Harvey Tebay caught up with Taras Pavlyuk of AST Applied Telematics to find out more about his background and his role within the organisation
What is your career background?
I completed a degree in Business Computing and took a year travelling in 2009. I started my sales career working for an insurance broker Adrian Flux, specialising in classic car insurance . I moved into recruitment industry concentrating on IT and software market, gaining knowledge through my university degree assisted me with technical terminologies and full understanding of the clients requirements. Then two and a half years ago I joined AST, where I am now the lead for ASTs advanced vessel performance monitoring technology.
What first drew you towards maritime?
Coming from recruitment background, my initial knowledge of the maritime sector was slim, however the advantage for me was the fact a number of my clients that I had already built a strong professional relationship with were actually within the maritime industry. Knowing their backgrounds and the projects they were working on, such as renewables energy etc, gave me a much better overview of the maritime sector which became incredibly appealing.
What is your role at your AST Telematics and how does a day in your life look?
I am a Technical Sales Engineer at AST, my role involves a mixture of new business enquiries and account management to our existing customers. We provide software as a service, therefore my aim is to make sure each client gets the best value from our data technology. Every day/week is varied as I do a lot of travelling to customers sites for product demonstration (especially now as travel restrictions are lifted), engaging with product development by gathering customer feedback on how we can improve our platform. I enjoy attending conferences and maritime events as it gives great opportunity to network with new and existing clients, and it helps me to understand the latest industry trends.
What is your motivator at work?
For me is being able to deliver and exceed what is expected from us by our customers and beating our competition (gentlemanly), that’s a really good feeling.
In both your previous and current roles, what have been some of the standout activities that you have been involved with?
For me the stand out activities has been winning big contracts such as with ABP and North Star Shipping, receiving full trust from end user customers that we can meet their expectations across their whole assets.
What are your hobbies outside of work?
I keep myself fairly active outside work as I am keen golfer, currently a member of a links golf course in Norfolk. I like to keep physically in shape, so tend to go to the gym at least 3 times a week – providing time is on my side. I am also a proud father to our beautiful daughter, who is just over 10 months old now, so very much enjoy our family time and outings.
What advice do you give to anyone interested in a career within maritime?
At first when I was joining the maritime sector, I thought it was going to be so huge that I would struggle getting to terms with all its details and intricacies, however in fact its not big at all! Everyone seem to know everyone, all very friendly, assisting each other with the latest trends and possibilities. There are some really exciting projects happening, particularly within the offshore industry, which is so exciting to be part of. Its definitely a fascinating and rewarding industry.
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