Contributor Bios

I'm the Chief Everything Officer at The Verghis Group, where we bring a fresh perspective to your toughest customer issues. How do you create a customer experience that delights not just customers, but your shareholders and associates? How do you embed the customer's viewpoint into everything you do? Why is it that 9 out of 10 people in companies just like yours say they don't have easy access to knowledge that already exists in the organization? If you are struggling with these and other issues, perhaps it is time to get in touch with us. Many of our clients have gone on to win awards -- one even has a business school case study published on the innovative work we did together. I have received a number of industry accolades, including being the only two-time winner of Service News magazine’s “Service 25” award for making a significant impact in the field of service and support. STI Knowledge named me a “leader and legend” for making some of the most notable contributions to the support industry. We won the Technical Support Industry Association's first ever "Innovation in Consulting" award in the fall of 2011. I've written a book, The Ultimate Customer Support Executive, which was called “by far the most intelligent book on how to manage support organizations” by the Association of Support Professionals. Prior to founding The Verghis Group, I was the vice president of infrastructure support at Akamai Technologies where I was responsible for Akamai's global Network (over 15,000 servers in 66 countries), Operations, IT and Service Delivery teams. Prior to Akamai, I worked at Duke University and at the University of New Hampshire. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering and an MBA — both from the University of New Hampshire. I live in the warm and sunny Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina. Contact Information

Phil Verghis

The Verghis Group 6409 Fayetteville Road Suite 120-325 Durham, NC 27713

Office: 1 (617) 395-6613

Email: phil@verghisgroup.com

Blog: Verghis Group Blog

LinkedIn: Phil Verghis

Twitter: @phil_verghis

I'm the Director of Executive Development Programs (EDP) at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire. Prior to joining The Whittemore School in February of 2011, I was responsible for all aspects of supervisory, management and executive development, including succession planning, at Paychex, Inc. Paychex was consistently named as a Fortune Magazine “Great Place to Work”, a 'Training Magazine top 125” training organization, and a Bersin “High Impact Learning Organization”. Prior to Paychex, I was Director of Leadership Excellence and Culture Development for Digital and Film Imaging Systems at Eastman Kodak Company. I was responsible for talent management for approximately 150 executives worldwide, including succession planning, an executive talent exchange, and executive development programs. My passion is writing and executive development so I launched the award winning leadership development blog “Great Leadership”, and an influential voice in social media. I'm a member of the SmartBrief on Workforce Advisory Board, and was named one of the Top 10 Digital Influencers in Leadership for the last two years. I'm a regular contributor to Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail; RadioINK, a national publication for radio management; HRExecutive Online; Monster’s HR People; Human Resources IQ; SmartBrief on Leadership and Workforce; HR Republic, a leading HR publication in Asia; and other leading digital publications. Using the lessons I've learned over my career, I've just published my first eBook, The Great Leadership Development and Succession Planning Kit. I have a Master’s Degree in Human Resource and Organizational Development and an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and live in the beautiful Seacoast region of New England with my wife and two daughters. Contact Information

Dan McCarthy

Director of Executive Development Programs

The Whittemore School of Business & Economics

The University of New Hampshire

15 Academic Way

Durham, NH 03824

Office: (603) 862-3311

Email: Daniel.mccarthy@unh.edu

Blog: Great Leadership

LinkedIn: Dan McCarthy

Twitter: @great leadership

 

In 1991 – probably before the notion of a ‘consultant’ was fashionable – I set up my own consulting company, initially focusing on helping companies improve their customer service. I realized over time that my work with some companies was having a substantial impact while in others it was not. I came to learn that this was less to do with me, and more to do with the culture within these companies. From my own experiences I found that corporate or workplace culture was the key determinant of success in implementing change initiatives. Since then, much of my work has focused on workplace culture and helping simplify what is typically seen as complex and often esoteric. I’ve created a concept called UGRs (unwritten ground rules) that, after initial research involving two Australia universities, has been developed substantially with my South African business partner, Stef du Plessis. The UGRs concept has been used as a tool to strategically improve culture in companies across the world. I travel a lot. I’ve been invited to speak at some major conferences across the planet and work in-house with leadership teams and to train people to be internal culture champions who are supported in various ways. I’ve worked across the gambit of industry sectors – from law firms to mining companies, from schools to major retailers, from banks to construction companies, and more. I’ve written the original book on UGRs (Cracking the Corporate Culture Code) and have co-authored another two books. As of now, the latest UGRs book is in the final stage of editing. I’m based on the beautiful Gold Coast in Australia and have a Master's Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Alberta. Contact Information

Steve Simpson

Creator of the UGRs Concept

Keystone Management Services

PO Box 554

Sanctary Cove

Queensland 4212, Australia

Office: +61 (0)7 5530 1465

US: 310-601-8308

Email: steve@ugrs.net

Site: http://www.steve-simpson.com

Blog: Service Excellence and Inspiring Culture

LinkedIn: Steve Simpson

Twitter: @keystone56