From Alphacomm Solutions to Mi-Pay: a look back

Alper Altan – Revenue Consultant – Rotterdam, the Netherlands

“The integration of the two brands brought in a lot of fresh blood and ideas. The organization has grown, not only in size but also in professionalism.”

Daily role: Alper is a Revenue Consultant at the Mi-Pay office in Rotterdam and is in constant contact with our partners. He is very pleased about the way things have changed. 

“The new situation has changed the way I approach my work. As Revenue Consultant, the question I now ask myself is ‘how can I advise our customers to boost their revenue and in doing that, earn more money together.’ This new way of thinking has made my role more akin to that of a consultant, which is very nice.

I also think the Mi-Pay brand is stronger. As for Alphacomm Solutions, it was a little confusing since there were two different companies with Alphacomm in the name.”

Shane McCarthy – Account Director – London, United Kingdom

“There are clear goals of where the company wants to go and how to get there. We are heading in the right direction.”

Daily role: Shane looks after all the existing Mi-Pay Reloads partners in the United Kingdom. He is focused on maintaining and growing existing revenue streams by identifying opportunities for our partners as well as building new business. 

“As with anyone, when the company you work for is being taken over, there is always some level of anxiety. However, when we got to meet the Alphacomm team before the lockdown, it was obvious that Alphacomm was a company that wanted to go places. 

What’s changed, is that I know what I’m working towards. I’ve got clear targets, both short and long term. Moreover, as you would expect, the rebranding meant new systems, new processes, new ways of working, new people to work with and new Rockefeller Habits.

I suppose it’s a stereotype, but I’ve always heard that Dutch and German people are very similar from a language and cultural perspective. I can confirm that from a language perspective I understand neither. 

And you always hear it said, mostly by the Brits, that neither the Germans nor the Dutch people have a sense of humour. I now know that not to be true and that they regularly have fun, every two weeks or so for one hour on a Teams call.”

Anastasia Kotinopoulou – Marketer Alphacomm & Mi-Pay – Rotterdam, the Netherlands

“The rebranding benefited my work greatly. I also gained many new, amazing and motivated colleagues to work with daily.”

Daily role: Anastasia is in charge of all marketing & communication activities, both internal and external. She is making sure the world knows all the awesome things Mi-Pay is up to.  

“The rebranding to Mi-Pay benefited my work a lot, I am in charge of both Alphacomm’s and Mi-Pay’s marketing activities. In the previous situation, a lot of material overlapped, making it hard for me to build a clear brand identity. There was also internal confusion between the two brands and the Mi-Pay relaunch helped clear that up. 

It was always my dream to work in a multinational company and the two companies coming together made that a reality. Now I am working with colleagues from 4 different countries and 3 different time zones, and it is very interesting. You can’t help but be entertained when people are struggling to line up their agendas for a meeting.

The language difference is not a problem at all, since we all communicate successfully in English. Being exposed to different cultures daily is fascinating for me, so I am very happy with the changes.”

Chris Baars – Chief Commercial Officer Alphacomm & Mi-Pay – Rotterdam, the Netherlands

“The rebranding helps us in the strengthening of our brand and thought leadership. Our marketing efforts are now way more efficient.”

Daily role: As CCO of both Alphacomm and Mi-Pay, Chris Baars is a true MVP. He is the man in charge of the commercial success of both companies. 

“From a strategic perspective, it was a good move. The coming together of Mi-Pay and Alphacomm Solutions opens up a new customer/partner network for us. Besides that, it’s also a very good step towards achieving our BHAG of being a leading European profit-boosting platform. 

It’s also been nice to have new colleagues from different countries. I now maintain many more international contacts in England, Ireland and Romania. Love it!” 

John Beale – Chief Financial Officer – London, United Kingdom

“We continually try to see how we can bring best practices from one organization to the other. There’s still a ways to go, and I expect this to keep me busy.”

Daily role: John Beale is our CFO. Since the acquisition and subsequent rebranding, John has spent a lot more time focusing on financial reporting, to understand how the integrated group is performing and what its challenges are moving forward.

“Despite COVID-19, the business has progressed well. I think it is a shame people have not been able to travel as it has not helped the ‘people’ side of integration, and in many cases, I think slowed things down. So in 2021, the challenge is to keep driving the integration quicker.

As for the rebranding of Alphacomm Solutions to Mi-Pay Europe, I 100% agree it was the right thing to do. The name is more relevant to the sort of services offered.

Thankfully everyone speaks English when I am around, or I would be screwed! So for that, I am thankful. Culturally I don’t really see any issues, just that we don’t all know each other, as well as I, would have hoped, across all geographies, simply because no travel has been allowed. I truly hope that changes in 2021!”

Jari van Dijk – Revenue Ambassador – Rotterdam, the Netherlands

“The addition of specialized personnel with expertise in the fraud market is particularly important for growth.”

Daily role: As Revenue Ambassador, Jari works in the Mi-Pay Europe sales department. He admits it used to be confusing to communicate from Alphacomm Solutions one moment and Mi-Pay the next. Jari believes the name change provides more clarity within the organization, but also, particularly to the outside world. 

“Personally, little has changed for me since the rebranding of Alphacomm Solutions to Mi-Pay Europe. The daily and weekly meetings ensure that despite the distance from the UK, for example, you can still build up a relationship with everyone in the sales team. The time difference between my colleagues from the UK and Ireland does not really cause any problems, and we communicate clearly by scheduling Team meetings. I don’t notice any cultural differences, but this could also be due to the individuals themselves. 

I also really like the fact that a lot of online fun activities are organized in which our colleagues from Romania are also present. This benefits the atmosphere within the organization. Up to now, I haven’t experienced any problems with the whole working from home situation, although I would love to go back to the office!”