2022 has certainly been an exciting year for the ifse Group with the team growing faster than ever, including 8 new hires across the Project Management, Sales, Marketing, Estimating, Design and Admin teams this year already.
Read on to learn more about the friendly fresh faces at the ifse Group.
Robert Wood – Marketing Executive
The most recent starter at the ifse Group, University of Birmingham graduate Rob started his new role as Marketing Executive in September, following a 3-year Marketing role at B2B Engineering start-up New Motion Labs Ltd.
Working closely with Marketing Director and fellow Croydon local Adam Bristow, Rob will be expanding his existing B2B Marketing skills and is excited to put these to the test in a new field with some exciting projects in the pipeline.
When Rob’s not in the office, you’ll find him outdoors, either running, cycling or walking through many of Croydon’s and Surreys parks or in a jam session with friends at local music studios, having been a passionate drummer for over 16 years.
Jessica Long – Estimator
Jessica joined the team in May 2022 and since then has fully taken the reins of the Estimating department.
Coming to the ifse Group from the SCP, a designer furniture dealer and manufacturer, Jess is already very familiar with providing a premium service for domestic and commercial properties.
Now estimating with the ifse team, Jess has been instrumental in supporting projects for some of the largest garden centre chains and hospital trusts in the UK.
The term ‘bookworm’ would perhaps be an understatement, as Jess is known to read 7 books a week on average (yes, that’s an entire book a day!)
Pradeep Lakshmanan – Estimator and Sustainability Specialist
The second most recent starter, Pradeep joined the ifse Group as an Estimator in September having had previous experience as a Quantity Surveyor and Sustainability Engineer within the construction industry.
New in the F&B industry, Pradeep is learning more about the exciting new field as each day passes. Building on his previous experience, Pradeep also plays a vital role in supporting ifse’s sustainability commitments by generating new eco-friendly practices for staff and closely working with our dedicated suppliers to minimize waste and emissions.
Having only relocated from India to Kingston 2 years ago, Pradeep has reassured us that he is enjoying the change of scenery, despite the drastic change in weather and temperature, especially during the “cold, windy and rain” winters of the UK!
An active gym-goer, Pradeep combines his passion for health and fitness with his love for Netflix and music to help him switch off and recharge.
Annabelle Dinatelle – Service Administrator (Romann)
Annabelle joined Romann, ifse’s service partners, as a Service Administrator in May 2022. Having already had 20 years of experience under her belt working a similar role at local furniture retailer DFS, Annabelle is appreciating the opportunity to use her skills in a field that is entirely unique to anything she has worked on before.
Another Croydon local just a 30-minute walk from the office, Annabelle loves to spend her spare time out and about, whether she’s walking her dog in the Scottish Highlands or visiting museums and galleries across the country.
She’s also not opposed to experimenting with new food and drink and strongly recommends the ‘Gin Jam’ she sampled during her recent trip to Edinburgh.
Rowan Eland – Sales Manager
Rowan, an CFSP accredited Sales Manager with extensive experience already within the commercial Interior Design sector, started his role in May 2022 following a similar role in the food service equipment industry.
“Variety is the spice of life” for Rowan, so managing such a wide range of projects with customers from all kinds of sectors, from garden centres to dark kitchens, is one of the many things keeping Rowan invigorated in his new role.
Learning from the dedicated and passionate team at ifse, Rowan is eager to support the company in continuing to be a leader in the Commercial Design sector.
Having already travelled half of the world, it’s safe to say Rowan’s a keen explorer and actively seeks new experiences whether it be food, sport or culture. Now as a father of 3 young children, Rowan sees the world with a new set of eyes but can proudly continue his love of adventuring by trying and experiencing new things with his own family.
Rania Azim – Designer
Rania has been with us just over 7 months now, having joined the ifse Group as a Designer in February 2022.
With a background in Architecture and Interior Design, Rania has extensive experience in designing hotels and front-of-house setups for restaurants and other customer-focused areas.
Learning more about back-of-house design has been a new opportunity for Rania at ifse and she is thrilled to be working on a proposal for café and restaurant spaces for some of the UK’s leading Universities.
To let off steam (quite literally), Rania opts for high-intensity workouts including hitting the bag at her local boxing club or lower-intensity hikes when the weather is good. But like many of us, Rania is not averse to binge-watching her favourite series on Netflix when in the comfort of her home.
Maria Tuta – Designer
Another recent starter at the ifse offices, Maria joined in August 2022 following a previous role at retail design company ‘Design4Retail’ (D4R) where she worked on store designs for big retail brands including Adidas and Reebok.
After recently relocating to Croydon, Maria is grateful for the opportunity to work on fascinating new projects every week (sometimes every day) at ifse, from cafes on university campuses to high street restaurant spaces across corporate London offices.
Another fellow bookworm at the company, Maria traditionally opts for Adventure and Thriller novels, but has recently tucked into ‘Atomic Habits’, a self-development book helping Maria to “build good habits and break bad ones”. Building on her good habits, Maria is a keen swimmer having been the Swimming Captain at her Secondary School but spending a bit less time in the pool nowadays.
Chris Sherred – Project Manager
Chris, with 18 years of experience in the commercial catering industry, joined ifse as a Project Manager in June 2022 and since then has PM’ed one of the company’s largest projects to date.
Alongside plenty of industry experience, including work with HCE, C&C, the Carford Group and other commercial catering equipment suppliers, Chris also brings Sales, Customer Service, Project Management, Design and Estimating skills to the table in his new role with the ifse Group.
When Chris isn’t managing projects for ifse, you’ll either find him out with family and friends, walking the dog through local parks or catching up on the latest Grand Prix from the comfort of his home.
