This April we had ATU BA Business Student, Mathieu Beck, join the Verus Business Development team for four months. At the end of the four months, we sat down with Mathieu to ask him about his time with the team.
Q: First of all, Mathieu, what made you choose Verus?
I had heard of Verus as a local in Sligo. I knew that it worked in metrology and medical devices and wanted to get an insight into what that actually meant. I was actually just 16 when I first started working with Verus. It was an LCVP placement and I spent two weeks supporting the manufacturing team. I just remember the team being so nice and that feeling of community being strong. Everyone worked together, and I knew when there was an opportunity to go on placement again with university, that joining the team again was something that I wanted to do.
Q: You worked as a Marketing Administrator for Verus and BORMAC during these past four months. How does the reality of working in the field of marketing compare to the theory you experience when in class?
Seeing the application of theory in the real world of business with Verus has been incredibly rewarding. It helps you really comprehend some of the frameworks and definitions you’d come across. I’m looking forward to getting back to class and now having first-hand experience to draw on when reading and discussing case studies, particularly on how businesses are structured.
Q: Verus is unusual in the way that it is a purpose-led organisation and doesn’t have the traditional hierarchical structures present in most other companies. How have you found this?
It certainly is unique. I think it is a great model for curbing inefficiencies and ensuring the company stays agile, so it can respond to changes in the market swiftly. There is daily communication with your team to address any blocks you have and problem solve together, so you still have the support of your team, while having autonomy and personal responsibility over your own task.
Q: As a member of the Business Development team over the last four months, what have you learned about the relationship between company and customer?
Being on the team has given me a clear understanding of the lead system and how important relationship building is. Verus has a solution that is so desperately needed within medical device manufacturing and you can tell from client phonecalls, they are impressed with the expertise and capabilities of the team. However, it’s not good enough just to have what the customer needs. The customer needs to trust the company enough to even go on that call to learn about us. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to make that happen.
Q: You also worked with BORMAC while on your placement. What is BORMAC?
BORMAC is a cluster organisation for manufacturers both north and south of the border. Its aim is to get companies in a region working together to achieve a shared goal; to boost the development of the region. We hope more manufacturers join and together we can influence the development of infrastructure, education, and resources in the region.
Having students come on placements in the way that Mathieu has is a great way for companies to open themselves up to new ideas and technologies. “Mathieu was a great addition to the team, especially in his technical abilities setting up our first live webinar with COO, Michael Nugent, and setting up a booking system, so that clients could book directly with Verus Client Account Leads on the website.” Stacey Malaniff, Marketing Co-ordinator.
We wish Mathieu all the best in his future endeavors and hope he goes on to be a champion of purpose-led organisations. We look forward to continuing our positive relationship with the ATU – a backbone of the region.
