Meet Merix: Rory - Business Analyst

It seems that Rory, our Business Analyst, is a colourful character of Merixstudio. And I don't mean he's a ginger ;) When my little birds started twittering, they can't stop doing it! Rory is one of our favourites Scotsmen. He's been living in Poland for over seven years, and as you can guess, he came here to conquer the woman's heart, not the land. Rory seems to be a family guy because he talks a lot about his grandparents (about his and his wife's grandparents that call him Roman or Rorasek <3). As you can imagine, it's not easy to live in the foreign country, but Rory is really handling it well. We love when he speaks Polish - "ale jaja", "co ty gadasz?", "cicho bądź", and a few swear words seem to be his favourites. Rory like most people at Merixstudio is a big fan of football - his favourite team is Kilmarnock F.C. Talking about football, my little birds told me that Rory aka Roman had a great chance to become a football star and make a debut in Scottish Cup. He was due to play in an amateur team but unfortunately, somebody spelt his surname wrong so that he wasn't allowed to get out on the field. He can also be a bad guy - he even had some issues with the law when he clipped patrol car near to our office by accident. Well, nobody's perfect - on the one hand, Rory is family person loving his grandparents, on the other hand, the unscrupulous criminal ;)

  • Tell us something about yourself.
    This can be sometimes a challenge!!! But let’s try, I am working here in Business Development, I came from Scotland on a pilgrimage to try pierogi and gołabki and it has been 7 years now. To add to that, I have a great interest in new technologies, football (or soccer to some people) along with many other sports, movies, music and travel.
  • Tell us something about your beginnings in the company.
    I have been working here around 7 glorious months. With regard to my first day, my memory is a tour around the office and some early onboarding as well as meeting the whole team and company as a whole. I have always been a very outgoing and sociable person, so I have become acquainted with everyone relatively quickly with chit-chats here and there waiting for coffee. As I have found myself in a completely new environment from a technical perspective, I had from day one a great and also interesting challenge of becoming familiar with the ins and outs of Software Development. I am extremely lucky that within Merixstudio there is a great mix of people with different expertise, so I would say it would be though to give this credit to an individual, but more to the collective group within in the company.
Rory, Business Analyst at Merixstudio
  • What have you learned while working in Merixstudio?
    Through working here, I have learned that I can adapt my skill set to engage and gain value from what we can offer as a company. It’s inevitable that I have learned massively about various technologies and how they can be utilized for companies working in an array of sectors. My communication skills (that I think were already adequate prior to work here) have been improved greatly as in all projects so many individuals are involved and crucial to the success and execution across the board.
  • What do you like the most about Merixstudio?
    The people here are number one for me, as they create the culture, atmosphere and everything else follows. We have a transparency that is not always found in every company you come across which is extremely refreshing.
  • What was the biggest challenge you faced while working at the Merixstudio?
    Avoiding updating my MacBook during working hours (this can kill your day)!
  • What cool things have you worked on at Merixstudio?
    I can’t say anything specific as I really love the fact that we are catering for needs of startup’s all the way through to Enterprise clients, with a nice mix of industries.
  • When did you make a decision that you want to work in IT?
    My beginning was here, to be honest. My experience stems from working in startups/events/video gaming industry. I felt that this industry is constantly evolving and having the motivation to develop myself in a different sector was enough to make the leap.

Meet Merix: Rory
  • What do you think is most difficult (and what is most interesting) in your work as a Business Analyst?
    What I think definitely from an outbound/inbound activities perspective is being able to adapt your way of thinking and how you present yourself to match the profile of a prospective client. This can be the most difficult thing, but I would say this is one of the most interesting things at the same time.
  • The first thing you do when you arrive at the office.
    Coffee which is the essential first step for most people.
  • iOS or Android?
    iOS - since the first iPhone was released I have had one, and it would be extremely hard to betray Apple!
  • What do you do in your free time?
    I love Football watching and playing whether, on a PS4 or a pitch, I like to do sports indoor and outdoor. Cooking is a pleasure for me; you can find some interesting dishes in the fridge in our office! I also love history!!
  • The best hero from your childhood is…
    Unlikely to be know to anyone would be Faustino Asprilla. He played for Newcastle United whom I was a fan of when growing up, and he scored a hat-trick against Barcelona. This is a memory that will stay with me forever!

Rory as a player of his favourite team - Kilmarnock F.C.
  • Where is your favorite place in Poznań?
    Cytadela is an awesome place especially in summer, Bulgarska street when Lech is winning (where Lech Poznan’s stadium is).
  • Beer or vodka?
    Vodka.
  • Dog or cat?
    Cat.
  • Which website do you visit the most?
    bbc.co.uk/football
  • Favorite app.
    BBC Sport.
  • The light or dark side?
    Light.
  • If you could only visit one website for the rest of your life, what site would that be?
    It would be any football portal. Probably the one above.
  • If you could have your dream job, what it would be?
    I would be managing my favourite team in Scotland which is Kilmarnock Football Club or would be a farmer.

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