Welcome to our latest meet the team blog

Today we introduce David McDougall who joined Bedford in August 2021 as a Customer Success Consultant in the project delivery team. He is now a Managed Service Consultant providing ongoing support to customers. In his spare time David enjoys badminton, tennis, hiking and playing the guitar and bass.

What made you consider joining Bedford?

Prior to joining Bedford I was involved in the Anaplan implementation at my previous company. It was an invaluable experience working closely with Bedford and I learnt a lot, especially as this was my first exposure to Anaplan. During this time, I met various members of the team, and I got a sense of the positive and inclusive culture that persists at Bedford to this day. Joining Bedford was one of the easiest decisions I have ever made.

What are you most proud of?

Working in the role of a Managed Service Consultant, I get the chance to work daily with a range Anaplanners in different companies across different industries. I’m proud to be able to support their Anaplan journey by helping them become more technically proficient and unlock more from the platform.

What’s your favourite part of working at Bedford?

For me, Bedford wouldn’t be Bedford if it wasn’t for the people who work there. There is a real sense of teamwork which crosses geographical borders. Everyone is happy to help, and success is very much a team sport rather than an individual pursuit.

Describe Bedford in 3 words

Focused, collaborative, friendly.

What’s the company like? How would you describe the team culture?

Bedford offers a supportive environment in which to work, and everyone shares the same values that are so important to Bedford’s DNA. My colleagues are very talented, friendly, humble and a real pleasure to work with. .

How would you describe a typical day?

Working alongside a range of customers means that each day tends to vary with a mixture of planned and ad hoc activities. Generally, over the course of the week there will be time booked with customers where we get into model building. The remainder of the week allows me to focus on customer queries, model heath assessments and other departmental tasks and managed service projects.

What’s the most important skill that someone will need to succeed in your role?

Strong technical skills are a must as you are required, at times, to quickly familiarise and orientate yourself with new models in short timescales, especially when you are working face to face with a new customer for the first time in their Anaplan environment.

What is the biggest challenge that someone in this position would face?  

The nature of the role means that requests and queries come from various customers, sometimes all at once. It is important to stay organised, prioritise your workload, and on occasion to reach out to members of the wider Bedford community, to ensure that customers get the best level of service possible.

What have you learned in the last six months? 

Over the last number of months, I have gained further experience with S&OP models. Most of my career has been in S&OP and it has been interesting to learn how other companies have used and benefited from their Anaplan implementations.

Why do you stay at Bedford? 

Working at Bedford allows me the opportunity to problem solve for others, whilst developing my own skills and becoming a better and more effective consultant. Working with such a talented team is amazing and to being able to use my experience to coach other Anaplanners every day is very rewarding.

To meet some other members of the Bedford team, click here.