Kuan-Yu (Jeffrey) Ke first joined Veridian in 2005 and aside from a brief stint living back in Taiwan, has remained a key member of our team.
If you’re a Veridian customer it’s likely you’ll have chatted with Jeffrey who is our Project Lead and Sales Engineer. His skills in assessing client needs and finding solutions make him a great first point of contact. He’s been a part of many significant Veridian projects.
Around the office we enjoy Jeffrey’s endless optimism, organisational genius and regular offerings of delicious Chinese treats. We dragged him away from his long to-do list to answer a few questions...
How did you get started in the world of digital collections?
My interest in programming, or software engineering led me to work with digital collections. I was involved with the Greenstone project at Waikato University in Hamilton, New Zealand as part of my Master's studies, and after that I joined Veridian as a software engineer. I like coding a lot, and having the ability to design, prototype and implement a system is something I’ve enjoyed since I was young.
The greatest thing about your job is...
Our authentic working philosophy. Here at Veridian, we believe doing the right thing is the first priority and revenue is the by-product. This means we can be genuine with our marketing and our proposals and then try our best to fulfill or exceed what we've promised. It’s a great way to work as opposed to being part of a larger company driven by profit.
Veridian customers are all over the world and your office is in New Zealand. What's that like?
Awesome! It’s like having your cake and eating it too. I couldn’t ask for a better country to work in. From my desk I can see clear blue sky and a beautiful field and I get to work with people from all over the world.
I’m often asked by customers if support will be a problem with our office being based in New Zealand. I can quite comfortably say it won’t. Being in New Zealand is actually a plus! The time zone difference allows us to consider our customer inquiries while they sleep and most of the time the problem is resolved the next day when they wake up.
Who inspires you?
I am inspired by many people. My parents (for working hard), my wife (for being careful), my kendo teachers (for being persistent). I’m also inspired by my colleagues here at Veridian for their attention to detail and ability to stay calm.
What’s your best piece of advice for someone thinking about building an online collection?
Have a chat with us first. We’re happy to share our experience. We love being part of the movement to preserve the world's history so will always do our best to help.
What’s your secret talent that no one knows about?
My ability to eat a lot? Actually, I’m sure everyone here in the office knows that by now…