Glenn Cheetham
Customer Success Manager
What does your role at LAKE involve?
My role is split into two areas. I'm an Customer Success Manager, so I look after existing customers that have bought one or more of our product suites. I help them to plan ahead to manage and improve their systems and if they want to escalate any issues I am the first point of call. I am also involved in recruiting new customers in our Financial Management practice, where we sell Infor SunSystems and Proactis. I have ownership of 3 sectors: Oil & Gas; Social Housing; and Commercial.
How long have you been with LAKE and what did you do before you joined?
I have been with LAKE twice, I worked with LAKE for a year in 2001-2002. I then came back in 2009 to focus on selling Proactis technologies. Prior to LAKE, I was an accountant after university; I then went into recruitment; and I've been working with Financial Systems since 1991.
What do you enjoy most about the work you do?
I love winning. That's important to me. Not necessarily the size of the customer or the order itself, but just getting the deal done - and then seeing the customer start to enjoy the benefits. Winning means a lot to me. I'm very competitive.
If you had to pick out three achievements or pieces of work that you're particularly proud of from your time at LAKE, what would they be?
Setting up the SAP Business Unit from scratch is definitely in that top 3. Starting up any new business is very difficult, so going from 0 SAP sites, to over 20 in a couple of years was a massive achievement. Being on the sales side, I'm always bound to pick out achievements that relate to sales. At the top of that list is a support contract I won with an oil company in London, and I later managed to develop the account to become our biggest ever customer in terms of revenue generated from consultancy services. My third example would be from my first period with LAKE in 2001, when I was the first person in Infor's global channel to make a SunSystems 5 sale.
What does your background, experience and knowledge mean for customers?
I think that due to my experience, I am a one stop shop in terms of answering questions and problem solving and customers appreciate that. I am also straight talking, and I feel that this helps things progress also.
What excites you most when you think about LAKE's future plans and the future of business systems in general?
I think the big change is going to the cloud. Change creates opportunity and anything that drives people to change or adapt their current systems is really exciting.
What do you do when you're not working?
I spend a lot of time with my 3 kids and my grandchildren. I love going on holiday and exploring cities around the world. My hobbies are whisky collecting, fishing and kayaking.
What is one item on your bucket list?
I would love to visit Australia.
What would your specialist Mastermind subject be?
Anything to do with whisky!
