Team Phoenix Talks: Lewis Thomson
Lewis Thomson is our Customer Success Team Leader, and is our 2023 Cloud Solutions Team Champion and People’s Person of the Year. Read on to find out more about Lewis’s career successes.
How did you get into the industry?
Prior to my career at Phoenix, I had an entry level position at another IT company. I thought this position would be a great foot in the door to kickstart my career in IT and has led to my success at Phoenix. I also have a degree in Computing and IT, which helped me get to where I wanted to be.
What appealed to you about the industry?
From a young age I have always had a passion for computing and IT. I’ve been in the industry for five years now and watching the growth of cloud computing has been so interesting. It’s a very rapidly developing industry, which is what I love about it. I also enjoy being able to explore different areas of the industry, from security, modern work, and now automation and AI – it’s all very exciting and something I’ve always wanted to be a part of.
Tell us about your career history and what led you to Phoenix
I started off my career working in a call centre for white good repairs. Speaking to customers to help them manage various repairs improved my confidence massively. A job opened up for an entry level Microsoft Licencing role at an IT company, and I jumped at the chance to join and get my career in IT off the ground. After two years in that role, a vacancy in the Microsoft Cloud Team at Phoenix opened up and I was successful in my application. During the interview stages it was clear that the opportunity to learn and develop my skills would be massively encouraged, which was exactly what I was looking for.
What’s your experience of working at Phoenix so far?
My experience of working at Phoenix so far has been great. I started in February 2020, a week before the first lockdown. The support offered from my colleagues and manager was above and beyond, they made sure I had everything I needed and checked in on me regularly. The past three years have been challenging, having to adapt to new ways of working not only at a personal level but also supporting our customers, but I have felt fully supported throughout.
Tell us a little bit about your role
I sit within the Cloud Team and lead the Microsoft Customer Success Team. Primarily, my role is to manage and deliver the Microsoft FastTrack programme. The FastTack programme provides eligible customers with remote support and guidance on the deployment and adoption of various M365 workloads included in the customer’s licencing. We support at a technical level, but also help end users adopt new Microsoft technology.
Why do you think Phoenix has been recertified as a Great Place to Work™?
Not long after joining Phoenix, I noticed that we are always at least one step ahead. When the first lockdown hit and working from home became the new norm, it was a seamless transition of being sat in the office to sat in my kitchen, with all systems and hardware working. In 2021, Phoenix introduced Wellbeing Wednesday, allowing all staff to take an extra hour break on one Wednesday each month. Just by having that extra hour every month to focus on something for your wellbeing really helped with my mental health in the long run, and it’s one of the reasons Phoenix is a great place to work.
Read more about our recertification
How would you describe the culture at Phoenix?
The culture at Phoenix is nothing like my previous experiences. The support available at a work level, but also a personal level is unique to the company and certainly something that makes Phoenix stand out as an employer.
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