It was an absolute pleasure reporting directly to Dean as his Assistant Manager during our time at SurfEasy. Dean led the department by example and was always customer focused. Dean coached many of our subordinates and was effective in establishing a positive work environment across the team. Dean's proficient communication was a strong point for our department when collaborating on cross-functional projects or negotiating with vendors that provided services to the support team. No matter what challenge we faced as team Dean always remained positive, kind, understanding and respectful to all parties involved. During our time at SurfEasy there were many changes across the company and in our department specifically. While such changes can be a disturbance to a team or even a company as a whole, Dean was able to effectively manage the team and allowed us to transition into the next phases of the company with ease. Dean consistently strives to learn and grow in his roles whether it is through continuing education through courses or by getting involved in the next big project of interest. He consistently rises above the call of duty and exceeds expectations. I hope one day we can work together again as our past collaborations were some of my absolute favourite projects in my career. While the future may be unwritten, I know that the future for Dean will mean continued success on meaningful projects!

Dean is one of the most dedicated team members I have had the opportunity to work with. When I joined SurfEasy in its infancy, Dean was a customer support specialist. He always brought the energy into the office. It'd be wonderful to overhear Dean on a call working with our customers to troubleshoot their issues because he would be patient and understanding to their feelings. I recall once thinking to myself that if I was in his shoes, I would have lost my cool. Over the years Dean remained nothing short of loyal. Through two acquisitions, office space changes, and shakeups in the organization Dean was there undeterred and always searching for opportunities to grow. I worked with Dean for almost three years and in that time I can confidently say that he was always compassionate and understanding to not just our customers but to the changing landscape. As a manager and leader, Dean treated his reports as his equal and always looked for opportunities to support and empower them. It genuinely was my pleasure to work with Dean and watch him flourish year over year. I have no doubt that no matter where Dean decides to go next on his journey, that that organization will benefit from having Dean on their team.

When I first met Dean Johnson, he'd already been managing the delivery of SurfEasy support alone for quite some time. Given the solid performance of the team, I expected technical acumen and a strong worth ethic.. which he delivered in spades. What came as a surprise though, was just how articulate and engaging Dean is. Regardless of the topic or medium, it was always a pleasure to listen to him cover a topic or review content that he had created. I worked with Dean for over 3 years. For the first year Dean was a peer and was easy to collaborate with, reliable and always delivered quality work. After some restructuring, Dean was moved into my team and immediately fit right in. It's not an easy thing to join a team where the average tenure is over a decade, but it didn't phase Dean in the slightest. Dean was more than happy to cross train everyone on the areas he covered and in turn to be cross trained on everyone else's responsibilities. He actively sought out opportunities to learn new skills and was always looking for ways to support his team and peers. When it came to the product management of the SurfEasy product, Dean consistently represented the voice of the customer and drove well reasoned and customer-centric solutions. His approach to product management benefited both the company and our customer base. During the annual review cycle, I would ask my staff to write themselves self reviews as part of the process. I never provided any template or specific guidance about what should be included, because I felt there was something to be learned from the way people approached the task. To this day, I've never received anything that compares to Deans review and the level of introspection and self awareness he showed in it. It displayed a level of insight and self reflection that very few people are comfortable doing. Deans drive to constantly improve himself and his capacity for change and adaptation will mean success in what ever role he chooses to tackle next. I'd happily work with him again in the future, given the chance.

It was an absolute pleasure reporting directly to Dean as his Assistant Manager during our time at SurfEasy. Dean led the department by example and was always customer focused. Dean coached many of our subordinates and was effective in establishing a positive work environment across the team. Dean's proficient communication was a strong point for our department when collaborating on cross-functional projects or negotiating with vendors that provided services to the support team. No matter what challenge we faced as team Dean always remained positive, kind, understanding and respectful to all parties involved. During our time at SurfEasy there were many changes across the company and in our department specifically. While such changes can be a disturbance to a team or even a company as a whole, Dean was able to effectively manage the team and allowed us to transition into the next phases of the company with ease. Dean consistently strives to learn and grow in his roles whether it is through continuing education through courses or by getting involved in the next big project of interest. He consistently rises above the call of duty and exceeds expectations. I hope one day we can work together again as our past collaborations were some of my absolute favourite projects in my career. While the future may be unwritten, I know that the future for Dean will mean continued success on meaningful projects!

Dean is one of the most dedicated team members I have had the opportunity to work with. When I joined SurfEasy in its infancy, Dean was a customer support specialist. He always brought the energy into the office. It'd be wonderful to overhear Dean on a call working with our customers to troubleshoot their issues because he would be patient and understanding to their feelings. I recall once thinking to myself that if I was in his shoes, I would have lost my cool. Over the years Dean remained nothing short of loyal. Through two acquisitions, office space changes, and shakeups in the organization Dean was there undeterred and always searching for opportunities to grow. I worked with Dean for almost three years and in that time I can confidently say that he was always compassionate and understanding to not just our customers but to the changing landscape. As a manager and leader, Dean treated his reports as his equal and always looked for opportunities to support and empower them. It genuinely was my pleasure to work with Dean and watch him flourish year over year. I have no doubt that no matter where Dean decides to go next on his journey, that that organization will benefit from having Dean on their team.

When I first met Dean Johnson, he'd already been managing the delivery of SurfEasy support alone for quite some time. Given the solid performance of the team, I expected technical acumen and a strong worth ethic.. which he delivered in spades. What came as a surprise though, was just how articulate and engaging Dean is. Regardless of the topic or medium, it was always a pleasure to listen to him cover a topic or review content that he had created. I worked with Dean for over 3 years. For the first year Dean was a peer and was easy to collaborate with, reliable and always delivered quality work. After some restructuring, Dean was moved into my team and immediately fit right in. It's not an easy thing to join a team where the average tenure is over a decade, but it didn't phase Dean in the slightest. Dean was more than happy to cross train everyone on the areas he covered and in turn to be cross trained on everyone else's responsibilities. He actively sought out opportunities to learn new skills and was always looking for ways to support his team and peers. When it came to the product management of the SurfEasy product, Dean consistently represented the voice of the customer and drove well reasoned and customer-centric solutions. His approach to product management benefited both the company and our customer base. During the annual review cycle, I would ask my staff to write themselves self reviews as part of the process. I never provided any template or specific guidance about what should be included, because I felt there was something to be learned from the way people approached the task. To this day, I've never received anything that compares to Deans review and the level of introspection and self awareness he showed in it. It displayed a level of insight and self reflection that very few people are comfortable doing. Deans drive to constantly improve himself and his capacity for change and adaptation will mean success in what ever role he chooses to tackle next. I'd happily work with him again in the future, given the chance.

It was an absolute pleasure reporting directly to Dean as his Assistant Manager during our time at SurfEasy. Dean led the department by example and was always customer focused. Dean coached many of our subordinates and was effective in establishing a positive work environment across the team. Dean's proficient communication was a strong point for our department when collaborating on cross-functional projects or negotiating with vendors that provided services to the support team. No matter what challenge we faced as team Dean always remained positive, kind, understanding and respectful to all parties involved. During our time at SurfEasy there were many changes across the company and in our department specifically. While such changes can be a disturbance to a team or even a company as a whole, Dean was able to effectively manage the team and allowed us to transition into the next phases of the company with ease. Dean consistently strives to learn and grow in his roles whether it is through continuing education through courses or by getting involved in the next big project of interest. He consistently rises above the call of duty and exceeds expectations. I hope one day we can work together again as our past collaborations were some of my absolute favourite projects in my career. While the future may be unwritten, I know that the future for Dean will mean continued success on meaningful projects!

Dean is one of the most dedicated team members I have had the opportunity to work with. When I joined SurfEasy in its infancy, Dean was a customer support specialist. He always brought the energy into the office. It'd be wonderful to overhear Dean on a call working with our customers to troubleshoot their issues because he would be patient and understanding to their feelings. I recall once thinking to myself that if I was in his shoes, I would have lost my cool. Over the years Dean remained nothing short of loyal. Through two acquisitions, office space changes, and shakeups in the organization Dean was there undeterred and always searching for opportunities to grow. I worked with Dean for almost three years and in that time I can confidently say that he was always compassionate and understanding to not just our customers but to the changing landscape. As a manager and leader, Dean treated his reports as his equal and always looked for opportunities to support and empower them. It genuinely was my pleasure to work with Dean and watch him flourish year over year. I have no doubt that no matter where Dean decides to go next on his journey, that that organization will benefit from having Dean on their team.

When I first met Dean Johnson, he'd already been managing the delivery of SurfEasy support alone for quite some time. Given the solid performance of the team, I expected technical acumen and a strong worth ethic.. which he delivered in spades. What came as a surprise though, was just how articulate and engaging Dean is. Regardless of the topic or medium, it was always a pleasure to listen to him cover a topic or review content that he had created. I worked with Dean for over 3 years. For the first year Dean was a peer and was easy to collaborate with, reliable and always delivered quality work. After some restructuring, Dean was moved into my team and immediately fit right in. It's not an easy thing to join a team where the average tenure is over a decade, but it didn't phase Dean in the slightest. Dean was more than happy to cross train everyone on the areas he covered and in turn to be cross trained on everyone else's responsibilities. He actively sought out opportunities to learn new skills and was always looking for ways to support his team and peers. When it came to the product management of the SurfEasy product, Dean consistently represented the voice of the customer and drove well reasoned and customer-centric solutions. His approach to product management benefited both the company and our customer base. During the annual review cycle, I would ask my staff to write themselves self reviews as part of the process. I never provided any template or specific guidance about what should be included, because I felt there was something to be learned from the way people approached the task. To this day, I've never received anything that compares to Deans review and the level of introspection and self awareness he showed in it. It displayed a level of insight and self reflection that very few people are comfortable doing. Deans drive to constantly improve himself and his capacity for change and adaptation will mean success in what ever role he chooses to tackle next. I'd happily work with him again in the future, given the chance.