This month’s postcard is from a quaint Canadian village where a busy operations specialist and mom combines her analytics, DBA, cloud operations, time, and project management skills to support Pythian clients. Read on to learn more about Lauren Geddis and how she and her team provide daily end-to-end customer solutions.
Tell us about where you live.
A local favorite: boating along the Rideau River.
I live in Kemptville, Ontario, just south of Ottawa, a quiet village about 40 minutes away from Pythian headquarters. I moved there about ten years ago from Ottawa.
As a village, Kemptville is a piece of the country, but with fairly quick access to a major city and other towns if you need them. It’s very close to the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that attracts boaters and boasts many parks and trails with views of Rideau Creek. The canal also becomes the world’s longest skating rink every winter, where you’ll often see workers skating to the office or students skating to Carleton University.
What was your path to Pythian?
After studying business administration at university, I started a contract as a data entry clerk for Transport Canada. Later, I worked with Bell Canada, was hired by Pythian, and have been here for over eight years.
One of the things I like most about Pythian is its size compared to government branches or conglomerates. I’ve found connecting with colleagues in a smaller company easier than when I worked for the government: less politics and red tape. Plus, the people are great, and I value my peers and the flexibility Pythian offers around working from home, especially during this pandemic.
When I moved to Pythian, I started as a managed services coordinator, doing considerable client-facing work and support for two years. Then, I moved into a project specialist role (now operations specialist) in the delivery operations team. So, I’ve always supported clients with responsibilities such as weekly or monthly pace reports and regular status calls.
What’s a typical day like for you now?
I don’t think there’s a typical day. As an operations specialist, I support clients throughout an engagement, including contract management and reporting. There are routine tasks, such as weekly meetings with different departments and monthly reporting. But there’s also cross-team collaboration in resolving issues, process gaps or data discrepancy, and constant prioritizing because things are always in flux.
The perfect nook for perfect focus: sleek and streamlined, with a touch of local nature.
This role has allowed me to witness the sales cycle from start to finish and work with other departments and all their moving parts. I set up contracts, tooling, and the knowledge base a client will need after they’ve signed a contract. So, adaptability and attention to detail are top skills for this role because I need to handle data volumes and track process changes.
My team also handles client onboarding and off-boarding and reports on client churn and contract revenue as part of project management—it’s highly data-centric. Because we also manage employee onboarding, there’s some overlap with HR, so we end up supporting different lines of business.
What has been the biggest challenge in this role so far?
My background is more administrative, and I have a less technical background than most delivery teams. Thankfully, my time at Pythian has given me a fundamental knowledge of database administration, cloud operations and data analytics, all assets in today’s highly connected world. So, I’m constantly learning, but I enjoy the challenge, and it keeps me engaged. The other challenge is with small kids. I need to prioritize how I spend my time to balance everything that needs to be done for the day.
Time off with one of my best boys.
Charcuterie and cheese boards…a chic way to unwind anytime.
Tell us about your workspace.
Up until about five years ago, I worked from the office half the time, so I’ve had to adjust to being at home full-time. I occasionally move around from the sunroom to an office in the basement. Otherwise I work from a dedicated niche off the master bedroom.
How do you spend your time off?
We have a cottage about an hour away in Shawville, Quebec, with a beach, walking trails, and a golf course. We go there to decompress, enjoy the outdoors, disconnect from technology and play board games. Our families are in Ottawa, so being close, means they can visit easily on weekends.
What’s one type of food you could eat every day?
Cheese, charcuterie boards with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
Weekends with family, friends, and board games. And yes, that’s a word–don’t judge me.
Describe Pythian in one word.
Data.
Interested in working for Pythian? Check out our open positions.
1 Comment. Leave new
I love scrabble and charcuterie goes great with it!
Thanks for sharing!