Spotlight on Quattro Commercial Director, Taskeen Ahmed

In almost six years of working at Quattro, Commercial Director Taskeen Ahmed, 35, has gone from strength to strength. Following a promotion in June 2023 (from Commercial Analyst to Commercial Director) Taskeen has now set his sights on a new and in-depth Data Analyst Apprenticeship.

He describes his Commercial Director role at Quattro as ‘incredibly varied’, involving an analysis of company operations such as pricing, the performance of assets, sales, investments, expansions and company structuring.  His remit also involves customer compliance, certification and accreditation.  He says a new avenue of learning data will enrich his already number-heavy role.

Before he arrived (literally at the door!) of Quattro in Stratford, Taskeen had started his career in Pakistan.

‘I was in a completely different part of the world, in Pakistan, and moved to the UK in 2019.  Before the move I worked as a Project Sales Manager for a Caterpillar dealership and as a business development manager for a steel corporation.  I come from an engineering background, with a degree in Electrical Engineering from NED.   After completing the engineering degree I went on to do a Masters in Business Administration with IBA, another legacy institute.’

After his wife was offered a job at a large audit firm in the UK, a move was imminent... as was a job at Quattro.

‘My wife, Sabah, accepted a job in the UK. With a move on the cards my first assignment was to find us a place to live. After I found us an apartment, I was walking towards West Ham station on the Greenway and  I noticed a yard full of heavy plant machinery.  I noted down the company info, went home, and googled Quattro Plant.  I found email addresses and wrote a cover letter.  It said, “I think I can help you, I worked at Caterpillar.”  Very soon after I was contacted by Bob Browning to ask if I could come in that Friday. Following my meeting with Bob, I then met with John Murphy for the first time on 18th April (my birthday).

After a successful introduction they offered me a project to work on, and set the goal for me to achieve the next level of FORS. Quattro had bronze. I accepted and was tasked to achieve silver in 3 months, which I did.’*

Taskeen settled in very quickly and after a trial period he was offered a full time position.

‘Three months later they created a permanent role for me as Commercial Analyst, then a few years on I was promoted.’

Taskeen made friends with his colleagues very quickly, describing Quattro's culture and environment as a 'family' away from home.

‘Quattro is a unique company with a unique style. When I was studying my MBA, I came across a company named Southwest Airlines.  It has a fun culture and the cabin crew would make announcements in a Donald Duck voice.  I think it’s similar as John Murphy is a real character.  It took me a while to get used to the company approach but they have become like my family away from home.  My daughter, Sarah, aged 3, loves coming into the office to see the 'fishes' in the aquarium and visit the gorilla in the yard!’

Taskeen’s next step is to explore a new apprenticeship that will elevate his knowledge.

‘I’ve been here over five years and I haven’t done enough yet. My ultimate goal is to run a company like Quattro. I’m thirty-six in two months and I’ve got aspirations and ambitions. I know what my limits are and I want to unleash those limits.  I look for continuous development, and Quattro offers that. I was in a meeting talking about possible training with Melanie (Webb, HR), and we agreed that  if I manage to enhance my data analytics, it could help me further crunch and cleanse company data.  Quattro is going to support me in this enhancement of my skills, by way of an apprenticeship.’

The Data Analyst Apprenticeship will involve finding 6-8 hours out of Taskeen’s busy working week to study.

‘The online course takes at least a year to 18 months.  There is an assessor/instructor and we meet on a fortnightly basis to check progress.  I will have to give it 6 to 8 hours from my contracted hours to do it properly.  I will be trained in Power BI and writing code. At the end it will be a certified accreditation, an additional badge on my shoulder and a benefit to operational elements at Quattro.’  

Taskeen explained that the new apprenticeship will also build on his first love  - of maths.

'I’ve always been good at maths.  Historically I was a sales and business development guy surrounded by cost sheets. I found that my love for numbers was further developed whilst doing my MBA, with all the accounting, business finance and economics. I spend a lot of time with data and spreadsheets! It’s actually very interesting!'

Ultimately, Taskeen believes his fate at Quattro was sealed by his email.

‘I left my parents, siblings and family in Pakistan.  Now I spend 8 or 9 hours with colleagues and friends. I believe that Quattro was meant to be. I knew I could deliver and there were people like Bob and John who valued my effort and input.  They could have ignored my email and I don’t know where I would have been, but they didn’t. In the UK, Quattro is my family.'

Taskeen will begin his apprenticeship in the next few weeks.  We wish him all the best!

Bob Browning, Corporate Strategy
‘It’s wonderful to see Taskeen launch himself further into adult learning.  The Data Analyst Apprenticeship will help him develop his skills and enhance his contribution to our 'family', of which he’s an invaluable member.’

Melanie Webb, HR Manager
‘We are great believers in building the knowledge and experience of our staff, at any age and any stage of their career. As demonstrated with Taskeen, our apprenticeships go well beyond school leavers and into management. Typical apprenticeships get people started, but there are options for those with more experience who'd like to enrich their learning.  When we say skills for life at Quattro, we mean it.'

John Murphy, Managing Director 
'If you can find what you love and do it for a living, you’re winning, and that ‘sums’ up Taskeen. I’m glad that we can facilitate this new apprenticeship for his deeper dive into data.   Now if only I could get him to go to Vegas with me, then I’d be winning!  Good luck Taskeen!’

* Quattro was awarded Gold FORS in October 2020 and has maintained it to this day.

If you're interested in an apprenticeship with Quattro, do get in touch with us by emailing jobs@quattroplant.co.uk or call us on 0845 900 2999 - ask for HR.