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: How to stop employees using social media at work
With five years and four months being the estimated average time that a person spends on social media in their lifetime, it’s no surprise business owners are seeing an increasing number of employees flicking onto their own profiles – when they really should be concentrating on work.
What many companies don’t realise though, is the detrimental effect social media in work time can have on staff productivity and – often overlooked – IT operations.
In fact, one in eight organisations has suffered security breaches because of a social-media-related cyber-attack!
But, it’s not really about stopping employees using social media altogether – no matter what, it will always be a core breaktime activity. It’s more about preventing them from using it in an uninformed and unsafe way.
Yes, the key to reducing the minutes staff spend checking their friends’ feeds and updating their statuses could help improve your IT security. But how? Ultimately, it’s down to two core factors… cyber-security education and awareness!
Reach your IT peak: How to spot a phishing email
One of the most common inlets for cyber-attackers is via email. In a recent study, it was revealed that the number of phishing attacks rose by 250% in the period between January to December 2018.
And, with another revealing these fraudulent emails prove the biggest headache for SME owners, it’s vital that businesses know how to spot them, to avoid any data interception, company downtime or potential GDPR fines.
From opening attachments and giving out personal details, to clicking on seemingly non-dodgy links, more companies than ever are being stung by easy-to-avoid cyber-attacks.
However, while clever online criminals are masters of deception and camouflage when it comes to making emails look legitimate, the devil really is in the detail – if you know what you’re looking for!
If you’ve received an email to your company inbox and you’re questioning its genuineness, here are seven tips to follow, to help you identify whether or not that the email in question is in fact a phishing scam…
