Andrew Stellakis
Managing Director
Fav thing about the office
Good banter
As a child I wanted to be a ... when I grew up
Plumber/Electrician
Guilty Pleasure(s)
Strictly come dancing
Favourite Holiday
Crete
If I had a superpower it would be...
Mind Reading
Describe yourself in three words or less
Methodical, Energetic, Reliable
An interesting fact about me
Started “Work” life as an opera singer
Likes
Horse riding, fillet steak and a good curry
Favourite Band
…into Classical Music
Karaoke Jam
Desperado- The Eagles
What I do at Q2Q:
My role is to provide the overall direction and “eye on the compass” as to where we, as a team, are heading.
I’m still very much focused on the customer and will often get involved in customer solution discussions. As a techie at heart, I’m regularly seeking to understand industry developments and directional changes that may affect our customers, so we and our customers can remain on the front foot.
Background and Achievements
I started out in an I.T technical department of what was then British Rail, following which I joined a large construction company to re-organise their I.T infrastructure.
I then spent a couple of years as a business systems analyst at P&O Nedlloyd designing, developing and implementing systems within their Bulk and Tank Carrier companies.
In 1999 I was appointed as I.T Manager of SockShop and subsequently as of Head of I.T. at the Tulchan Group, comprising then of 300 stores. Due to a Year 2000 compliance issue, we were required to seek an alternative system, which we were able to more cost effectively write ourselves. This product subsequently became known as RAWHIDE and we later sold this product into a number of other businesses. At the time it was quite cutting edge as all the warehouse function was undertaken using handheld, wireless scanners, rather than the batch scanners that were dominant at the time.
In 2003 The Tulchan Group was acquired by Harris Watson. We were then asked to take responsibility for the I.T. of Viyella Ladies wear and in 2004 the demands of two MD’s and two FD’s (Tulchan Group + Viyella), resulted in the sensible decision to break out of the group and Q2Q was born. This then enabled us to also get involved with a number of other group companies (Harris Watson owned companies) as well as other non-group parties. At one stage we were managing the I.T for almost 500 stores across a number of businesses.
Today Q2Q retains some of the group customers that we acquired along the way, as well as a substantial number of new and diverse customers in almost all industries including accounting, business development organisations, legal marketing, medical, retail and wholesale.
Hobbies and Interests
Horse riding, running (Jogging), motorbikes, reading any of the Detective Rebus stories.
Client Testimonial
"The Q2Q support team are excellent at their jobs - they are incredibly friendly and experts in their fields."
Client Testimonial
"We know our business will remain functional at all times – their support is genuinely 24/7. But this isn’t just because we’ve made an agreement or because they have SLAs to fulfil. A proactive, problem-solving, ‘can do’ approach is part of Q2Q’s DNA."
Client Testimonial
"We find the service to be speedy, friendly, and most importantly, honest."
Client Testimonial
"They always listen to us and provide pragmatic solutions that fit with our business objectives."
Client Testimonial
"Q2Q’s IT audit enabled me to see a snapshot of Dreamr’s tech needs with a simple and jargon free way to fix important issues. For any busy owner, Q2Q is hands down the way forward."
Client Testimonial
"We’re already ahead of the curve in our current 5-year business plan, which means our IT infrastructure should support us long into the future."
Latest News
SME survival guide: What data do I need to back up?
Whether big or small, all businesses know that the data they store is crucial for communicating with people – including employees, stakeholders, potential customers and more, who are vital in helping them successfully fulfil their company activities and objectives.
Given that between 60% and 90% of organisations fail after a security breach or data loss – and with plenty in the news about GDPR fines – it’s never been more ingrained in the minds of SME owners, that copies of this data need to be regularly saved somewhere safe. This is not only to help prevent any information being compromised in a cyber-attack, but also to enable rapid recovery in the event of a power outage or natural disaster, for example.
We’ve talked about the importance of back-up and data replication before, but how do you know exactly what kind of files you need to duplicate, how to do it and when?
What is proactive monitoring and why is it important for SMEs?
Proactivity is undoubtedly an overused word in the business world. But in the IT arena, the importance of forward-planning and disaster preparedness can’t be overstressed.
So, what precisely is proactive monitoring, and what makes it such a vital service for SMEs?
