BILLSON
TeamTalks Issue 41, April 2009
Tracey Billson isn't exactly a new face at TeamTalk, but we thought it was about time we introduced you to her since she's been working for us for nearly three years!
Her role as Account Manager for TeamTalk is an interesting change from her previous role with Avon as their District Sales Manager. Talk about dealing with a completely different customer base!
Tracey is excited about the new products being developed by TeamTalk, especially the RadioCombo package we introduced in Issue 39.
"I love being able to provide the right solution for my customers by showing them the new systems and packages we have on offer. It shows that we're continuously working towards providing better solutions for them," says Tracey.
Because she's the only lady on the team based in Auckland, Tracey's become well known within the industry and reckons being a 'girl' helps her stand out in the crowd, and retain her customers as well as gaining new ones.
When Tracey isn't working hard for TeamTalk you might find her plummeting through the air. She was the first person on Waiheke Island to jump out of a plane in January 2007. And, she doesn't just jump out of planes, she also likes to spend a bit of her spare time diving. Talk about going from one extreme to another!
GAVIN SARGENT
TeamTalks Issue 40, February 2009
Gavin Sargent has been in the mobile radio industry for, in his own words, "...too long," but admits that his 30-plus years' experience does have hidden benefits.
"Working in radio for so long means that I have some 'old fashioned' skills that aren't always taught, they only come with experience," says Gavin.
Gavin looks after our customers in the lower half of the South Island and has been with TeamTalk for 14 years. As a Customer Engineer, he deals with customers' technical issues and other requirements, along with providing network maintenance support to contractors in the deep south.
A recent visit to a customer showed that Gavin has talents even he wasn't aware of. "The customer (name withheld due to serious threats on my life) had just joined the TeamTalk network and was having a few problems working his base radio," recalls Gavin. "Just as I was leaving he asked if I knew anything about photo copiers, as they had been waiting six days for a serviceman to fix theirs. After a quick check, I turned the power on at the wall and suggested he cancel the service man's callout!"
When Gavin isn't up to his eyeballs in mobile radio, he likes to get out for a ride on his much loved motorbike and has also been spotted on the racing circuit from time to time too.
JASON RUSSO
TeamTalks Issue 38, October 2008
Jason Russo is our main finance man, holding down the job of Finance Manager with aplomb. Since starting out with us as a humble junior six and a half years ago, Jason's career has really taken off. His colleagues describe him as "someone who fields questions from everyone about everything and seems (so far) to have all the answers." However, Jason's description is a little different. 'I get a brush and shovel and I clean up crap', he says.
As you can tell, Jason is not one to mince his words, which is why he enjoys working in the mobile radio industry. "Our customers are real, honest and don't have a problem speaking their mind. They don't take crap from anyone," he says.
But don't be fooled by the tough talking. Jason isn't all hot air. His family is a big part of his life when he's not at work, and although he comes across a bit hard-nosed, deep down we know he's a bit of softie.
Jason's a talented lad, and not just with numbers. Amongst other talents like playing rugby and basketball, Jason can eat! He is stealth-like when it comes to getting the most food on his plate and he'll hoover up other people's desserts if they aren't paying attention. One of his key tactics to fill up those hollow legs of his is to get on a first name basis with the waiting staff. His charm and charisma does the rest!
MICHELLE KEY
TeamTalks Issue 37, August 2008
Michelle Key has been with TeamTalk for just over a year now and she plans to stick around for a while. After starting out as Sales Administrator, she has quickly moved through the ranks to take on the role of Engineering Works Coordinator. "I'm absolutely loving it and finding it really intriguing working in a different area of the company," she says. "It's a great environment to work in too. I have an awesome team around me."
Michelle's role finds her knee-deep in coordinating TeamTalk's engineering projects, including site builds, upgrading customer networks, working with the team on the DMR network build, liaising with contractors and suppliers, ordering equipment, and making sure people do what they say they are going to do!
Her bubbly personality and willingness to learn are a great asset to TeamTalk and she is planning to "go back to school " to do a Project Management paper with the Open Polytech. "Without TeamTalk, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to do this paper and I'm hugely grateful for it. It's a qualification that will be extremely valuable for the rest of my life," says Michelle.
Deep down, Michelle's a bit of a rock chick. Not only does she listen to music, she plays it too. Having played the piano for years - although apparently a bit rusty on it, she has recently decided to pick up the guitar. Sounds like there may be a bit of a sing-a-long in the pipeline for the next TeamTalk party, Michelle!
JARRID LEHNDORF
TeamTalks Issue 36, June 2008
Jarrid’s our main man in the ’Naki. As Regional Accounts Manager, it’s Jarrid’s job to help out our customers between New Plymouth, Palmerston North and Napier.
He puts in plenty of kilometres visiting existing and potential customers, updating their contracts and letting them know about new products (like XLERATE) and providing advice on how they can get the most from their TeamTalk connection.
It’s a big area to cover, but Jarrid’s the right man for the job. With around ten years working in the telco and mobile radio industry, he knows a thing or two about mobile radio and data. Jarrid joined TeamTalk about five years ago and we know from talking to his customers that he’s doing a great job.
“I really enjoy getting out on the road and visiting my customers,” explains Jarrid. “It’s great when you can make a difference by helping customers get the most from their mobile radio or mobile data service – especially when you see the positive impact it has on their job or their bottom line.”
When Jarrid’s not out flying the TeamTalk flag, he enjoys spending time with his family – especially having fun with his kids.
NICK LOURANTOS
TeamTalks Issue 28, February 2007
By his own admission, Nick Lourantos has been with TeamTalk "since time began". What that really means is that he's been here since the very beginning, starting just before the launch in 1994.
Nick's main role is actually three main roles (we like to keep our staff on their toes here). Firstly, as Contracts Manager he looks after the contracts of most of our customers. Secondly, as IT Manager, he keeps our computers working. And thirdly - well, let's just have it in his words, then: "I do anything else that David Ware wants me to do."
There you have it - a jack-of-all-trades, like most TeamTalkers. That makes sense - he's had about 5 different roles since beginning at TeamTalk. Starting as customer engineer and working through into sales and then into management.
Nick's been in telecommunications since the big, bad eighties, which means he knows his way around New Zealand's communications sector. He sticks with radio because he thinks we've got the right mix, as far
as the customers are concerned. "Our service really works for our customers. It's as simple as that," he says.
It's a good thing that it's easy to be nice to Nick - cos if you weren't, you might be in trouble. He holds a first degree blackbelt in Taekwon-Do. In his spare time, he teaches and trains at the Miramar Taekwon-Do School. He's also the Wellington Regional Director of the International Taekwon-Do Foundation of NZ Inc. Nick says that he's been known to run in past lives, but prefers to drive these days.
IAN MACDONALD
TeamTalks Issue 27, December 2006
Ian MacDonald is something of a guru when it comes to radio. He's been working in the industry for 43 years - and all of it has been connected in some way with the very same TeamTalk networks you use to communicate with everyday.
Ian joined TeamTalk when we purchased Telecom's FleetLink mobile radio service in 2001, having been with Telecom's radio service (and the Post Office before it) since he got his first full time job in 1964. He's had a number of different roles during those 43 years, but these days he goes by the job title of Spectrum and Deployment Manager.
"I'm a radio frequency engineer. I manage TeamTalk's radio frequency licences and engineer new ones through the Ministry of Economic Development," said Ian. He plays a major role in the planning, development and expansion of the TeamTalk networks, plus leading the design and management of custom-build projects for other organisations.
It's a big job. And even though Ian's job description hasn't changed much since he joined us 5 & 1/2 years ago, he reckons that the job has evolved a lot. "It seems that there's always something new to get involved in," Ian laughs. "The thing about mobile radio is that it's always changing and I enjoy being at the forefront of the advances TeamTalk makes. It's great working for a company that has a "whatever it takes" attitude."
So, if you are looking for a customised radio solution to meet your specific radio needs, then Ian's your man. When he's not buried under a pile of technical documents and network plans, Ian can be found renovating his house, making furniture and wooden toys, playing tenor saxophone & clarinet, listening to music (classical and Jazz), mucking around with his grandchildren, ballroom dancing or performing his duties as treasurer of Diabetes Wellington Inc.
It's a wonder he has time for radio at all.
