Making sure to never overlook our internal talent, we have promoted our very own Baxter Willis to Partner.
Baxter is the first employee at WM Reply to be promoted to Partner within the company. With offices in Manchester, Chester, London and Minsk, our mission is to build the world’s best Microsoft SharePoint and Office 365 solutions to help organisations overcome business challenges.
Baxter left Capgemini to join WM Reply in 2014, launching the Change and Adoption team and later stepped up to the role of Service Director for the UX, Strategy, Support and Adoption services in 2017. His continued work in employee engagement, SharePoint, Yammer and Office 365 saw him named in the Institute of Internal Communications’ '30 under 30' in 2015. His close ties with the Microsoft team make him a regular speaker at their flagship events.
The announcement comes two years after WM has joined the REPLY network. His new role put him at the top of WM’s global network working across London, Chester, Manchester and Minsk. His focus this year will be on unlocking digital workplace value for our clients.
Baxter commented on an email to his team: “This time five years ago I moved from Birmingham to London to join WM to be the first change communications consultant based on a job description almost literally ‘drawn on the back of cigarette packet’. Later we formalised our strategy, UX and adoption service which turned into the team we love today.
“I’ve fantasied about making Partner for years and now it’s a reality I’m committed to fulfil the dream role I’ve landed. I’ve learnt so much from Richard, Al and the team and I don’t intend to stop. A special thankyou to my colleagues, Partners, mentors and clients who have supported me. I’m also very excited to announce Rebecca Wills as my successor, who I know will bring experience, tenacity and strategic thinking to the role.”
Richard Acreman, founding Partner of WM Reply, explains: “As a company which also runs its own academy to train and recruit graduates, we take great pride in bringing on new talent and also recruiting established people, and one of the best parts of running a growing company is being able to promote talented employees. We’ve watched and mentored Baxter eagerly for five years as he has climbed the ranks and achieved any target we’ve given him and his dynamic team. Now we welcome him as a Partner alongside Al Cashen and myself. He’s proven he can deliver value to client, grow our accounts and keep a happy team – and remain upbeat, approachable and on occasion very funny.’
Baxter’s promotion has also gone down well with his clients, including Zaynab Zubair, Arriva:
Zaynab said: “People like Baxter are rare. He’s a motivator, influencer, leader and a team player. Baxter doesn’t just get things done. He does them with panache and a boundless sense of creativity that you don’t see often in business. He’s fiercely passionate about his clients and the work he produces.
“I don’t know how but he effortlessly manages to create something memorable every time. Baxter's creativity is backed heavily by strategic decisions and by careful consideration on what will and won't work for your business. He is also great fun to work it, absolutely the best!"