November 5, 2020

Starting a new role with ASM Technologies during lockdown – Sam Scott

Sam Scott, Business Development Manager, started with ASM during the first UK lockdown. In this blog, he shares his experience of remote working right from the start, building relationships with colleagues and customers and any challenges he faced along the way.

How did you feel about starting a new role from home during lockdown?

I’d worked remotely and, on the road, previously, so the idea of home working wasn’t alien to me. I think what I really felt was excitement for the new challenge and a responsibility to become a tangible part of the business. Metaphorically becoming another oarsman, rowing our way through the unprecedented and complex seas of Covid-19.

How did ASM support you starting your new role working remotely?

If ASM was an act on Britain’s got talent, I’d of swiftly slammed my hand down on the golden buzzer!

I had the warmest of welcomes, warmest as a word doesn’t really do it justice. The support I’d received prior to my start, on my first day and throughout my time here has been incomparable to what I’ve experienced before. I guess, also, that we all have a sense of wanting to be a part of something. I can safely say that thanks to the family feel and outstanding support I’ve had, ASM have really made me feel part of something! More so than I would have expected.

Being forced to work remotely due to Covid can put you in that fight or flight mode. Adapting to a landscape that changed seemingly every week can be challenging and mentally draining. I remember having probably similar thoughts to many other people that; come the end of June, well be back to normal, then thinking the same about the end of July and so on. Thanks to the planning and support from my team I’ve been able to negate those challenges and focus on how we can help each other adapt whilst we meander our way through the new normal.

Were there any challenges you faced starting a new role remotely and how were these overcome?

No specific challenges work wise. Although, my work laptop and mobile phone were delayed by a day which was only natural whilst the country dealt with the surge of demand and difficulties of adapting to lockdown. Easiest first day of my life! I would like to point out that I am part of the single screen brigade and anytime I’m asked what my ‘set up’ is, I’m greeted with revolt and disbelief that I can work with less than three!

I enjoy working remotely as there are so many clear benefits of doing so. Less hours in the car, flexibility, saving time and money, more quality time with the Guinea pig! But of course, there’s a glaring obstacle we all face in the form of a pandemic.

Yes, there are days where the amalgamation of work and home becomes mundane and things we all enjoy don’t quite feel the same. However, remote working is what you want it to be and I’m thankful I’ve been able to lean on a team for inspiration and guidance.

With that said, I’d simply add that yes there are challenges BUT there always will be wherever you work.

How did you find the process of building relationships with your new colleagues remotely?

Some that know me will say I’m an interesting character baring any other descriptions that may not be suitable for this blog! I learnt a very important lesson at a very young age that I should know my audience which I’ve taken onboard but would still stand by the fact that we are all human and our faces were born to smile. If I can do nothing else apart from blessing you with crow’s feet in later life, that’s a job well done in my rather worn and unkept book! I’ve enjoyed the whole process of virtually meeting my team but I’m bleeding to meet my team in the flesh as soon as possible!

What advice would you give to someone starting a new role remotely?

Genuinely be interested in what you are doing! Being interested and intrigued by your work makes the days more enjoyable whilst working remotely. Also sip from as many fountains of knowledge as you can; grab a pint glass and fill it up!

News, Insights & Knowledge

What’s New?

Here’s a selection of the latest news, views and insights from industry leaders and experts from across the globe.

19 August 2023

ASM HQ built with sustainability at the forefront

The ASM Group are committed to ensuring ongoing consideration to the environment in all aspects of our operations and this began in 2005, when we were one of the first companies in the industry to complete the IS014001 accreditation, long before the environmental impact of business operations was widely understood by organisations.

We installed an array of solar panels on the roof of the building which power around half of our daily electricity usage and have generated over 43 MW of energy. We also removed the use of electric kettles and instead opted for Quooker taps which are significantly more energy and water efficient.

We continued our ongoing pledge to sustainability by installing electric car charging points to promote the use of electric and hybrid vehicles, in addition to reducing the amount of printers around the building and adopting a paperless office. Numerous trees were planted around the site to create a greener space for our team to enjoy whilst also considering the environmental benefits. To further improve our energy efficiency, we opted for energy saving, motion detection indoor lighting which dim based on the brightness outside, coupled with energy saving LED lights in the carpark.

We’re proud of the collaborative and sustainable environment we’ve created for our team which supports the ESG goals across the ASM Group for the future.

6 July 2023

ASM Thrive 2023

On Thursday 6 July, we held our annual partner event, ASM Thrive, celebrating success over the past year and looking deeper into growth plans for the future.   

We hosted over 20 vendors at our Cheshire HQ before heading to nearby Jodrell Bank to take a journey through space and learn more about how technology and exploration is teaching us more about our galaxy and the origins of our planet.  

Adele Hope-Urwin, Head of Vendor Alliances at ASM said

What a pleasure to host our annual strategic partner event, ASM Thrive. A huge thank you to all our partners who joined us to hear about our strategy and how we can grow together as well as a fantastic experience and immersive journey at Jodrell Bank, the Mars Rover activity was such good fun too! 

ASM Thrive brings our eco-system of disruptive vendors together to collaborate, network and discuss future growth plans. We were joined by partners from Azul, Bose Professional, Checkmarx, Flashpoint, Getac UK, GoTo, Immuta, Kollective, LastPass, Nitro, Pro2Col, Rocket Software and Vimeo. 

3 July 2023

ASM receives an award at CRN Sales & Marketing Awards 2023

We were thrilled to attend the CRN Sales & Marketing Awards along with some of our strategic partners.

The team received a Highly Commended award for Best Partner Event, recognising ASM Connect 2022.

ASM Connect 2022 was held at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London and featured keynote speeches from Futurists Matthew Griffin and Amelia Kallman, sharing insights about how emerging technologies such as AI, the Metaverse, VR, MR and XR will impact the future of work and the customer relationship. Guests had the opportunity to do a stadium tour or challenge themselves to The Dare Skywalk, 46.8 meters above the pitch! Our guests also had the chance to learn more about our eco-system of disruptive vendors and understand more about their innovative technologies first-hand.

Jo Wilson, Marketing Manager said

“We’ve received such positive feedback over the last 12 months from customers, with many people asking about the next one already. We’re delighted to have been recognised by the CRN judges for the hard work the team put into making the event such a big success. Watch this space for ASM Connect 2023”.

6 June 2023

LastPass delivers Sales Enablement Sessions to ASM

We’d like to extend a huge thank you to the team at LastPass, who visited our office to deliver Sales Enablement sessions. We enjoyed meeting the partner team at LastPass and learning more about the capabilities of the products and building on our existing strong partnership.

The team enjoyed a lunch provided by LastPass through the Woodfired Pizza Bar.

Adele Hope-Urwin, Head of Vendor Alliances said

“I am very pleased to be working in partnership with LastPass, with their password management tool bringing practical benefits to our customers.  We have a long term business relationship with LastPass spanning several years and I’m really looking forward to continuing the great success we’ve already had.”

James Greenaway, Regional Partner Manager at LastPass said

“It’s been great to run the sales enablement sessions today, meet the wider ASM team and continue to develop our partnership for the future.”

25 May 2023

ASM attends SCC Engage 2023

ASM Technologies were very pleased to attend SCC Engage 2023 which took place at the Silverstone Circuit. The conference welcomes valued partners and is fantastic opportunity to showcase disruptive and innovative technology.

Customer Success Manager for SCC, Paul Ogden attended the event on 11 May and said

“It was a great event to open up new opportunities, expand on existing relationships and drive growth together.”

16 May 2023

ASM wins EMEA partner of the year award from GoTo

ASM have been announced as GoTo’s EMEA partner of the year, yet again showcasing our fantastic partnership.

Adele Hope-Urwin, Head of Vendor Alliances at ASM Technologies said:

“I am thrilled to have collected the EMEA partner of the year award from GoTo at their partner presidents club event. The whole team worked very hard in helping us achieve such a prestigious award. Special thanks go to Liselotte Maidment for all her hard work throughout the year and thank you to Nadya Gaughran and Robinder Koura for all the support. I am looking forward to building on that success this year.”

1 April 2023

Financial year end 2022-23

This year ASM celebrated turning 30 in style with a fourth consecutive year of double-digit organic sales growth.

“We are very pleased with our results for the financial year,”

said Iain Tomkinson, Sales Director.

“Our strong performance is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, as well as the continued strength of our business. We are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for us and are well-positioned for more growth in the years to come.”

During the year the business continued to expand the ecosystem of partners and vendors whose innovative technologies are truly disrupting the market, providing unique opportunities for our clients and their customers.

Our growth also resulted in us creating new positions within the business and our teams have enjoyed returning to in-person events including ASM Connect 2022 hosted at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Over the coming year the business will continue with its strategic growth plan and deploy further investment in people and systems.

We’d like to extend our thanks to our team, customers, vendors and partners for their continued support.

8 March 2023

International Women’s Day 2023

Technology has typically been a male dominated sector but at ASM we’re very proud to say 66% of our workforce is female.

Today we’ve been celebrating all of our fantastic team with some sweets treats while raising awareness about discrimination.

The aim of the IWD 2023 #EmbraceEquity campaign theme is to get the world talking about Why equal opportunities aren’t enough. People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action. Read more about this here.

1 February 2023

ASM attend Computacenter Group Kick Off

ASM Technologies were very pleased to attend Computacenter Group Kick Off which was held at Manchester Central.

Over the course of the two-day event we had an extremely busy, central stand with over 800 visitors from around the globe. This kind of event offers our account management team invaluable time with contacts from these countries while continuing to build upon our relationships.

Leanne Ogden, Head of Business Development, said:

“The event is always a great opportunity to meet different people from around the business and understand their challenges for the coming year and seeing how we can best support them.”

We were joined on our stand by our strategic vendors Getac, Kollective, GoTo & LastPass.