Meet our ‘Music Maestro’ Mewan
“It was my dream to become a corporate relationship manager and to be an account manager in an IT firm was beyond that. I wanted to pursue this career as consultative selling is a skill I wanted to enhance and it only comes with practice. JIT not only gave me that but also equipped me with the right training for what I needed to perform my job.”
Meet Our Banking Sector, Account Manager…
Our new Team JIT folk Mewan Fernando, joins us after serving solid 6 years as a Banker, who is passionate about account management, consultative selling and solution selling.
Mewan is our Account Manager for the Banking Sector and his colleague, and music partner Kushan (from the HR Team) had a quick Q&A with him, to find out more about what keeps him going. Here what he shared.
After spending 6 years at HSBC, why did you make a decision to join an IT Company? And Why JIT?
It was my dream to become a corporate relationship manager and to be an account manager in an IT firm and beyond. I wanted to pursue the career of consultative selling, as it’s a skill I wanted to develop. which only comes with hands-on practice.
I lost interest in being a banker some time back, as there was not much room for creativity and strategic thinking for myself. So, this is what got me searching for the right opportunity in the market, which took over a year to find, where I could contribute to an organization while loving what I do. JIT was that stop, which not only gave me the opportunity, but also equipped me with the correct training for what I needed for my growth, and to perform in my job role. The past six months have been the most exciting period of my career, despite the pandemic. The constant support I receive to perform as a newcomer into an IT related to job from a banking background with zero IT knowledge – is just amazing.
What do you think is the most valuable trait an Account Manager should have?
Consultative selling skills would be the most important trait/skill in my book, but, looking at the case studies and veterans in the industry it is fair to claim that it takes more than just one skill. Success in the industry requires a mix of essentials varying from relationship skills, business acumen skills to strategic thinking traits. Most importantly, in my belief, it all boils down to hard work more than talent and it is the attitude at the end of the day that determines our traits.
Being in Sales is not easy. How do you plan and prioritize your work?
I am a big fan of the 5 am club and I usually start my day earlier and it helps me to clear my pending personal work and job-related work. I have a habit of adding tasks on my outlook with reminders based on urgency and importance which has made it easy for me to follow up on work.
Tell us what struck you most about the JIT culture.
I would describe it in three words; friendly, performance-driven, and open. I have dealt with many IT firms during my time as a banker and my perception of the culture of any IT firm was different from what I experience at JIT. It’s a culture of energy and collaboration. My biggest fear was adopting to a local company after working for an international bank and the people at JIT made it easy.
Tell us something you like most to do, which your colleagues are not aware of?
I love cooking, reading books, and watching movies, tv-series, documentaries based on real-life events. I’m passionate about traveling and I also love reading about history, especially medieval Europe, ancient Egypt, and World War 2. I’m also a devoted Star Wars and Lord of the Rings fan.
Apart from what Mewan shared with us in his Q&A, (which he didn’t share) he is an absolutely fabulous singer and guitarist. He has become a permanent member of our Team JIT singing squad. So, here’s wishing Mewan best of luck for a rewarding career with JIT!