Head of Partnerships Rhys Perkins looks back at a year of developing tech relationships at Vindico
It’s been a whole year since Rhys joined the Vindico team to head up our tech partnerships – and one year on, the relationships pro reflects on a whirlwind 12 months and a whole lot of purple.
Vindico: How did you end up joining the purple side?
Rhys: It started as all things do – with a good steak and a chat! I’ve known Jo for many years and have always met up for coffee and events and watched the growth, culture and fun that he was creating at Vindico. Then, just over a year ago, Jo called to invite me to come on board. After explaining the journey the business was on, I jumped with two feet into the new role of Head of Partnerships.
Vindico: Seems like a typical ‘Jo’ onboarding approach! What exactly does the Head of Partnerships role involve?
Rhys: I lead Vindico’s overall engagement strategy for the business. This involves supporting both internal and external projects, liaising with our wonderful existing clients, finding and engaging with new businesses who haven’t heard about Vindico yet and don’t currently ‘Think Purple’, and starting conversations that help businesses to better understand tech – and to show them how it can simplify and optimise each unique business scenario.
Vindico: Sounds like there’s plenty of variety. What do clients have in common?
Rhys: The clients we work with come from all sectors and industries but have a few things in common. They want to grow their business, they’re passionate about what they do, they’ve come to a point where they have too many ‘productivity’ apps and systems that don’t talk to each other, and they need to create a better way of working. Essentially, they want to make their working lives simpler and better but don’t know how.
Vindico: What tech trends are you seeing / using to help businesses achieve simpler and better ways of working?
Rhys: One of the biggest emerging trends of 2023 is the rise of AI, and how it can be used by businesses to help support business growth. Part of my role involves showing clients that it’s not something to fear, but a tool that lets us to ask better questions to deliver better, data-driven outcomes.
And, speaking data, that’s another big trend. Data is something every business has, but so many aren’t using it effectively to drive business growth. It’s not about tons of data, it’s about meaningful data that businesses can understand and utilise to help drive better business performance.
Vindico: What does a typical workday look like?
Rhys: A normal day starts with walking my dog by the river, and normally get covered in mud before I start. I also have three kids, including a 14-week-old baby, so I try to make sure I get them ready and to school on time, and I make my wife a coffee in bed every morning before my Vindico duties begin.
My workday is really varied and involves a mix of meeting clients and prospects remotely and in-person, engage with our team to understand where we are with projects and timelines, consuming lots of coffee, and trying to get someone to give me tickets to the NFL!
Vindico: When you’re not working, how do you unwind?
Rhys: Unwind? I have three kids!
But seriously, I love to cook and feed people, and I love watching rugby, the NFL (the packers are my team, and ice hockey (of course I support the Cardiff Devils).
Vindico: Lastly, why is purple your favourite colour?
Rhys: Purple is something that defines our business at Vindico and it’s what we’re recognised for wherever we go. I’m known as the tall purple guy, and at events people talk about “those purple guys”. It’s a total conversation starter and it leads to people talking with us and wanting to get to know us.
You can find out more about Vindico’s lovely clients and tech partnerships here. Haven’t already started Thinking Purple? Click here to get in touch with Rhys.
