About Us

Meet the Zahara team

Founder & CEO

martin

peirce

Martin loves his gadgets and is a technologist through and through. He started out programming his BBC Micro back in the 80's and had a love of computing ever since. His experience with document management and invoice processing in more recent years resulted in him designing Zahara. As a lifelong Chelsea fan, Martin knows how to manage expectation. He's has no sporting ability whatsoever, but is a passionate motorcyclist, lover of dogs and keen traveller.

Finance Director

jonathan

lee

Jonathan is Zahara’s finance director and has a long history as an FD with software businesses including spending ten years with the Planit Group which developed and distributed brands like Edgecam, Alphacam, Radan, amongst others. He now works with a number of businesses on a portfolio basis however, with his financial background, Zahara is closest to his heart. He enjoys walking and once ran a walking holiday business in southern France. He is also a keen foodie and collector of cookbooks!

head of support

stephen

carr

Stephen is the head of support at Zahara Systems, with a decade of experience in making systems work.

Steve hails from South Africa where he cut his teeth as a support technician before working his way to be a network and IT systems administrator. He is self-disciplined, motivated and a firm believer that all problems are solvable with patience, logic and frequently just sheer willpower. He is a keen fitness enthusiast, enjoys casual gaming and has a slight obsession with Formula One racing.

Technical Manager

nick

hedley-harper

Nick has had many roles within the company. He started an entry-level position back in 2012, straight out of university, and has risen through the ranks to become Martin's wingman. It is highly likely that you will speak to Nick at some point as he is an expert in Zahara and Invoice processing solutions.

With Martin's influence, he has become a keen motorcyclist but also enjoys Target/Clay pigeon shooting and spending time with his wife and daughter.

Business Manager

john

witty

John has spent more years in the IT industry than he cares to admit, but has fond memories of the dot-com bubble. With a career starting as an Engineer, he has worked for some of the largest IT companies in the industry, and joined Zahara in 2018 to help grow the company to new heights. Outside the office he’s a sporting enthusiast - windsurfer at heart - and currently the President of Bath CC, probably the oldest cycling club in the country.

Senior Software Developer

james

godden

James has been onboard with Zahara since its inception, and is the head of development at Zahara Systems, and is a real stickler for well tested code. Leading the internal development team, he tackles every project with calm professionalism, encouraging the team to find the best ways to do things.

In his spare time he plays Minecraft, reads a lot of sci-fi, and explores the rich cultural diversity that is his home town of Brighton.

Project Engineer

carl

spring

Starting with the company in 2016 as our primary support engineer, working through the ranks with his strong coding & analytical skillset. Working with Carl is nothing if not memorable, he bolsters optimism. He enjoys spending time with his Wife, little border terrier dog (Chester) and coding in his spare time. He is happiest most, when sat watching a cinematographic masterpiece (like 'Road to Perdition') with his little family.

Project Engineer

mat

hellings

Mat has a keen eye for programming and a keen ear for AI. He loves the power that coding gives a person and is always trying to put that power in the hands of others.

Bristol born, bread and fed; He keeps the team moral high with his Bristolian accent and general West-Country covers of songs. Travels everywhere on his skateboard and at his best, can solve a Rubik's Cube in 52 seconds.

ux designer

anthony

brooks

Having spent 8 years in hospitality and retail management, including 4 years selling doughnuts for Krispy Kreme, Ant switched focus to software 6 years ago. Joining Zahara in January 2019, he now looks after all things user focused. All ways looking to add strings to his bow, he is currently learning to code.

Ant is also a keen sportsman, skiing and football being his sports of choice. He has spent 2 seasons living and skiing in Canada.

Zahara concierge

ruth

whittaker

Ruth joined Zahara in October 2018 as a customer support and onboarding engineer. She brings a wealth of customer care experience gained in data management in education, hotel management and estate agency. When not working Ruth enjoys travel and is currently learning Spanish and has an ambition to walk the Camino de Santiago. She will go the extra mile to make sure Zahara onboarders and users have a world class experience.

Support Engineer

jenna

moore

Jenna is the shortest member of the Support team at Zahara. She has worked in various customer support roles over the years, in particular working with backup and financial software. She enjoys helping people and problem solving. When Jenna isn't exploring the world, she enjoys musical activities, dancing, philosophy, throwing things and has a love for all things Middle Eastern.

Support Engineer

harry

witt

Harry has enjoyed dismantling (and fixing) gadgets since childhood and even won his first laptop in a competition aimed at familiarizing the elderly with technology.

Harry is one of the Support Engineers at Zahara, combining years of experience in both IT and customer service roles in order to assist keeping Zahara, and its customers, working.

During his free time, you can find Harry gaming, tinkering with gadgets, and living vicariously through his friend's dogs.

Marketing Executive

jordan

butler

Jordan joined us in January 2020 to optimize our marketing strategy and help with managing incoming leads. You will likely get a call from him if you fill out our contact form. Jordan spends his free time either playing cricket or golf, watching Formula 1, or playing with his two dalmatians, Leia and Luke. Yes, he is a Star Wars fan.

Fantastic solution, ticks all our boxes and more. The approval process in Zahara has given us more control and better visibility of spend.

Martin Burnell, IT Services Manager, BA Holidays

Most flexible purchase order software out there. Flexibility speed integration with other systems. Continuous improvement adaptability, ease of use.

Fraser Stride, Finance Director, CITU

Simple and easy to use and set up. Fantastic, fast customer service and support with flexibility and openness to new ideas. Simple email notifications to approvers enabling easy approval of requests when out of the office. Generation of professional looking purchase orders.

Kirsty Morrison, SmartWater Technology Ltd

Need Any More Information?

Do you have any questions about how Zahara can help your business?
Get in contact with our sales team.