Blog.

Why I joined Cynozure

So it’s official, I’ve passed my 3 month probation, and I think I can safely shout about the fact that I’ve joined Cynozure and that I’ve been accepted into the team!

A wise person once told me, ‘always be a buyer, never a seller’. Up until now I’ve always heeded that advice, so why have I decided to switch sides now?

First and foremost it’s what Cynozure stands for

It’s a group of really smart, passionate people who’ve fallen in love with the idea that getting to grips with your data can make a massive difference to your business outcomes.

I first discovered that for myself when I was working on the Tesco Clubcard data back when loyalty schemes were in their infancy, and it’s something I’ve stuck with ever since. It’s amazing to get to work with people who think the same way. And it’s easy to align on priorities because they practice what they preach, and use the data to guide the thinking.

Secondly, Cynozure isn’t new to me

I’ve known the team both as a member of the CDO Hub and as a customer.

I found the CDO Hub to be a fantastic networking resource, and the range of topics discussed goes way beyond just the usual ‘is there a tech solution for this?’. The group really understands that getting value from data is a leadership challenge – and that leaders need support.

As a customer I was always impressed with how responsive the team are. They understood what I needed, then came up with very pragmatic solutions to the challenges I posed them. That kind of great delivery doesn’t happen by accident. The team is made up of people with years and years of actual delivery experience. They’ve all worked on thorny challenges and managed to overcome them – with some interesting stories along the way!

They are deliberately vendor independent (with significant expertise in a range of solutions, so they can advise objectively).  That’s a challenge, but it means they are much more likely to propose a genuinely suitable solution. If all you have is a hammer, then everything’s a nail. If you have all the tools in the box, then you have some choices.

Finally, what they do is great, but how they do it is even better

One of the first things James Lupton (our CTO) said to me was “we’re trying to make the company we always wanted to work for”. That attitude shines through all the decisions that are made about how the company is growing and who it’s choosing to work with. It’s fantastic to work for an organisation that lived and breathed flexible working – even before the pandemic hit, and that puts such a massive effort into nurturing the ‘crew’.

I’m pleased to say that I for one am a very happy crew member. I’ve already worked on some fascinating and impactful projects and I’m looking forward to many more in the weeks and months to come. Drop me a note, or contact the team at hey@cynozure.com if you think you might have one of those projects!