Get to know another of our co-founders, and our Operations Hero, Alastair, the mastermind behind the backend systems that keep Book Hero running smoothly and your orders arriving overnight across New Zealand.
Hi, I’m Alastair. My mission at Book Hero? Build systems to make the impossible possible. I architect and build - physically and digitally - across every part of the business. The goal is simple: do things once, do them properly, and make them so clear that someone else can carry them forward without friction.
My day usually starts early. When I wake up, I check any system errors that came through overnight. I have only had to change my running plans because of this once… but we don’t talk about Black Monday...certainly not in front of Dylan.
If I’m not out for a run, I’m in the warehouse before most of the team arrive, wandering the shelves with my first coffee in hand looking for improvements. There is usually a good half hour of peace before the office fills up. At that point I either need a shower after my run, or I’m two to three coffees deep.
My go-to is a long black. No sugar. No distractions.
One of the most satisfying parts of my day is seeing the 4pm orders shipped and ready for next-day delivery. That moment where everything has flowed properly through systems we built from scratch. In fact, customers might be surprised to learn that some of our most critical software did not even exist 12 months ago. I custom built the software for Book Hero to enable us to scale our operations quickly, to the point where we can now ship in excess of 2,000 books a day without any trouble.
My go-to is a long black. No sugar. No distractions.
In what may be his most impressive systems achievement yet, Alastair has successfully recruited all of his siblings into Book Hero. The Burns family expansion has been so seamless it almost feels strategic - although we are still determining whether this was careful workforce planning or simply high level persuasion executed over boardgames and coffee.
Alastair is also Book Hero’s resident handyman and network engineer, single handedly assembling most of our flat pack furniture and designing and configuring the office and warehouse network from the ground up. He quietly takes care of the practical details too, including managing our recurring New World order for office snacks and essentials - although in a rare delegation success, he has recently managed to hand that responsibility to one of his sisters (good luck Amelia).
Challenges? N+1 queries. The solution? Refactor.
People sometimes think I do sales. I don’t. I used to say I don’t do marketing either… but here we are. These days I also feature in our Instagram reels, which may be the greatest evolution of my role so far.
If I could teach the team one life skill, it would probably be high performance CPR. Outside of work, running is the constant. I “read” mostly via audiobooks while training - shout out to James Marsters narrating Jim Butcher. I use the term read loosely. There are not enough hours in the day otherwise.
If a customer asked me for one must-read recommendation, it would be The Martian by Andy Weir. Smart, funny, problem solving under pressure. Unsurprisingly.
When it comes to workspace vibes, it’s loud music, and depending on the time of day and who’s already in, I may or may not sing along karaoke styles. If Book Hero were a movie set, it would probably be Dunkirk. Controlled intensity. Coordinated chaos. Everything depending on timing.
And what am I most excited about this year? Continuing to build systems that help the team move faster, smarter, and more confidently as we scale. We have ambitious plans for 2026 and I’m excited to play my part turning them into reality.
Switch off from Book Hero mode?
Switch off???
