I’ve been a bad bad boss. As our regular readers will know, we hold a little vote each month to identify our QuirkStar of the Month. Said QuirkStar is then paraded proudly on our blog. With the craziness of trips to Kenya and our office move, however, I’ve let a month slip. I know - I suck.

Better late than never as they say, so without further ado, I’d like to hold a few QuirkStars up to the shining light of excellence.

In June we had a first in our QuirkStar of the month competition - a draw! The two lucky winners (as chosen by the team), were Santi van Zyl and Gavin Dale.

Santi started at Quirk in 2003 and has genuinely become a part of the Quirk furniture. No one is actually sure what exactly Santi does, we just know that if she’s not around life isn’t as good. From client service to PA to just being the office MOM (as she puts it), Santi is the quintessential QuirkStar. Santi is known for her hugs and massages and her regular stream of cutesy emails bearing can haz photos of cats and puppies. It can be a lot to handle, but as many have said before, she is one of the things that makes Quirk, quirky.

In particular I want to thank Santi for all the work she has put in (and continues to put in) around our Cape Town office move. Shifting 50 people whilst avoiding expensive down time is not an easy task. But it’s one that Santi handled with aplomb and today we sit in our shiny new office as proud as can be. Santi, you rock!

Gav joined us in 2005 as a designer and I think he is long overdue in getting this accolade. I wouldn’t say Gav is your average creative. He is a quiet, uncomplicated guy who goes about his day with minimal fuss and the occasional well timed dodgy joke.  He is also a husband, proud father and a surfer wannabee. Gav is Mr. Consistent. One could almost call him the Ashwell Prince of the Quirk team and that is what has won him this award. You can always rely on Gav to deliver and in a crazy agency filled with a never ending stream of deadlines, that’s exactly what we need.

One of the brightest Java developers you will ever meet, Jean du Plessis, or Jlo as he’s more affectionately known to the team, is an extraordinary fellow. He is the current QuirkStar of the month. He’s characterised by his eagerness and a work ethic which always puts the team first. Whilst it may require a chocolate bribe, you can always count on Jean to get the job done, day or night. 

Jean joined us in 2006 and is one of the best examples of someone who truly gets the Quirk ethos. We are a democratic agency and Jean embraces this as much as any other. He is always there to keep me on my toes and remind me that, as our current staff president, he can stage a coup at any time that may tumble my leadership. He says these things in jest, but at his heart Jean is a guy who wants to work in a place that is fair, fun and successful and he pushes the leaders of Quirk to make sure this happens. As I said, it keeps me on my toes, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

To all three of you wonderful QuirkStars, thank you for all the hard work you put into Quirk. You guys make it all worthwhile for me.

Also Check Out:

• QuirkStar of the Month - Louw Swart