Issue 7 2019

4 CORPORATE VISION / Issue 7 2019 NEWS , Advanced Boosts Operational Excellence With COO Appointment Advanced, one of the UK’s largest software and services providers, has bolstered its executive board with the appointment of Liam McGrath to the newly created role of Chief Operating Officer. The investment comes with a bold remit to drive best practice in operational execution in the deployment of its software solutions and in providing support services to its customers. The senior hire follows a 31pt improve- ment in its NPS scores over the last 36 months as it prepares to accelerate its drive to become the number one provider of software and services to UK business. Liam will join the Executive Leadership team and will report directly into CEO Gordon Wilson, who sees Liam as a critical role to contin- ue the organisation’s growth trajectory. Liam McGrath joins Executive Board to cement world-class customer experience. “Advanced is serious about becoming the leading provider of soft- ware and services to UK businesses. Today’s customer is looking for world-class excellence throughout their experience, from initial pur- chase and on-boarding through to their ongoing support and interac- tion, with their chosen vendor. The rise in cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions has heightened this and we realise that to achieve our ambitious growth plans, continuing to enhance our customer experience is where we need to be. Fundamentally Liam will be focussed on the delivery of rigorous world class standards at every stage of the customer journey, channelling his experience in delivering innovative customer management solutions for global financial services organisations.” commented Gordon Wilson, CEO of Advanced. Liam will also work closely with other areas of Advanced’s business, including its Managed Services operation, R&D facility and Cyber & Security teams, to provide added focus to ensure these areas become world-class centres of excellence. Prior to joining Advanced, Liam worked for Equiniti, the global Financial Services provider most recently as Chief Executive Officer of Equiniti Digital, a leading technology specialist providing innova- tive customer management solutions to organisations in complex or regulated markets. He previously held the roles of Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director of Group Operations for Equiniti Group PLC. Before Equiniti, Liam held a number of positions within the Financial Services & Telecoms industry for world-class brands such as Royal & Sun Alliance, Vodafone, GE Consumer Finance and Royal Bank of Scotland. “Advanced is an organisation that is pushing the boundaries at every level – from technology innovation, the rapid delivery of its SaaS portfolio, through to operational excellence and customer service. Its own business transformation is indicative of the focus and attention it gives to effective change management. Using my own experience and skills, I am looking forward to bolstering these achievements. And although NPS is only one metric we’ll be using to measure our progress, we’ll certainly continue to use it as a temperature check of customer experience, advocacy and loyalty,” comments Liam McGrath, Chief Operating Officer at Advanced.