After spells selling pensions, and later office equipment, Paul founded A1 Comms from nothing in 1997. The business grew to become a group of 14 high-street shops selling mobile phones around market towns in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. The success of early websites was such that in 2006, he sold the high-street stores to focus on online retail through buymobilephones.net.
Returning to the high street with the acquisition of Go Mobile in 2012, A1 Comms has also continued its growth as a telecoms supplier to businesses. Paul owns the business with his second wife, Angela. They live in Melbourne, Derbyshire, with their two daughters. He also has a son and daughter from his first marriage.
Victoria is responsible for all HR activities across the business. Supporting daily operations and implementation of policies across all our sites keeps her busy. Beyond HR, she also oversees Health & Safety, Learning and Development and Compliance for the group. Her focus is on people – our most important asset – and this is something she considers a real privilege. It’s Victoria’s job to attract and retain some of the most talented individuals in our industry, and make sure they enjoy coming to work every day!
Victoria is just as busy at home, with two children and a 1-year-old Labrador puppy. In between these demands, she enjoys keeping fit and active. The odd glass of wine with friends helps to balance things out!
Steve joined in early 2019, having previously worked with EE and O2. This gave him the chance to become part of a loyal and well-established team, as well as move back home to Derbyshire. His focus is on taking away unnecessary complexity from tech and helping businesses find communication solutions that help them grow.
He’s a keen cyclist, making the most of the hills Derbyshire has to offer, both on and off-road. Steve also loves going to watch his team, Sheffield United, whenever he can.
Tonia has been with us since the start, in 1997, heading up corporate sales. The variety in the sales role is what drives her, and she’s always happiest when dealing with some of our lovely long-term customers.
Outside work, Tonia enjoys, travelling, relaxing holidays and going to music concerts and shows, sewing and designing costumes, as well getting green fingers in the garden. As a wife, Mum and Grandma, she also loves spending time with her ever growing family supporting their hobbies and interests.
Emma’s been with us in Head Office for 10 years now and in telecoms for most of her career. She’s kept very busy with inbound calls, converting leads generated by our website and our telesales teams, and dealing with our partners – her role is perfect for her as she loves chatting with people, and the variety this brings.
She loves anything motorsport related, particularly Moto GP and F1, and is an a huge lover of dogs. She has a pampered pooch who sometimes visits the office called Cwtch. Emma is also a keen artist and designs tattoos for various artists, including the many she has adorning her!
Nicola manages the customer service team to ensure sales are processed on time, and that our customers receive the excellent service we pride ourselves on. She looks after them throughout their contract, and when it comes to upgrade time. Every day is different and whether a customer is big or small, giving them the best service is her motivation.
Holidays abroad to exotic locations are what she looks forward to – and at time of writing, she’s ready for one! She also enjoys watching sport and going to concerts with friends and family.
Kay spends most of her time answering account queries, processing connections, and supporting customers at all stages. She looks after mobile stock, including purchase orders and booking goods in, including assisting our partners.
When she’s not at work, Kay is kept busy by her two young boys, including lots of walking and visits to parks and farms. In her spare time, she also likes meeting up with friends for food and drinks. She loves music and will listen to anything, even better if it’s live at a gig or festival!
Helen is a hub of knowledge, which is good news for our customers, as she’s often the first person answering enquiries. She also sets up mobile connections and manages accounts, including payments and contracts. Helen loves the fast-paced environment and making sure our customers receive excellent service.
When she’s not in the office, Helen can often be found playing her X-box, if she’s not binge-watching a TV show or two. She also enjoys spending time with her family, going to Bingo, and still finds time for the odd bit of dating!
Lindsay’s role involves the administration of managing mobile customers, both new and existing, with most of her day spent processing and shipping new orders. She enjoys the atmosphere of the office, particularly the people she works with in her close-knit team.
Outside of work, Lindsey likes to spend her spare time attending Metal gigs, enjoying walks in nature and having plenty of cuddles with her cat, Mona!
Mia joined us in September 2020 and is overseeing the full A1 Comms transition to the Yappl brand. She’s responsible for the website, email marketing campaigns, social channels and all other marketing collateral.
When she’s not at work, she’s happiest when walking her Labrador, Poppy, seeing family and going on holiday. Except, perhaps, just after she’s had a Jägerbomb – her favourite tipple!
Since graduating from Sheffield Hallam University, Chris has over 15 years’ experience in IT & Telecoms, including the last 6 with us. Previously Head of IT in a large call centre group, where he built a truly bespoke call centre platform serving the likes of RBS, The Economist and the People’s Postcode Lottery to name a few. He oversees products, develops services & solutions and manages our partner relations ensuring our customers achieve their aims.
He’s a keen golfer, a sport he enjoys playing alongside his daughter. In contrast to the slower pace of golf, Chris has also completed tough-mudder and competed in half-marathons!
Curtis has a varied role, from onboarding new customers to billing and bill runs as well as purchasing. It’s this variety which he enjoys, and although it can be a lot to keep track of, he likes the challenge and supporting different departments within the business.
In his spare time, Curtis is a keen baker and cake decorator, often making cakes for other people. He really likes painting too, mainly in acrylic. Otherwise, he’ll be found playing his Xbox and spending time with friends and family.
Tom’s role is quite varied, ranging from onboarding all new customers, credit checking, chasing late/ missed payments and aiding Curtis in the monthly bill runs. He also orders all mobile stock and deals with all the partner orders. He most enjoys that the role is very fast-paced and reactive, as well as working with other departments towards one end goal.
When Tom’s not in the office, he likes to spend his time playing the guitar (or his impulsively purchased banjo!), going to the pub and following Derby County Football Club.
Steve has been with Yappl for a few years now, and brings an extensive track record in providing top-notch technical support. He looks after leased lines and ensures SLAs are being met. A self-confessed IT and networking nerd, he’s always on hand for those rare occasions when things go wrong – responding swiftly and mitigating the impact.
A dad of 5, Steve’s also an avid PC gamer, makes his own YouTube tutorials and even squeezes in a bit of Badminton and Airsoft too.
Josh’s role within the Technical and Ops team involves being the first point of contact for support for customers with unified comms and/or network services. His role frequently takes him on the road to customers premises to undertake the installations of managed networks.
He enjoys the variety that the role of Network and Support Engineer provides and is happiest when knee-deep in the nitty-gritty of a complex network!
Outside of work, Josh is a family man, spending most of his time with his fiancé, little boy and walking his dogs Lyra and Kiera.
Steve’s in the perfect role as a support engineer, because he gets immense enjoyment from problem solving and helping people.
When he’s not solving customers’ problems, he’s an avid gamer (specifically PC gaming). Steve used to be an amateur stand-up comedian, so there are plenty of laughs to be had in the office when he’s around.
Kit is a support technician for Unified Communications, so her role involves helping customers with their telephony systems and solving any basic connectivity issues they have. She really enjoys troubleshooting, and the work is well worth it for that gratifying feeling once a customer is back online.
When she isn’t troubleshooting for customers, Kit likes reading and hostelling. She’s also learning front end development in her own time, albeit slowly, as she readily admits!
Scott’s been with the business for 13 years. His job involves keeping on top of a number of operational aspects, including price books and stock management for the business. He enjoys the varied challenges that come with the role.
Outside of work, Scott is a big Derby County fan, often attending matches. He also like to play a round of golf, as well as going to music concerts.
Adam is responsible for supporting customers, providing them with the equipment and making sure they get everything they need. He enjoys the challenges that come with every order, particularly when it requires creative thinking to find alternative solutions.
Outside of work, Adam relaxes by having a gaming evening with his friends and enjoys a game of pool and snooker at the local club.
Jamie is responsible for provisioning, stock and sorting out connections. He supports customers through the onboarding process, and enjoys solving any problems that arise, making sure their setup experience is as seamless as possible.
Jamie has cats called Beans and Charlie, and he’s a keen street skateboarder. Jamie, that is, not the cats!
Christian has joined Yappl as part of the Provisioning team. His role predominantly involves ordering and configuring telephony and broadband equipment for our customers. He enjoys all elements of the job, but particularly enjoys the great team chemistry and configuring software.
When he’s not in the office, he can be found playing on his Xbox in his downtime and enjoys trying anything new, as long as it isn’t camping! He’s also expecting a little girl in next few months!
Pete’s your man when it comes to working out exactly the right systems to meet your requirements. He’s been with the company for 12 years and loves a challenge, particularly when it comes to speccing complex projects and service agreements.
At home, he’s a family man, kept pretty busy by his two young daughters, Holly and Willow, and Boston terrier, Max.
James set up, and now heads up, the Yappl sales team down in Bournemouth. Having been in telecoms since 2003, he’s highly experienced when it comes to finding the right UC and connectivity solutions for businesses. He’s passionate about helping small businesses to adopt the latest tech, and his team are currently adding more than 25 new Yappl customers every month.
James is a bit of an adrenaline junkie, so when he’s not at work he’ll be chasing the next thrill, whether it’s mountain biking, motocross or wing foiling.
Asif works to understand the problems and pain points of clients, and then find the right solutions to overcome them. He finds it really rewarding due to the continual learning and development required, even after several of years in the telecoms industry.
When he’s not getting passionate about tech and telecoms, he loves spending time with family and friends, often while enjoying a nice meal. Football keeps him fit, having played from a young age, both in a competitive Saturday league, and in 5-a-side with his friends.
Gary’s role involves the continuous acquisition of new logos to the business. As our Unified Comms and Mobile Specialist, he can offer the full range of our portfolio to customers. He particularly enjoys the different problem-solving scenarios each customer presents, as well as being able to travel and see the entire country while he’s out visiting customers.
Aside from the kids Gary’s main love is football and being a season ticket holder at Port Vale FC since 1982. He loves his music and gigs and played guitar for 30 years and been in numerous bands. Saturdays are his football days. Sundays are taking his little lad to his under 7’s football. According to Gary – “It really is the secret to a successful marriage – be out all weekend, every weekend!”
Matt has joined Yappl as a Business Development Manager. His role specialises in selling business mobiles to companies across the country. He most enjoys being able to meet new people and explore their business requirements in order to offer them a solution that meets their needs.
As a huge Chelsea fan, Matt spends his time outside of work trying to go at least twice a month to watch them at Stamford Bridge. When he’s not at the footy, his time is spent running around after his 2 children!
Jake is a Unified Communications Specialist in our Bournemouth office. He really enjoys dealing with new customers on a day-to-day basis and takes great pride in offering an exceptional service – as evidenced by his Trust Pilot reviews!
Jake is a keen sportsman outside work, particularly when it comes to snowboarding and football, and is an Arsenal supporter.
Robyn is a highly experienced UC Specialist, having been in the telecoms industry since 2010. She really enjoys meeting and speaking to new customers, so she can build up a rapport, understand their needs, and help them to make the right decisions for their business communications.
Kieran is always working to build relationships with potential new customers, and really enjoys the communication side of the role. He gets great satisfaction from speaking to different people every day, understanding their needs, and finding solutions to help their businesses grow.
Outside of work, Kieran loves his football, both watching and playing. Otherwise, he’s happiest when spending time with his family and friends.
As a Lead Generation Specialist, Mishka’s job is to book appointments with potential clients. She really enjoys speaking with new people, engaging with them to understand and help when they’ve experienced problems with other providers.
Outside of work, Mishka loves nothing more than spending time with her family – her husband and their 3 children.
As part of the lead generation team, Graham’s role involves understanding the needs of a business and crafting relevant solutions for their telecoms and connectivity leads. He loves being able to help SME businesses improve their current solutions and find them best costings everyday.
Graham loves to fill his spare time with cooking, travelling, getting out for bike rides and walking Lily, his French Bulldog, with his girlfriend.
Sam’s role within the lead generation team involves him reaching out to potential customers, gaining an understanding of their business communication requirements and finding them a suitable solution. He most enjoys speaking to and building relationships with new people, as well as helping businesses save money on their telecoms solutions.
When Sam’s not in the office, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends and loves travelling, with top highlights including his trips to America and Indonesia!
Shaun has plenty of telecoms experience, having been in the industry since 2013. He can be found down in our Bournemouth office, where he’s responsible for listening to customers and helping them to correctly identify the best solutions for their businesses.
He’s a family man, with 3 grandchildren, and loves nothing more than a BBQ with his nearest and dearest. Shaun also loves football and is a Spurs fan.
Sarah’s job involves calling up potential customers and understanding how the service we provide can match up to their requirements. Tailoring these solutions to perfectly suit their needs is something she enjoys, and if she can save them money in the process, even better.
At the weekend, Sarah will be found spending time her younger children and husband, as well as her older daughter and new grandchild. They love walking their two German Pointers in the forest, and she also keeps fit by doing Zumba and getting out for a bike ride.
