Tell us about your background
I’ve been with Loqate since August of 2010, but before I joined Loqate, I worked in various industries. I graduated from UCSB in 1995 with a BA Biological Sciences where I spent a lot of timing doing research in various pharmaceutical labs, and after this, I was in an infrastructure IT role at Compaq, Hewlett Packard, and various other companies. I decided to go back to school in 2006, where I graduated with a masters in computer science. After graduating, my Loqate story began.
What was Loqate like when you started?
I joined Loqate before PCA Predict, GBG Matchcode360, GBG Loqate, Addressy and Everything Location merged to form the best location intelligence solution on the market, and have seen a lot of progress in this time. At the beginning, I did a bit of everything, which was a really interesting way to get to understand the business fully. This was my first introduction to address verification and over the past 8 years it’s become second nature to me.
Loqate felt like a true start-up with flickering office lights, and I remember the smallest accomplishments felt like victories worth celebrating. It’s been amazing to see the company grow over the years, moving from a very small office with a few employees to an office that is constantly growing. Our customer base has continued to grow, and so have our relationships with these companies.
What’s a typical day at Loqate like?
I start my day with a lot of morning meetings with the UK team, catching up with them and speaking with the different members of the data team. My day also consists of answering questions and managing upcoming data projects. Since I manage different teams in different regions, keeping time zones in mind is very important – with the UK being 8 hours ahead and Kuala Lumpur being 16 hours ahead. With these different time zones, I try to stay ahead of tasks and make sure everyone is happy. My goal is to make sure teams feel unified and work seamlessly together.
What have you learned from international teams?
One of my biggest discoveries was when I went to the Worcester and London and met all of the other engineers. I quickly figured out they all really like to solve problems, just like me. They are an exciting group that are extremely hard-working, energetic and passionate about what they do.
Since the trip, I have become more collaborative with our global teams, integrating systems with the London team so they help us with our software and working with the Worcester team on bigger projects. I really enjoy working with the international teams because of their strong work ethic and genuine enjoyment of what they do at Loqate. They are one of the best groups I have worked with and could quite possibly be a bit too hardworking! For example, I get a lot of 9am Pacific Time emails from employees in the Kuala Lumpur office (you know who you are!).
What excites you about the future?
Something that excites me about the technology and future of the market is that we are starting to adapt from address verification to what can be done next. We are on the cusp of some new developments. Stay tuned for those in the next couple of months...
Sean Reuter, Head of Data Engineering at Loqate
