Improving the quality and value of CMS’ platform for our customers
As CMS continues to expand to meet the growing demand for its services, we are very pleased to introduce you to our new Head of Development, Brendan Huysamen.
Joining over the summer months, and like Sam, Scott, and Valar, before him, Brendan joins CMS while we continue to work from home.
Meaning that (once again) most of us have only met him on Zoom and Teams meetings.
However, I can’t help but spot a trend of new recruits with beards. Jon, Scott and now Brendan.
Honestly, it’s beginning to look like the cast of Tenet around here ?
What is Brendan doing for you and us?
Well, from what I’ve seen, it’s all about velocity and sprints.
But as Brendan explained, in his very easy to understand and patient manner, he manages our growing software development team. Focussing on promoting practices and approaches that improve the quality of our platform and the consistent delivery of value to our customers.
At a day to day level that means, he’s responsible for the operation of the development team including identifying, communicating, and mitigating risks.
He also collaborates with Colin, CMS’ Head of Product, to ensure that our platform is delivering the functionality our customers need. As well as exploring future enhancements that will add even more value.
All of which helps you to keep your employees safe, as CMS continues to move forward in providing the best driver and fleet risk management solutions.
Where was Brendan before CMS?
With over thirteen years of working in software engineering, from a range of industries and scales of organisations, Brendan brings a veritable shed load of experience to CMS.
Such as developing data warehousing functionality to support many elements of HomeChoice’s operations. A catalogue retailer operating across Southern Africa.
This included product warehousing, logistics, call centre ops, marketing, and credit risk. Delivering insight to each of these functions key stakeholders, which supported them in running their operations.
Working for the South African office of Rotterdam based vessel and salvage management company, Smit Marine. Developing a platform used to manage its ocean-going fleets, plus the software aboard its vessels for operations at sea.
In London, at the global strategic market research leader, Euromonitor International. Where Brendan developed features for its premier product as well as the organisation’s initial move to the cloud.
And, most recently, at Virtual Clinic Direct, a medical start-up developing various SaaS platforms.
Projects included smart medical device management, open cast mining optimisation, and elite sports monitoring.
Plus, a platform for gathering customer’s telematics data (now that sounds familiar) to provide reporting on driver behaviour, vehicle emissions and costs. In order to give a recommendation on transition to electric vehicle use, or not.
That’s enough of the work stuff. Tell us about Brendan’s life away from work.
Well, he enjoys many hobbies.
Too many, he says.
Brendan’s an avid 3D printing hobbyist. Designing and printing various components and pieces for other projects he’s working on.
Additionally, like many of his colleagues at CMS, he also enjoys playing video games.
Then, as something of an antidote to his digital professional life and those two hobbies, Brendan is creative in very analogue ways.
He makes furniture, from benches, to dining tables, to cabinets. And when space allows, he enjoys metal working and casting.
Plus, as a test of both his creative skills and patience, he makes chainmail armour. With one piece having 25,000 links.
25,000.
All by hand.
Finally, in what is a growing past time for many of us, Brendan enjoys an evening of playing boardgames with friends.
The likes of Gloomhaven, Scythe, and Discworld: Ankh-Morpork, being among his favourites.
Sadly, this has taken something of a back seat, in the current circumstances.
What else can we tell you?
Well, he doesn’t believe he’s met anyone famous, in person.
We did test that by running through a short list of famous people, and sure enough, Brendan hasn’t met any of them.
Which was a surprise.
Moving on, and going back to his roots, Brendan’s favourite place is the V&A waterfront in Cape Town.
It sits in the shadow of Table Mountain, next to a port, and has a great selection of bars, restaurants, and shops, plus a cinema and other leisure pursuits.
(a bit like Central Milton Keynes, then ?)
As Brendan says, it’s a great place to while away some relaxing hours window shopping, meeting friends for drinks and food, catching a movie, and just chillin’.
No doubt, you can also get a good steak at one of the restaurants.
Barbecued of course.
As that, accompanied by garlic bread and a green salad is our man’s favourite food.
And a good choice at that.
Welcome to CMS
Like all our recent recruits, Brendan is a very welcome and very welcomed addition to the CMS crew. And as with those before him, he is already delivering results for you, our customer.
