Welcome to our latest meet the team blog.

Today we introduce Joel Marusiak who joined Bedford in June 2022.  Joel is a Solution Consultant specialising in supply chain planning. In his spare time, he is a keen club-level tennis player who also enjoys music, cooking, and mountain biking. Joel loves spending time with his two young children, for example out on bikes, on the Cornish coast with family or off camping with friends.

What made you consider joining Bedford?

When making the leap to a new job within a new organisation, it was important for me to look for the right mix of role, product, and company culture. I wanted a role to utilise my expertise but provide challenges and development. I was also keen to find a product that I would be confident in and inspired by to wholeheartedly advocate. And finally, I wanted to know that it would be a company to be proud of, that the values were real. Throughout my interviews and the later onboarding process and having spoken to people around the organisation, it was clear that Bedford and Anaplan are exactly the mix that I was looking for.

What are you most proud of?

I bring to our team many years of supply chain planning / S&OP experience and in my role, I get to utilise my knowledge as a Subject Matter Expert (SME), supporting both potential customers and those colleagues who are from differing industry backgrounds.

Describe Bedford in 3 words

Quality, Collaboration, and Integrity.

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

The culture is excellent. I feel the values are lived and tangible through interactions with all colleagues, who are firstly top-class professionals, but who are also positive, friendly, collaborative, and supportive – it feels “right”.

How would you describe a typical day?

A typical day is not typical – that’s the fun of it! I might be working on multiple concurrent opportunities at different stages, engaging with companies and colleagues or furthering personal development through training.

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

Communicating with customers. Anaplan is an incredibly configurable product, not out-of-the-box, so could feasibly be designed to support endless process use cases and customisations. My role requires listening closely to customer requirements and truly understanding their needs/pain points and then ensuring that they clearly understand how Anaplan would meet and potentially exceed their expectations.

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

Involvement in multiple concurrent opportunities can be challenging. One needs to keep on top of various detailed requirements whilst planning and preparing to stay ahead.

What have you learned in the last six months?

I recently completed my training and Level 2 Model Building exam. I’ve enjoyed furthering my personal development with a new planning system and am excited to know that there’s plenty more learning ahead of me, combined with my supply chain expertise, I see huge potential.

Why do you stay at Bedford?

I joined Bedford because it delivered on my requirements for a new role, but I now expect to stay for a long time because I am constantly impressed by all aspects of the organisation and look forward to growing with the company.

Stay tuned for our next meet the team blog.

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