Meet the Team

Get to know our friendly team at Yappl a little better. We promise not to bite…

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At the Helm

James Bannister

Managing Director

Meet James…

James joined in 2020 as Solutions Director, leading Yappl’s expansion into unified communications by establishing a thriving and successful sales team, based in Bournemouth. Such has been his success, James has since stepped up to become Yappl’s Managing Director, tasked with taking us to new heights in the business connectivity industry.

Outside of work, James is a self-admitted adrenaline junkie, always chasing the next thrill. Whether it’s mountain biking, motocross or wing foiling.

James Bannister

Customer Service Team

Nicola Young

Customer Account Manager

Meet Nicola…

Nicola manages the customer service team to ensure sales are processed on time, and that our customers receive the excellent service we pride ourselves on. She looks after them throughout their contract, and when it comes to upgrade time. Every day is different and whether a customer is big or small, giving them the best service is her motivation.

Holidays abroad to exotic locations are what she looks forward to – and at time of writing, she’s ready for one! She also enjoys watching sport and going to concerts with friends and family.

Nicola Young

Kay Quigley

Senior Customer Account Advisor

Meet Kay…

Kay spends most of her time answering account queries, processing connections, and supporting customers at all stages. She looks after mobile stock, including purchase orders and booking goods in, including assisting our partners.

When she’s not at work, Kay is kept busy by her two young boys, including lots of walking and visits to parks and farms. In her spare time, she also likes meeting up with friends for food and drinks. She loves music and will listen to anything, even better if it’s live at a gig or festival!

Kay Quigley

Paul Bianchi

Senior Customer Service Specialist

Meet Paul…

Paul is at your service, quite literally. As our Senior Customer Service Specialist, it’s Paul’s day-to-day responsibility to take care of our wonderful customers and any support requests they have.

Our customers couldn’t be in better hands, because there aren’t many out there more knowledgeable than Paul, who boasts a strong background in technology and over 20 years in the mobile phone industry.

Paul’s a busy guy, dedicating most of his weekends to playing guitar in a cover band. That’s on top of composing his own music, riding his motorcycle, and keeping fit in the gym.

Paul Bianchi

Lindsay Neale

Customer Service Advisor

Meet Lindsay…

Lindsay’s role involves the administration of managing mobile customers, both new and existing, with most of her day spent processing and shipping new orders. She enjoys the atmosphere of the office, particularly the people she works with in her close-knit team.

Outside of work, Lindsay likes to spend her spare time attending metal gigs, enjoying walks out in the country and having plenty of cuddles with her cat, Mona!

Lindsay Neale

Finance Team

Joe Butler

Finance Director

Meet Joe…

Self-proclaimed “Master of Coin” with over 20 years of accounting experience, Joe is our Head of Accounts and the man in charge of all Yappl’s financial aspects. Budgeting, forecasting, and managing financial reporting, not to mention cashflow and payroll; it all goes through Joe.

In his spare time, Joe’s an avid traveller and hiker, often embarking on adventurous trips with his friends and family. A sports enthusiast, Joe loves to roar on his life-long football team, Derby County. When he’s not watching sport, he’s playing it, be it football, golf or padel.

Joe Butler

Stuart Newman

Account Assistant

Meet Stuart…

Stuart’s the name, and numbers are the game. As our Account Assistant, Stuart’s involved in a range of finance processes and tasks, across invoicing, reconciliations, and commissions. To name just a few.

Stuart loves the variety of work at Yappl, and the benefits of working within a small, tight-knit finance team, where he can be heard and make a difference.

When he’s not crunching numbers, Stuart can be found at live music events, pursuing his passion for photography, watching the rugby or simply out enjoying a walk. That’s of course when time permits, because he’s kept pretty busy by his two wonderful, disabled stepdaughters.

Stuart Newman

Curtis Wood

Billing Manager

Meet Curtis…

Curtis has a varied role, from onboarding new customers to billing and bill runs as well as purchasing. It’s this variety which he enjoys, and although it can be a lot to keep track of, he likes the challenge and supporting different departments within the business.

In his spare time, Curtis is a keen baker and cake decorator, often making cakes for other people. He really likes painting too, mainly in acrylic. Otherwise, he’ll be found playing his Xbox and spending time with friends and family.

Curtis Wood

Marketing Team

James Sisson

Head of Marketing

Meet James…

James has been plying his trade in marketing within the telecoms industry since 2014, and in 2024, he joined Yappl to lead our marketing efforts.

Yep, James is the man pulling the strings on our marketing strategy, campaigns and growth. If you were to ask James what he loves about his role at Yappl, he’d tell you it’s the freedom and support he’s given to deliver his vision for the business and how best to drive market expansion.

Away from his standing desk, James endeavours to keep on top of his fitness through the gym, running, swimming and less-frequent-than-he’d-like yoga class. But as soon as the weekend rolls around, there’s only one place you’ll find James – out on the golf course chasing his dream of a single-figure handicap.

James Sisson

Luke Matthews

Web & Graphic Designer

Meet Luke…

You might say Luke’s the source of all our creative flair. He’s the go-to guy when it comes to conceptualising design ideas, equipped with the skills to bring them to life.

What does he do day to day? He’s busy developing our brand presence, improving the user experience and creating new ones. And what does he love about the job? Creative freedom is up there, but it’s the opportunity to keep learning and developing new ideas that gets Luke out of bed in the morning.

Outside of work, Luke likes to keep fit by playing football, golf and getting a pump on in the gym. Living on the North East coast, he’s got the luxury of weekend walks along the beach to wind down, too.

Luke Matthews

Mobile Sales Team

Tonia Baldwin

Sales Director

Meet Tonia…

Tonia has been with us since the start, in 1997, heading up corporate sales. The variety in the sales role is what drives her, and she’s always happiest when dealing with some of our lovely long-term customers.

Outside work, Tonia enjoys, travelling, relaxing holidays and going to music concerts and shows, sewing and designing costumes, as well getting green fingers in the garden. As a wife, Mum and Grandma, she also loves spending time with her ever growing family supporting their hobbies and interests.

Tonia Baldwin

Emma Derbyshire

National Direct Sales & Partner Manager

Meet Emma…

Emma’s been with us in Head Office for 10 years now and in telecoms for most of her career. She’s kept very busy with inbound calls, converting leads generated by our website and our telesales teams, and dealing with our partners – her role is perfect for her as she loves chatting with people, and the variety this brings.

She loves anything motorsport related, particularly Moto GP and F1, and is an a huge lover of dogs. She has a pampered pooch who sometimes visits the office called Cwtch. Emma is also a keen artist and designs tattoos for various artists, including the many she has adorning her!

Emma Derbyshire

Helen Kind

Business Development Manager

Meet Helen…

Helen started at Yappl as a Customer Service Advisor, and after demonstrating her skillset, she took on a new challenge to become our Business Development Manager.

What does that entail? Looking after our existing small business mobile, tablet and broadband customers. As well as bringing in new business by following up enquiries.

Helen enjoys taking care of her customers, ensuring they get a tailored experience and exceptional service, which she loves to see reflected in her customer’s 5-star Trustpilot reviews.

How does Helen keep busy when she’s not taking care of her customers? She’s part of a competitive darts and dominoes team, keeps fit through boxing, loves a karaoke session, and, like the rest of us, looks forward to her holidays and spending time with family most.

Helen Kind

Technical & Ops Team

Chris Brannon

Technical & Operations Director

Meet Chris…

Chris has amassed over 20 years of experience in IT & Telecoms. Previously Head of IT in a large call centre group, he built a truly bespoke platform serving the likes of RBS, The Economist and the People’s Postcode Lottery, to name a few.

Chris joined Yappl as we entered the Unified Comms revolution. He manages our service delivery and support teams alongside developing our service and product portfolio.

Chris enjoys the mentoring side of his job, developing team members and watching them grow and succeed. He maintains a very active interest in technology and relishes the challenge set by some of our customers’ more “unique” requirements.

Outside of work, Chris is a busy family man and keen golfer – a passion also shared by his daughter.

Chris Brannon

Pete Wainwright

Senior Unified Comms & Cloud Analyst

Meet Pete…

Pete’s your man when it comes to working out exactly the right systems to meet your requirements. He’s been with the company for 12 years and loves a challenge, particularly when it comes to speccing complex projects and service agreements.

At home, he’s a family man, kept pretty busy by his two young daughters, Holly and Willow, and Boston terrier, Max.

Pete Wainwright

Jamie Andrews

Senior Support and Service Engineer

Meet Jamie…

Jamie’s very much at the heart of our customer experience, providing training to customers while manning our support helpdesk and building our knowledgebase to help answer customer queries.

Jamie is also responsible for processing number port requests and resolving any related escalations. That’s around providing internal IT support to the rest of Team Yappl.

Never one to shy away from a challenge, what Jamie loves most about his job is tackling complex issues, aiming to identify the right solution the first time around. He hopes that makes our customers feel heard and valued.

Retired from his skating days, Jamie’s now settled into being a doting cat dad, providing fuss on demand to Beans, Charlie and Tommy.

Jamie Andrews

Josh Beers

Senior Deployment Engineer

Meet Josh…

Josh’s role within the Technical and Ops team involves being the first point of contact for support for customers with unified comms and/or network services. His role frequently takes him on the road to customers premises to undertake the installations of managed networks.

He enjoys the variety that the role of Network and Support Engineer provides and is happiest when knee-deep in the nitty-gritty of a complex network!

Outside of work, Josh is a family man, spending most of his time with his fiancé, little boy and walking his dogs Lyra and Kiera.

Josh Beers

Christian Baines

Senior Delivery Engineer

Meet Christian…

Christian, our Senior Delivery Engineer, is an integral part in delivering our hosted telephony, broadband and IT network solutions. Not to mention post-delivery support.

He doesn’t do things by half, either, priding himself on building bespoke systems and solutions for our customers. All while working across multiple projects and various troubleshooting tasks. If you think Christian’s doing a great job (we sure do), then let him know, because he always values hearing customer feedback.

A dedicated father, Christian loves nothing more than spending time with his daughter, playing and exploring the great outdoors with her, while watching her grow up.

Christian Baines

Danny Shepherd

Provisioning & Support Engineer

Meet Danny…

They don’t get more hands-on and technical than Danny, our Provisioning & Support Engineer. He’s responsible for arranging broadband installations, building and maintaining hosted telephony services, and providing ongoing tech support to customers on our hardware and software.

In Danny’s job, no day is the same, and he’s kept on his toes with fresh challenges and Yappl’s ever-evolving range of products and services.

In his downtime, Danny likes to cycle, jam on his guitar, and loves a good board game. He’s an avid reader, too, often found turning the pages of a sci-fi, fantasy or horror novel.

Danny Shepherd

Carl Williams

Operations Assistant

Meet Carl…

They don’t come much more versatile than Carl, our Operations Assistant. He works across a whole host of functions within our Technical & Ops Team, including mobile, stock, provisioning and support. A man of many talents, indeed.

His involvement across different areas and functions of the business is what Carl enjoys most about being part of Yappl. Diversity within his day-to-day work schedule means he doesn’t feel tied down to any one task.

A real need for speed, Carl lets his luscious hair down through his passion for motorbikes and skateboarding. A bit of a history buff, too, he enjoys getting stuck into a dusty old book about the middle to late ages.

Carl Williams

Scott Drabble

Logistics & Administration Manager

Meet Scott…

Scott’s been with the business for over 15 years. His job involves keeping on top of a number of operational aspects, including price books and stock management for the business. He enjoys the varied challenges that come with the role.

Outside of work, Scott is a big Derby County fan, often attending matches. He also like to play a round of golf, as well as going to music concerts.

Scott Drabble

Unified Comms Sales Team

Asif Mahmood

Senior Business Development Manager

Meet Asif…

Asif works to understand the problems and pain points of clients, and then find the right solutions to overcome them. He finds it really rewarding due to the continual learning and development required, even after several of years in the telecoms industry.

When he’s not getting passionate about tech and telecoms, he loves spending time with family and friends, often while enjoying a nice meal. Football keeps him fit, having played from a young age, both in a competitive Saturday league, and in 5-a-side with his friends.

Asif Mahmood

Gary Barnett

Senior Business Development Manager

Meet Gary…


Gary’s a Business Development Manager within the Unified Comms Sales Team, onboarding new customers across our full range of connectivity and telecoms solutions.


What Gary most enjoys about his role is problem-solving, allowing him to find bespoke solutions for all his customers. They happen to be based all over the UK, which means Gary’s out on the road most days, which is another perk to the job.


When he’s not doting on his children, Gary’s roaring on his beloved Port Vale FC, having held a season ticket since 1992. He’s also been busy at weekends managing a local junior football team, guiding them from the under-7s division through to under-10s (and beyond). A music-lover, Gary’s no stranger to a gig, or even performing in one, boasting over 30 years of experience playing the guitar in numerous bands.

Gary Barnett

Kieren Linton

Team Leader

Meet Kieren…

Kieren is always working to build relationships with potential new customers, and really enjoys the communication side of the role. He gets great satisfaction from speaking to different people every day, understanding their needs, and finding solutions to help their businesses grow.

Outside of work, Kieren loves his football, both watching and playing. Otherwise, he’s happiest when spending time with his family and friends.

Kieren Linton

Mishka Turkov

Senior New Business Executive

Meet Mishka…

As a Senior New Business Executive, Mishka’s job is to book appointments with potential clients. She really enjoys speaking with new people, engaging with them to understand and help when they’ve experienced problems with other providers.

Outside of work, Mishka loves nothing more than spending time with her family – her husband and their 3 children.

Mishka Turkov

Sam Bowyer

Senior New Business Executive

Meet Sam…

Sam’s role within the lead generation team involves him reaching out to potential customers, gaining an understanding of their business communication requirements and finding them a suitable solution. He most enjoys speaking to and building relationships with new people, as well as helping businesses save money on their telecoms solutions.

When Sam’s not in the office, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends and loves travelling, with top highlights including his trips to America and Indonesia!

Sam Bowyer

Sarah Philips

Senior New Business Executive

Meet Sarah…

Sarah’s job involves calling up potential customers and understanding how the service we provide can match up to their requirements. Tailoring these solutions to perfectly suit their needs is something she enjoys, and if she can save them money in the process, even better.

At the weekend, Sarah will be found spending time her younger children and husband, as well as her older daughter and new grandchild. They love walking their two German Pointers in the forest, and she also keeps fit by doing Zumba and getting out for a bike ride.

Sarah Phillips
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