What’s in a team- Lynn Keegan

At Tyrell, it is one of our most dearly held beliefs that people buy from people – namely people that they like, respect and trust. So, that is why we are always proud to sing the praises of our exceptional team at every opportunity, because we know that it’s our multi-disciplined experts, with their wealth of experience, that ensure the success of our business and the satisfaction of our clients.

Recently, we’ve been getting to know our expert team a little bit better to prove that we really are the best in the business. This week we’re learning all about our wonderful COO, Lynn Keegan.

Name: Lynn Keegan
Job title: COO
Miles on the industry clock: 19

Lynn Keegan is somewhat of a legend at Tyrell. In fact, it’s completely impossible to find anything other than love and adoration for her from the entire team. So, let’s find out how she came to be such an integral part of the Tyrell team…

After studying Business Management and Law at college, Lynn started a role at Avid, initially processing orders for EMEA and then later looking after the UK and Ireland. It was during her initial time at Avid that Lynn first met Bryan and Kevin (yes, of Tyrell fame) and quickly became very good friends with the both of them, but more on that later.

Enjoying her ever developing role at Avid, Lynn’s plans to move away to Toronto were put on the backburner.  A decision which was also compounded by the fact that she had recently met her future husband, Brendan. Shortly after, at the tender age of 21, and dealing with a broken leg from an ill-fated skiing accident, Lynn was offered a new opportunity within Avid that would take her to the bright lights of London and entrench her firmly in the hustle and bustle of Soho.

Working in Soho placed Lynn at the very heart of the industry, which suited her down to a tee. Busy, vibrant and great fun, it’s fair to say that the team worked hard and played hard and Lynn enjoyed every minute of it. At the time, Avid had also changed their reseller model and had started dealing directly with many high-end customers in the UK. For Lynn, this meant lots of visits to post houses around London, and it was then that she really began to understand the industry inside-out. Up until that point, it was really just numbers and prices, but by visiting customers and sitting with the sales team, Lynn’s eyes were really opened to the bigger picture. An invaluable experience that would fire Lynn’s compassion and drive for her rapidly evolving career path.

London was going great, but the pull of home was calling Lynn back and her head had been slightly turned by the news that Tyrell were looking for a junior salesperson. An eager Bryan and Kevin were more than willing to give her a chance. However, with weeks to go before making the move Avid offered her the chance to move back to Ireland and keep her Business Support role, but for a different region. This meant more responsibility, travel and a working from home option, which seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up. So, after careful thought, Lynn decided to stick with Avid for a little while longer.

Working from home was good and bad – the lack of a commute was a bonus, but Lynn found that she missed the banter of working in an office. So, after 18 months she started to think about something new, and it wasn’t long before the opportunity presented itself.  At this stage, Lynn was working closely with the management team in London, some of whom were moving to Singapore, and before she knew it, she was being asked if she wanted to take up a new role of Operations Manager for APAC.  Lynn was delighted with the move, taking the opportunity to travel, both professionally and personally, during her time there and asserts that this was an incredible, once in a lifetime experience.

After two years in Singapore and eight years in total with Avid – and with her contract coming to an end – Lynn decided that now was the time to embark on something new. And where too next?! Tyrell of course!!  So, back in her parent’s house one dark January morning in 2009, Lynn was updating her LinkedIn profile when a message popped into her inbox…

 

“Where the hell are you?”

 

It was Bryan Malone.

 

“I’m in my parents’ house, back from Singapore with no job”

 

Move to 10 years later, and Lynn is now COO of Tyrell.

 

Having no idea what was in store as she drove to Tyrell on her first day, not even knowing where their office was, Lynn was unsure of what the future held. The team were looking for an accounts assistant and with no accounts experience Lynn was sceptical. But Bryan was having none of it as he knew from the get-go that Lynn was most definitely the right person for the job. Very quickly, a 3-day week turned into 5 days, and soon enough Lynn was a full-time member of staff running the office.

Lynn has flourished at Tyrell, moving from a part time Accounts Assistant, to Office Manager to Operations Manager, Operations Director and now to her current role as Tyrell COO.  Her experience is invaluable, having an accurate 360 view of the industry and how each element, from customer to end user, really does work.

A self-proclaimed ‘terrible cook’ and a former champion ballroom dancer (Strictly Tyrell, anyone?) Lynn is a hugely popular character at Tyrell and no doubt contributes greatly to its continued growth and success. It is also clear to see that Lynn loves working at Tyrell, confirming that:

“Right now, we have one of the best teams I have ever worked with, the office has a great buzz and we are all committed to be the very best we can be!”

If you want to know more about Lynn and how she helps to ensure the Tyrell team gets better every day with her efficiency, drive and compassion, follow her on LinkedIn where you can find out what makes her and us tick.