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Joel-Hughes

Joel Hughes, Senior Sales Manager

Joel Hughes began working for Taranto in mid-2017, having gained experience in software sales with a payroll solutions provider in Manchester after studying Media and Communications at university. Joel started as a Sales Consultant and is now Senior Sales Manager, leading a team of three consultants.  He enjoys the fact that no day is the same – sometimes he may be working from home on Teams calls with the sales team, and clients, as well as Taranto’s development and project teams. Sometimes, he may be in the Liverpool office for face-to-face meetings. Other days may involve travelling to meet clients onsite to understand their challenges or participating in industry events, where networking is a key aspect.

Most satisfying aspect of the role

Joel likes to see the results of his team’s work: “I really enjoy contributing to the success of the business and seeing the company grow over time. The sales team plays a crucial role in the company’s growth and I love playing a part in that.”

Favourite moment so far

Joel’s potential has not only been recognised through his progression through the company, but also by the parking industry. In 2021, he won the Young Parking Professional of the Year award in the British Parking Awards.  “Winning the award was great, but I also get a thrill when we land a major new contract. One of the bigger wins I helped with was the Dart II project, which is the tolling system for the Dartford river crossing. That was a great moment!”

Biggest learning at Taranto

Joel says that he has had some great mentors in Taranto – particularly his immediate boss, Sales Director, Chris Murphy and Managing Director, Lewis Wray. “These guys have been tremendously helpful in guiding my career.”

Now that Joel is managing his team of sales consultants, people management is a new skill that he is focusing on to help bring out the most in his team. He also says that it’s important to adopt a longer-term strategic approach not only to managing the team, but also in relation to the business. “At Taranto, we are providing more than a commodity, it’s a comprehensive solution that does improve the quality of life in our towns and cities.”

Maryam Ali

Maryam Ali, Implementation Consultant

Maryam joined Taranto in April 2023 after working for Talos as a Service Consultant. Maryam’s role is to project manage clients’ upgrade journeys. Maryam enjoys her role’s close liaison with clients. After studying Law at Liverpool University, Maryam moved into a career in project management. She realised her strengths after organising her two brothers’ weddings in quick succession. She saw that the skills she had brought to wedding planning and management were transferable to a career in IT.  

Most satisfying aspect of the role

Maryam works not only with clients, but she is responsible for assigning colleagues to specific client’s upgrades and working with both sides to ensure a smooth upgrade: “One of the most satisfying aspects of my role is delivering for clients and being able to confirm that the upgrade is live.” 

Favourite moment so far

Giving a presentation to the Taranto User Group Conference: “Although I speak regularly to clients on Teams, it was an experience to do a live presentation in front of a group of clients and to get their feedback.” 

Biggest learning at Taranto

Maryam loves the collaborative spirit at Taranto:  “At Taranto, there’s a very open, welcoming environment and everyone is so helpful. You can contact anyone in the business either on Teams or in person. There is no sense of hierarchy and everyone is willing to help.” 

Mengjie Yu portrait

Mengjie Yu, Senior Developer

Mengjie Yu (known as Jay to his mates) joined Taranto in 2019 after gaining an MSc in computer science and working for a software company in Manchester. Jay is a Senior Developer, part of the team responsible for the continuing development of the Taranto solution.

Jay has a hybrid working model, mostly working from home, with regular meetings in the Liverpool office. He says that there has always been a clear career path at Taranto and having started as a Test Analyst, he is now an established member of the Development team, as a Senior Developer.  Jay’s role involves working across the Taranto functions, collaborating with the professional services, project and service delivery teams, as well as directly with the product development team. He says: “The Taranto management team are very supportive and have looked after me well. The company has provided a personal development plan and given me opportunities to progress.” 

Most satisfying aspect of the role

Jay says that being appreciated is a really important aspect of his work. “There’s a nice diverse group of people and everyone is valued and given the opportunity to share their opinion.”

He also enjoys the fact that the company respects the balance between work and home life, so he is able to do the school run and fit in a full working day.

Favourite moment so far

Jay says that being appreciated is a really important aspect of his work. “There’s a nice diverse group of people and everyone is valued and given the opportunity to share their opinion.”

He also enjoys the fact that the company respects the balance between work and home life, so he is able to do the school run and fit in a full working day.

Biggest learning at Taranto

Jay says that being appreciated is a really important aspect of his work. “There’s a nice diverse group of people and everyone is valued and given the opportunity to share their opinion.”

He also enjoys the fact that the company respects the balance between work and home life, so he is able to do the school run and fit in a full working day.

Alex Ennis

Alex Ennis, Technical Director

Alex Ennis joined Taranto straight from university in 2012 as a 1st line support engineer. She studied IT and multimedia computing, and completed a placement year as part of her studies to gain commercial experience. This was her first IT job out of university. 

After just a year of handling inbound customer support calls, Alex applied for a technical consultant position. Her potential was recognised and she moved into this role, working more closely with clients and attending on site meetings. Along her career path, Alex has moved steadily to principal technical consultant, to technical manager, and at the beginning of 2024, she was promoted to Technical Director, responsible for the Professional Services team. At Taranto, Professional Services undertake project implementations for clients. During her 11 years with Taranto, Alex has also become a mother to twin boys, who are now four years old. 

Most satisfying aspect of the role

Alex’s team is the first point of contact with new clients and building those relationships is really important: “It’s great to work with new clients and understand their processes, learning what is important to them and ensuring we help them get the best out of Taranto.”

Favourite moment so far

Being recognised and promoted as her experience has grown: “Taranto has helped me in my career, especially making the transition from first line support to technical consultant, to manager, and now director. During that time, I’ve seen the product evolve to meet clients’ needs and being involved in future changes is exciting.”

Biggest learning at Taranto

Alex’s biggest learning curve has been to adapt to life as a mother. Returning to work after maternity leave was a big adjustment: “The company was very supportive during this time and have since allowed me the flexibility to find the right work/life balance that works for us both.” Alex now works four days a week and she really appreciates the company’s flexibility and support for parents.

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