Our Team
Aran J
CEORole description: I keep an eye on all the plates we’ve got spinning, work with team leaders to make sure projects are on track, talk to potential partners and lead on methodology.
Time with SSi: I’m one of the co-founders of the company – we formed as a company in 2010 after launching our first course in 2009. We released the first course 4 days before my daughter was born, which in hindsight wasn’t a particularly fine piece of scheduling.
Languages: I speak English and Welsh, and I can hold enjoyable conversations (with plenty of entertaining mistakes) in Spanish and French. I’ve a fair amount of Italian, Arabic, and German, but not enough to hold a conversation. I can also say ‘I want to watch the football at the weekend’ in Manx, which would be more helpful if I liked football.
Interesting fact about Aran: I’ve swum with dolphins in New Zealand, ridden a horse through a herd of zebras in Zimbabwe, driven from Seattle to New York, lived in Germany, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Zimbabwe and Dubai, I used to own a royal python called Dylan and I’m passionate about meditation.
Catrin J
Marketing and CommunicationsRole description: I assist a creative agency in improving our company profile. I provide interesting content for our social media platforms and website and encourage learners to get involved in our forum community.
Time with SSi: I’m one of the co-founders of SSi and spent some years volunteering before officially coming on board in 2019
Languages: Welsh, English and a small smattering of Spanish
Interesting fact about Catrin: I enjoy the challenge of fine art drawing and the freedom of walking in the hills. I can stand on my head and love a good karaoke. I used to be a full time nanny to the rich and famous and I’m currently writing my second Welsh novel.
Catrin Rh
Office ManagerRole description: I run the SSi office. I develop and implement new administrative systems, look after SSi clients and process invoices and salaries. My skill set is administration based, so I’m often responding to random queries, which keeps me on my toes and my job interesting.
Time with SSi: Since July 2021
Languages: Welsh and English
Interesting fact about Catrin: I was instrumental in establishing a Rowing Club in Moelfre, Ynys Mon (Anglesey) that now boasts 48 members! From day to day I work from a recording studio which I share with my hubby who’s a musician!
Deborah M
Tutor and Learning Support ManagerRole Description: My main role is giving daily support to Welsh and Spanish learners via email, Slack and the SSi forum as well as running intensive learning days. I also lead online Q&A sessions and write the weekly newsletter. I’m one of the organisers of SSiW’s Online Eisteddfod and Welsh Bootcamps.
Time with SSi: I began learning Welsh with SSiW in 2009, started volunteering in 2010, I then became part of the team in 2015.
Languages: English, Welsh, Esperanto, Spanish, a little French, German and Japanese, and I’m currently learning Basque
Interesting Fact about Deborah: I’ve been a nomad for most of my life – I’d lived in 5 different houses and 2 different countries by the age of 5! I now live in the Basque Country, and given the amount of hard work and dedication that goes into learning Basque, I’m not planning on throwing that away by moving again!
Dr Joanne P
Chair of the BoardRole description: I’m mainly responsible for leading the board and contributing to strategic planning
Time with SSi: I have been with the company since the summer of 2021
Languages: English and French
Interesting fact about Joanne: I hold first (BSc Joint Hons Medical Cell Biology and Biochemistry) and second degrees (PhD, Dept of Medicine) from the University of Liverpool. Walks in nature feed my soul, particularly in North Wales and I indulge my creative side with painting.
Ivan B
Developer and Systems AdministratorRole description: I maintain SSi’s network and server infrastructure, write backend and frontend software, and provide second-line technical support to learners.
Time with SSi: I started at the very end of 2013, though before that I’d been a member of the SSi community since January 2010.
Languages: Native English, fluent in Welsh and French, conversational in German and Esperanto, mostly-passive Spanish and Italian. I’ve held very basic conversations in Swedish and Manx in the past, but probably couldn’t do so anymore. I’ve dabbled in Finnish, Japanese, Polish and Mandarin, but couldn’t string a real sentence together to save my life.
Interesting fact about Ivan: I often enjoy learning about things by creating my own versions of them. As such, my hobbies include writing music, designing and implementing retro computers, and devising constructed languages!
Jeff L
Director of TechRole description: I’m mainly responsible for overall tech strategy, management of tech portfolio including SSiBorg, and oversight of developers
Time with SSi: I started volunteering in about 2015, starting with improving the quality of audio recordings, I then moved into volunteer course production (Welsh and especially Spanish), then became an official part of the company in 2019.
Languages: French, dabbled in German, I’ve picked up some Spanish while producing the course, and of course: Welsh!
Interesting fact about Jeff: In my spare time, I’m a musician: drummer first and have a nice collection of Ghanaian hand drums, a singer second and saxophonist a distant third (I have a tenor, an alto and a soprano sax, but at this point I fear that I can’t really play any of them!
Kai S
Work Based Learning coordinatorRole description: I’m the main contact for everything regarding Work-Based Learning, I cover online group sessions with Welsh learners when Deborah and Nia are unavailable, and I help with our education pilot. I’m also currently working with Faye on improving the way we share information within the company. I’m very flexible so I’m generally available to help wherever it’s needed in the company.
Time with SSi: I have been volunteering with SSi since 2017, getting involved in a wide array of tasks. In 2019 when I moved to Wales full time, my involvement with the company intensified and in 2021 I officially became part of the team.
Languages: Welsh, Finnish, English and Italian. I’ve also dabbled in some Swedish, Spanish and Mandarin.
Interesting fact about Kai: I had always planned on studying maths or physics at university, but at some point I stumbled across the Welsh language and fell in love with it. I soon became immersed in Welsh culture and developed a passion for Welsh literature, so I changed my mind and ended up applying for a different degree course.
Nia Ll
Learner SupportRole description: I organise and take part in daily group chats with SaySomethinginWelsh members in Slack. I support learners needing help as they work their way through the SSiW course. Through online and in-person activities I work at enriching our learners’ language learning journeys with Welsh culture and heritage. I also run weekly Welsh Speaking Practice sessions and I’m one of the organisers of SSiW’s Welsh Bootcamps.
Time with SSi: I’ve been working for SaySomethinginWelsh for over four years. I originally became involved when Aran reached out to the Welsh speaking community seeking volunteers to chat with learners, then there was no looking back.
Languages: Welsh and English, and I’m learning Irish.
Interesting fact about Nia: I run a Welsh postcard exchange club with my friend Aled who’s a postcard fanatic. I love working part time behind the bar in my local community run pub – a perfect role for me as my favourite hobby is talking! I also have an elderly Jack Russell called Sam who has become quite famous as he’s had books written about him in Welsh.
Nick P
Non Executive DirectorRole description: I oversee partnerships and marketing.
Time with SSi: I officially joined in the Summer of 2021, but I had previously been introduced to the company by Global Welsh in 2019 – at the height of the Covid pandemic!
Languages: English and French and I’ll be starting my SSiWelsh course this year!
Interesting fact about Nick: As a complete sports nut I have been lucky enough to attend many football, rugby and cricket World Cup finals – unfortunately, though, none of them featuring a Welsh team! But who knows what the future may bring.
Richard B
DeveloperRole description: Industrial Placement. I am currently doing an MSc at Aberystwyth Uni – studying such things as Learning Path Optimisation and Large Language Models. I’m joining SSi for a year from June ‘23, as part of a Placement in Industry on that course. So, I’m ‘here to help’!
Time with SSi: I was an SSiW ‘in-car student’, Jan 2018, after discovering the course at the back end of 2017. I whipped through the course at the beginning of 2018, when I was driving around and as someone who felt ‘rubbish at languages’, I was amazed by the whole approach and hugely impressed by its effectiveness.
Languages: I did some French and Welsh at school – the world didn’t catch fire! During the back end of COVID (2022) I decided to sit the Uwch3 exam, but I didn’t realise at the time that this was 3 years worth of material from the evening classes! We had two exams in the morning and two in the afternoon, with a 5 min comfort break between them, in order to get them done all in one day! It went well and It was really interesting to compare the ‘conventional’ course to SSiW.
Interesting fact about Richard: I have two rescue dogs who love Aberdyfi beach and come to Uni with me everyday. I was born in Brecon. My father was Welsh first language but my mother was from London, so we never spoke it as a family. I used to be a rock star – well, I have a photo of me playing at Llangynidr Rock Festival when I was seventeen – that counts, doesn’t it?
Rob A
Software EngineerRole description: I write codes and programs. I build AutoMagic for iOS, which includes writing the code that produces the ‘faces’ video content.
Time with SSi: I joined in January 2022
Languages: English, Welsh
Interesting fact about Rob: I moved to North Wales in 2017 and immediately started learning Welsh with SSi. I fell in love with the whole concept of SSi and became keen to be involved with the company. I’m a dog owner and keen walker and I’ve just bought myself a welding machine!
Tom C
Head of Education & Special ProjectsRole description: I focus on applying the SSi methodology to language learning in schools, starting with Welsh for English-medium schools and developing English for Tamil-, Sinhalese- and Mandarin-medium schools.
Time with SSi: I started creating experimental SSi programmes in 2016 with Portuguese and Chinese. I officially joined the company in May 2021.
Languages: Spanish, a reasonable amount of Chinese and French and I’m working on Welsh, Portuguese and German
Interesting fact about Tom: I have 8 children, I play jazz piano and I’ve written books on problem-solving published in 6 languages.