Oct 21, 2019 | Staff, TAS News

TAS Promotes Up & Coming Business Development Specialist

The TAS Partnership is pleased to announce that Consultant and Business Development Officer John Porter has been promoted to Senior Consultant, after only one year with the company.

John joined TAS in September 2018, having impressed at interview with his enthusiasm and ability to engage with people. Since then he has quickly taken to his role in business development, and is always “willing to push doors to find new ways for TAS to help and work for our industry” – whether through meeting current and potential clients, attending industry conferences or finding new project opportunities for TAS.

Previously engaged in contract work specialising in accountancy projects at BAE Systems, John graduated with a degree in Information Systems which honed pragmatic and targeted problem-solving and solution-focused data analysis skills. Meanwhile, his charisma and patience lend themselves to building excellent rapport with clients and stakeholders.

John has already been involved in a number of key projects including:

  • undertaking safety audits of Special Educational Needs transport;
  • taking forward passenger surveys for a municipal bus company; and
  • A market assessment for a multi-national company looking to increase its public transport operations.
  • Commenting on his time at TAS so far, John said: “The TAS team is fantastic and everyone is willing to pitch in to make things work. The genuine passion that my colleagues have in providing the best service we can is particularly motivating. As an SME we are an underdog in a field of larger consultancies; one of the challenges I enjoy most is making sure we stand out in that field as much as possible.”

    Steve Warburton, TAS Head of Operations, who helped to recruit John, praised him for his “energy, enthusiastic engagement and constant ability to ask ‘why’ and learn”.

    Explaining the reason for the promotion, Steve said: ”He has absorbed so many new projects, processes and tasks and often takes on responsibility for various areas without being asked and beyond our expectations.”

    TAS Managing Director, Sarah Huntley added: “In his first year, John has demonstrated a real commitment to the company and the aim is that he continues to develop his industry knowledge, skills and contacts, and moves towards a senior business development role.”

    Looking to the future John concluded: “I have had a few years with a lot of changes and I now want to settle down at TAS and build a career here. When I hear stories about TAS’s past, I feel we are now coming to a crossroads where there will be an opportunity to really push on as a company and do some great things.”