MEET THE TEAM
Meet The Team
With over 150 years of Electoral knowledge between us, we are confident that our team is one of the most experienced in the industry.
From our experience, we are fully aware of the professionalism and integrity that applies to providing the high levels of service and quality this specialist sector expects. Our team is here to help and add value to your elections. We will ensure that your election is carried out fairly and transparently, in the most cost effective manner, using systems, products and processes that will encourage involvement and enhance participation. We are always looking for talented people to join our business. If this sounds like you, please send your CV using the Join Us link and tell us what impact you would make to Democracy Counts!
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
SIMON VERDON
Chief Executive Officer
Simon Verdon founded the company in December 2009 to take advantage of his experience in providing similar services to Government. Simon has been delivering services to the Public Sector since 2003 and has been involved in Democracy since the introduction of Postal Voting Pilots in 2003 and has become an expert in electoral matters with his decades of experience. Formerly Simon has designed software solutions to support Postal Vote Verification introduced by the Electoral Administration Act of 2006 as well as working on a range of "big data" and communication lead products. He has subsequently specified what is believed to be a revolutionary EMS system that supports the modern business processes that underpin democracy, and not just the legislation by considering the need to build an EMS from a CRM!
Simon had a clear vision to create a suite of software called ElectorCentre that provides the most efficient solution to increase voter participation and engagement with the democratic process. Simon is an experienced Project and Stakeholder Manager with significant experience in process redesign and business process outsourcing. From a technical viewpoint he has experience in Information Security, Network and Windows Administration, SQL and Unix and has worked extensively in User Experience Management.
Claire has responsibility for the overall client services strategy, project controls and Training and quality systems within Democracy Counts.
Claire is responsible for our ISO27001 and ISO9001 accreditations.
Claire is a Prince2 Project Manager and a SixSigma BlackBelt.
Claire has 15 years experience as a Director and Senior Manager in business and has been involved in Government work since 2003.
CLAIRE COLEMAN
Operations Director
PAUL KEATING
Technical Director
Paul has over 15 years experience in development technologies. Paul joined DC in 2013 and has proved himself time after time in delivering innovative, quality software.
Paul has immersed himself in the world of elections and has been able to shape changes in the industry with his pioneering ideas. Paul is an integral part of the team and his appointment as Technical Director was welcomed by the whole DC family.
MICHAEL COLEMAN
Client Services Director
Michael has over 25 years of experience in providing client centric and technical support. He has been involved with electoral administration since 2006 and has completed the AEA Foundation course.
Michael is also a Prince2 Project Manager with significant experience in managing complex projects - for many years he was the project lead for our managed print offering, and he also oversaw the implementation of our scanning bureau service. He is an expert in our product range and fully understands the challenges faced by our clients.
IMPLEMENTATION, MARKETING & PROJECT TEAM
MANNI VIRDEE
Onboarding Lead
Manni started at DC in 2016 and has over 10 years of electoral administration experience behind him having worked at a London Borough and a District Council as well as an Elections Account Manager at Idox.
Manni's working history means that he has a strong versatile knowledge of all Electoral Processes and technical use of various EMS software’s in the market.
Manni is the Project Lead for the company to provide Onboarding for new clients (on-premise or on our Hosted Cloud Platform) and Postal Vote Managed Service for our existing clients during their run up to an election.
Manni applies his technical knowledge to assisting our Support Team as well bringing his 'can do' attitude to helping clients get the best from our products and services.
JEEVAN BHACHU
Marketing Co-Ordinator
Jeevan has over 6 years of experience in elections, having recently performed a senior role in London Borough of Lambeth's elections team.
Prior to Lambeth Jeevan worked at various London Boroughs including Hounslow, City of London Corporation and assisting in Westminster elections. He has led digital & data projects like tablet canvassing and procuring new systems.
Jeevan holds the AEA Certificate has invaluable knowledge of elections and a good technical background. Jeevan has good working knowledge of all our software specialising in Educ8, ElectorCount Results and our Document Services.
DAVID CONNORS
Product Owner
David was Electoral Services Manager at Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Council before joining D.C. The role also involved undertaking working to tight legal deadlines, communicating with Councillors, Political Parties and their agents.
We believe that having an ex Electoral Services Manager as Product Owner is key to delivering a world class EMS. David understands your priorities and frustrations helping to provide valuable input to the development of ELector8
David has a keen eye for detail and knows that it's the day to day functionality that makes the best software - he's therefore a strong advocate of software which delivers a great user experience.
PAUL HAWORTH
Training Manager
Paul was formerly of Ryedale District Council authority and then was Training Manager at Idox / Halarose. Paul is the owner of all our help and training materials and is a strong advocate of helping our clients get the best use from our software. He will be supplying engaging, hands on training sessions in your offices. Our initial training is for all users, in your environment. We don't believe in Train the Trainer or training in a classroom environment. You need to be happy that your whole team has had the same training, and the system works on your machines.
JOHN MCADAMS
Senior Project Manager
John, has over 35 years experience in the field of elections, 16 of which as Deputy Returning Officer in a Scottish local authority responsible for the conduct of STV elections for three Parliamentary constituencies and the West of Scotland Region of the Scottish Parliament, as well as Westminster, European elections and multi-member STV elections for his own local authority. John has a keen eye for detail and manages ballots for our non governmental clients, acting as a Returning Officer. John understands their constitutions better than they do and offers a friendly consultative approach to running elections. John is amazing at keeping things on track and ensuring the smooth running of all projects he's involved in.
JENNIE MCCORMACK
Finance Manager
Jennie has been in finance for over 30 years so has a vast knowledge that she brings to DC. Having worked in various industries, Jennies last role was for a construction company working in the Liver building in Liverpool.
Jennie spends most of my time in Wales where she is actually learning the Welsh language.
CLIENT CARE TEAM
ZHENZHEN MA
Client Resolution Lead
ZhenZhen is our client care team lead and is well-known amongst the electoral administration community from her time at Halarose where her exceptional SQL skills, electoral knowledge and excellent client care skills made her a favourite amongst customers and colleagues alike.
LIBBY GRIGGS
Client Care 3rd Line
Libby has over 17 years' experience working in customer service based roles, and worked at Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils in the Electoral Services team for a year before joining Democracy Counts. In that year Libby assisted in running the May 2021 Elections, the Annual Canvass and completed the AEA Foundation Course. As Libby was an Elector8 user she understands clients' needs and the importance of giving them excellent customer service, especially at their busiest times.
CHRIS HAUGHTON
Client Care 2nd Line
Chris is a client care support analyst and is an expert with our software, Chris has been with Democracy Counts 10 years and is a valued member of the Client Care team providing our clients with world class service.
ROB TONKS
Client Care 2nd Line
Rob came to us after working with Birmingham Elections for 14 years, starting as a temporary employee working his way up to team leader. Rob managed the postal vote process at Birmingham and liaised with various contractors. Rob brings a huge amount of knowledge and skills to the Democracy Counts client care team.
JOHN CASSIDY
Client Care 2nd Line
John , brings over 25 years of experience within the printing industry. Having worked with some of the largest MFD suppliers in the market he joined a printing company 13 years ago to assist them grow their mailing service portfolio. Since then, John has worked closely with clients in the Public Sector throughout the whole of the UK providing print and mailing services including annual billing, annual canvass and electoral products.
AARON WILLIAMS
Client Care 1st Line
Aaron has been within the client care industry for the last 7 years with 5 years of this being in the Information Technology industry.
Aaron has a passion for providing a high level of customer service and is able to use his previous experiences to bring DC clients the world class service they expect.
JOSHUA JONES
Client Care 1st Line
Josh has been within the technical software support industry for the last 6 years
and has been providing world class customer service to various customers. Josh is able to use his previous experiences to bring the highest level of support to all DC clients, ultimately strengthening our client care team.
MICHAEL GAULD
Application Support Developer
Michael has 3 years of professional software development experience building, maintaining and supporting a wide range of desktop, mobile and web applications. Having previous experience in fields such as research, CRM platforms, websites, and booking engines, he has been enjoying the learning process about the inner workings of the Elections industry. This experience, paired with good social skills and a keen eye for detail allows for effective technical support for our client care team with diagnosing issues.
ANDRINA SHAW
Management Administrator
Andrina has extensive administrator background in large and fast paced environment having previously worked for O2 Telefonica for 20 years.
Andrina works along side our client care team providing all DC clients with valuable customer service and support.
Andrina brings a wealth of skills along with a can do attitude to the team.
DEVELOPMENT TEAM
CHRIS CLARKE
Business Analyst
Chris has 35 years of technical experience in a range of technologies (all types of programming from VB, .net, .asp, Java, php, WCF, WPF, SQL, Linq, C#). He has supported Elections and Registration for 12 Years.
PETER WESTMORE
Development Manager
Peter has over 10 years’ experience in developing line of business applications for both the public and private sectors. Having worked with both off-the-shelf and bespoke software projects, Peter has been exposed to a wide range of development platforms to produce and maintain desktop, web and mobile applications.
RICHARD BOOL
Software Developer
Richard has 20 years of technical experience in a range of technologies (all types of programming from .net, .asp, Java, php, WCF, WPF, SQL, Linq, C# and web).
CRAIG RODGER
Software Developer
Craig graduated from Chester University studying BSc Computer Science, and since then has gained 6 years of technical experience maintaining and building C#/.net core web applications, and more extensive experience working with SQL Server Databases. Craig has also worked in a wide range of industries, from E-Gaming companies large and small, to a start-up Crypto Exchange.
JONATHAN TWITE
Software Developer
Jonathan has a PhD in Astronomy and over 11 years of programming experience.
He's currently focused largely on development within Elector8 and our data-warehousing tool, which has become essential functionality for our users in the light of canvass reform.
AAMIR BHATTI
Software Developer
With around 7 years of technical experience in different technologies including VB, C#, .net, .asp, MVC, SQL, LINQ, WPF.
Aamir is currently working within the Elector8 team to bring his knowledge and skills to the business.
ROB KEELING
Software Developer
Robert has over 10 years experience in software development having started coding at the young age of 12, with 8 years of experience of developing software in a commercial environment. Robert achieved a first class degree with honours in computer science from the university of Chester. He has worked in a variety of fields including geographic information systems, timetabling and payroll systems for private tuition companies and events management systems.
ANDREW WOODHEAD
Software Developer
Andy has 15 years experience in windows desktop development (VB.NET, C#, Winforms, WPF & SQL)
from bespoke systems used in offshore oil & gas applications to large complex warehouse management and POS systems.
He is currently involved in the development of Elector8 as a way to use his skills for good.
STEVE RITCHINGS
Software Developer
Steve has over 25 years’ experience working in software development. During this time, he has worked on numerous customer-facing Windows desktop applications in roles varying from developer through to software lead and using a wide range of technologies – C++, C#, and even COBOL on OpenVMS at one point (a very long time ago!). He will be bringing his knowledge of C#, .NET, SQL, WinForms, and WPF to the ongoing development of Elector8.
CHARLEY ANN ROBERTSON
Junior Developer - Test Automation
Charley has an Honours degree in Computing Science where she gained 4 years of experience coding in Java, C# and JavaScript while working on mobile and web applications. Currently at DC, Charley is working on creating test automation suites for Elector8 so that business as usual functions can be tested daily.
ANDREW HANKINSON
Junior Developer - Test Automation
Andrew brings energy and drive to our test automation team. He has 4 years of web, database and c# experience that he is bringing to this essential part of our business.
TESTING TEAM
JON CLARK
Test Manager
Jon joined us as Test Manager with nearly 30 years of test experience covering all aspects of testing working primarily in the Finance and IT sectors.
Jon manages our team of manual and automation software testers who work across all of the Democracy Counts platforms.
Together he works hard with the test team to build a great working culture and to help ensure the highest level of quality to all our clients.
VERSE YAJI
Software Tester
Verse is a valued member of the testing team, with over 7 years commercial experience in testing covering the Print, Finance and Education industries. He is passionate about testing, currently enjoying the challenges of working in the Electoral sector and is keen to add value to all our products.
AFZAL YUSUF
Software Tester
Afzal is a member of the DC testing team, predominately working on the Evalu8 Web Application. He strives to deliver a high-quality product by implementing test techniques from experience gained in work activities. He has over 9 years of experience in the Education, Government, Energy and Utilities industry sectors in the testing field.
LINA REHMAN
Software Tester
Lina is a member of the testing team at Democracy Counts, with more than 2 years commercial experience in Manual Testing in Retail and Logistics and Finance industries. She is very enthusiastic about testing and looking to get into automation to progress in her career
LYNNE FRANCIS
Software Tester
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Lynne worked in the Electoral Services Team at Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils for five years before joining Democracy Counts, where she is a member of the testing team. Although new to testing, Lynne’s experience as a user of Elector8 and her eye for detail means that she approaches her role with the mindset of a picky customer! She is also using her previous experience as a Learning and Development professional to support the training team at DC.
ROB RYAN
Software Tester
Rob has over 25 years experience as a Learning and Development Trainer with worldwide exposure across various industries including; warehousing, transport, logistics, healthcare and legal.
He is an effective communicator with a strong customer focus and extensive experience in all manner of training from one on one coaching to classrooms of up to 30 people as well as remote training sessions
MILLY REECE- STEVENS
Software Tester
Milly Joined the Test Team in July 2023 and has hit the ground running. With over 8 years of manual testing experience under her belt, Milly brings a wealth of experience specifically in website, mobile apps and the Insurance sector.
Milly enjoys finding unusual bugs in her assignments and strives to follow through to the end result.
Milly is a great team player and is an added benefit to the DC Testing team.
PRINT, SCANNING AND ELECTION SERVICES BUREAU
JEANA WRENCH
Scanning Bureau Admin
Jeana joined the team to take on the office based role of scanning bureau, Jeana has streamlined the process and has built up a great rapport with our clients.
Jeana's "Can Do" attitude means that she can support the business through their busy period of elections. Jeana is focused on learning new aspects of her role to support the wider DC Team.
KAY ARGENT
Scanning Bureau Admin
Kay is based at our Warrington office and offers a wealth of customer service and knowledge to the scanning team allowing her to ensure that the process is followed thoroughly to the end.
Kay is also supporting the sales & Marketing team with a range of campaigns and is expanding her knowledge extensively to support the business.