Philip Young

Operations Director

Work Profile
I joined CSI in May 2018 as the Operations Director bringing over 20 years’ experience in the IT industry across both the private and public sector. For the last 10 years, I have held several senior technical and operational roles, enabling me to focus on my passions of service improvement and customer excellence. I have led on the delivery of key managed services and overseen a successful programme of organisational change.

Hobbies & interests
In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my wife and four children and also manage to find time for some cycling, swimming, and training for various obstacle events.

Interesting fact
For the last 10 years, I’ve enjoyed raising money for a number of charities performing close-up magic at various events.

Would like to have dinner with…
Given the chance, I’d travel back in time to have dinner with my Granddad and ask all the questions about his life in the Navy that I never got the chance to.

Donna Hall

Change Manager

Work Profile
I joined CSI in May 2015 as a Major Incident Manager in Operations. Incident Management has enabled me to build strong and confident relationships with both clients and the CSI family of technology teams. The relationships and skills obtained during my time as an Incident Manager have greatly benefited my progression within the business. For the past two years, I have led Change Management within Operations with the support and encouragement of the Leadership Team. I have continued to develop and expand the Change Management Process in-line with CSI’s core values, growth and success.

Interesting fact
I took part in a driving challenge for a charitable cause, where I was let loose behind the wheel of an HGV (under supervision of course!), and learnt how to perfectly reverse park with a 40-foot trailer attached! Although it was completely nerve-racking, it remains one of my favourite achievements.

Would like to have dinner with…
I would love to converse with Michelle Obama about her experience as First Lady, her humanitarian work, and ask her what was the best piece of advice she’s ever received.

Emma Owen

Head of Service Delivery

Work Profile
Joining CSI in 2016 as a Service Delivery Manager was an exciting new adventure for me. I have always had a passion for exceptional customer satisfaction and CSI seemed like the perfect company to demonstrate this. In 2019 I was promoted to Service Delivery Team Lead and in May 2020 joined the Services Senior Management Team as Head of Service Delivery. I am passionate about delivering service excellence and hope my client engagement, energy and team motivation will serve me well!

Hobbies & interests
I am an avid supporter of animal welfare and actively support a Great Dane charity. I also love to cook….I’m never happier than when my house is full of great food, good company, and superb music!

Interesting fact
I am currently revisiting my love of Harley Davidsons and have recently booked to take my full bike test having got both my theory and CBT under my belt.

Would like to have dinner with…
If I could go back in time, I would love to have dinner with Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash. Their dedication to family is truly inspiring plus they sure can bang out a tune!

Brian Turner

IBM Power i Technical Consultant

Work Profile
I joined CSI in January 2017 following their acquisition of APSU, having been with APSU since Feb 2015. I have been involved with IBM mid-range systems in a technical capacity since 1988 and have over 30 years’ experience starting with the very first AS400 systems to the current model range. I specialise in application and system performance and have a good knowledge of several programming languages used on the IBM i as well as extensive knowledge of the operating system and configuration.

Interesting fact
I originally wanted to be a blacksmith on leaving school as I enjoyed engineering and used to own a horse. But I was given the opportunity to join a computer company in the mid-80s while working as a glass collector/barman in a busy city centre pub – and I had no knowledge of computers at the time!

Would love to have dinner with…
Astronomer Galileo Galilei – I have always been fascinated in science and particularly astronomy and would love to hear what he thinks of man’s achievements to date in this field and what he would think the future holds for us all.

Sara Brayfield

Senior Project Manager

Work Profile

I joined Tectrade/CSI in May 2008 after moving to the UK from the US. Starting in Sales Support, I quickly transitioned into a Project Coordinator role and with the experience gained over the past 12 years have worked my way to Senior Project Manager. Over this time I have developed a passion for working with our clients, getting to know them, building trust and understanding their business needs. I always endeavour to look at the services being delivered from a client perspective and ask if their needs and expectations are being met from the initiation of a project through to the end.

 Hobbies & Interests

Outside of work I try to make the most out of time with my family, I love cooking and trying new recipes and do encourage my daughter to join in. Healthy eating and keeping fit are a priority and in-line with that I also take part in competitive Olympic Weightlifting. I’m not as young as I used to be and recently have been competing nationally against other women in my age group. I’ve secured gold medals in the last two national championships and am hoping to keep that trend going!

Would like to have dinner with…

It’s hard to choose just one person that I’d like to have dinner with! It would have to be an author and would love to pick the brains of either J. R. R. Tolkien or C. S. Lewis.

Malcolm Cocking

Transformation Director

Work Profile
I joined CSI in January 2015. As the Transformation Director, my role is wide-ranging with the ultimate goal of ensuring successful project delivery across our entire project portfolio and broader organisational transformation. I have more than 15 years project and programme management experience across a range of industries, both on the client side and from a managed services provider.

Hobbies & interests
My spare time is split between musical and sporting interests. I can be found either at the back of the chorus in musicals on the stage or at Trent Bridge supporting Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club.

Would like to have dinner with…
Good question! I think it would have to be a cricketer, and Alex Hales would be a good choice. Might be a fun night with a few beers!

Andrew Brearley

Technical Support Consultant

Work Profile
I joined CSI back in January 2006 and currently work in our close-knit Power i team. I enjoy working with our clients to understand their environments and needs, so I can deliver continued support and advice as their businesses develop. I’m a stickler for documentation, communication and developing processes to aid in a smooth-running service for our clients across the teams. With such a range of technology and solutions supported by CSI, it’s great to get hands-on and help to manage these.

Interesting fact
I had the pleasure of singing the National Anthem alongside the England Rugby team as part of a pre-crowd warmup when I was playing for my county team at Twickenham.

Leon Oatridge

Service Desk Analyst

Work profile

I joined CSI in February 2020 as part of the acquisition and now continue my 7 years+ of supporting CSI with Data protection. I started my data protect career with Tectrade Computers back in 2012, During my time at Tectrade I’ve learned and gained new skills supporting our reporting platform for all our customers.

 Hobbies & interests

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my wife and two children going for walks also taking them to Farms & Zoos, also manages to find time to play golf, snooker, pool and football and of course socialising over a beer.

 Someone you would like to have dinner with…

I would like to have dinner with Jimmy Carr, I find Jimmy entertaining but also love his laugh.

Katie Allport

Service Delivery Manager

Work Profile
I joined CSI part-time in February 2017 while I was completing my Degree in Business Management. During this time, I was proud to be awarded ‘best supporting role’ at the company kick-off in January 2018. I graduated shortly after and started within the service delivery team as a Service Delivery Co-ordinator. Another eight months into my role, I moved up a gear to Service Delivery Analyst, and then a further three months later I achieved Service Delivery Manager!

Hobbies & interests
I enjoy socialising and you can always find me organising social gatherings at work. I like to keep as active as possible by regularly attending the gym. I have most recently started training for the Birmingham half marathon in October 2019, which will be completed for our company charity. I also enjoy trips away and traveling as often as possible.

Interesting fact
I have completed the Welsh three peaks challenge for Macmillan charity.

Would like to have dinner with…
I would love the chance to sit down with Tom Hanks to talk about life, Hollywood and keeping himself brilliant & grounded.

Michele Brooks

Commercial Finance Partner

Work Profile
I joined CSI in May 1993 and therefore I’m the longest-serving employee. I’ve seen a lot of change in that period with management buy-outs, acquisitions and changes in principal investors. It’s been both challenging and exciting, but I’ve enjoyed the journey and the experience greatly so I’m not ready to get off the bus just yet! I’ve spent all that time in and around finance and currently embarking on a Managed Service (MS) Analyst role.

Hobbies & interests
When the hips and knees allow, I enjoy running, to half marathon distance and cycling.

Interesting fact
I lost seven stone in weight a few years ago by changing what and when I ate and starting exercise – simple you may say, but no, I did it on my own and it took me 12 months. The challenge is keeping it off!

Would love to have dinner with…
George Michael – he was my teen idol and I was gutted when I found out he was gay!

Harbi Heer

Service Delivery Manager

Work Profile
I joined CSI in August 2017 as Service Delivery Manager. I have over 30 years’ experience within the IT industry across both private and public sectors, having held several senior roles specialising in Service Management, Service Transitions, and Project & Programme Management. This has enabled me to bring a wealth of knowledge to CSI to deliver exceptional services to our customers. In 2018 I was awarded the ‘Best Newcomer Of 2017’ which I am immensely proud of. My key goals and objectives are to live CSI’s values of ‘Think Client’, Deliver Exceptionally’ and ‘Excel Together’ which will help build both relationships and future business growth.

Hobbies & interests
In my spare time, I enjoy time with my wife and two children and follow Coventry City Football Club along with all things NBA (basketball). I have recently taken up running and looking forward to my first half marathon in Birmingham.

Interesting fact
I played basketball for Coventry and was selected to train with the 1986 England Junior men’s team at Lilleshall.

Would like to have dinner with…
President Eisenhower and question him on Roswell and if he’d met aliens.

Jeremy Mann

Network Engineer

Work Profile
I joined CSI in February 2018 as part of the NIU acquisition and now continue my 10 years+ of supporting CSI’s core network infrastructure. I have 25 years’ experience in networking in which time I have been responsible for the setup and support of several large scale projects including the builds for two of CSI’s data centres, the LAN refresh of a major international electronics manufacturer here in the UK, and numerous other private & public sector infrastructures.

Hobbies & interests
When I’m not at work I like to spend time with my partner and my two daughters. I also enjoy fishkeeping, swimming and cycling. I’m also a big kid at heart and spend far too much time building Lego!

Interesting fact
I once installed a personal gymnasium for Sylvester Stallone whilst he was in the UK on a film shoot.

Would like to have dinner with…
My other passion in life is for manned space flight. I have been lucky enough to see a space shuttle launch in Florida so would love to have dinner with Jim Lovell, Apollo 8 and Apollo 13 astronaut.

Sandip Channa

Group Technical Director

Sandip joined CSI in 2014 following the acquisition of SysMicro Ltd by the CSI Group. As part of the senior leadership team, Sandip manages the Presales Division and works closely with the solution architects on large deals and the company’s ongoing ISV strategy.

Lelah Stevenson

Head of Marketing

Work Profile
I joined CSI in July 2018 having been in B2B marketing for approximately 10 years. Getting immediately involved in the rebranding of CSI was a fun challenge! We were moving into new offices, designing a new website, rewriting our collateral, and repositioning our market proposition. I enjoy the fast-paced environment with lots to keep on top of.

I’m looking forward to pushing our marketing to the next level; increasing brand awareness and building an effective lead generation engine to uncover new opportunities for our sales team while focussing on client outcomes and delivering the best service we can.

Interesting fact
I once met Richard Branson in the queue for the portaloos at his own Virgin Music Festival in Chelmsford!

Would love to have dinner with…
Comedian, Micky Flanagan. He’d have me in stitches with his stories and anecdotes. I love his travel shows too, so we could compare notes on favourite places to visit.