nipper
/ˈnɪpə/
noun
- A small boy; lad
- In British dialect, the youngest child of a family
An unfortunately accurate nickname I inherited from my father, who was both a small man and the youngest child in his family.
Profile
I have been working with Dynamics CRM since 2013, having cut my teeth on CRM 2011 and worked on every new version since then. My introduction to CRM was more happenstance than intention, but I’m very glad at how it has turned out!
I studied an LL.B (Hons) Law degree at undergraduate, chasing an infatuation with Ally McBeal and a determination that I was going to be the greatest lawyer the world had ever seen. After 4 years of study I graudated and decided that I no longer wanted to be solicitor, I took a one year break of study to work in Michelin-starred hotel, then returned to study for a Postgraduate Diploma in International IT Law. I’ve always been a geek, so this seemed an appropriate avenue to pursue.
Following graduation I got a job in the university working across the intellectual property and commercial support teams. This role led me to working with KSS TechTracS, which is an innovation management system that we had co-opted into use as a rudimentary CRM system. Through experience with this system I got the first inklings that I had a knack for CRM, and I was responsible for internal development and management of the system to support the needs of the commercial team.
I was recruited by an oil & gas control of work specialist company to work within their commercial operations department and as part of this role I agreed to take on primary responsibility for the development of their Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 system. Through a lot of trial and error I learned the system and thus began my career as a CRM functional consultant. I was largely self-taught, and spent a lot of time figuring out how to get the system to do what I wanted to meet our needs. Within this role I also became an ISO 9001 internal auditor; this gave me invaluable business analysis skills which I still utilise.
I’ve since moved on to the point where CRM is my whole job, rather than just being a part of it, and it gives me great joy everyday to come to work. I enjoy the challenge of designing system updates to meet business needs, and the unique perspective on business that managing the CRM system gives me.
I am now a Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert in Business Applications after passing several CRM certifications.
Personal Life
I live in Edinburgh with my wife Hannah, our two cats, Meredith and Maisie, and our West Highland Terrier, Millie. I’m originally from the north-west of Scotland, in a tiny little village called Aultbea. I spent a large proportion of my childhood growing up in Northern Ireland, and I spent a significant chunk of my adult life in Aberdeen where I went to university.
In my spare time I enjoy reading and attempting to play the guitar, and playing games on my PS4. I also like to get out of the house to walk, exercise (occasionally) and to take photos on occasion. My main interests are football (I’m a Man United fan), Formula 1 and NFL (I support the Arizona Cardinals), and I enjoy finding new shows to watch on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Ryan Maclean 