IT Week's leader profile

What does your job entail?
Tactical and strategic management of all our airline’s IT delivery and support. Our team is responsible for all office technology infrastructure, as well as airport systems in our lounges in Luton, New York and Dubai, and operational systems such as flight and crew planning. Innovation is critical in our business and we turn our small size to our advantage.

What was your first job?
Assistant manager in a leisure centre in west London

How did you get into the IT profession?
The company that provided and maintained the booking administration system to the leisure centre offered me a job. I spent seven years travelling the country installing and supporting over 40 systems across the country.

If you weren’t in IT, what would you be doing?
I’d be a photographer or a professional golfer

Which qualifications have proved most useful to you?
Real-life business experience has always proved more useful than any training I have been given. I would argue my business and management training has actually been more useful than any IT training I have undertaken as it has allowed me to understand business pressures much better.

Which web sites do you have bookmarked at work?
TED.com, gantthead.com, CIO.com and the sites of our various competitors.

How often do you check your BlackBerry?
Too often.

Which person do you most admire in the IT industry?
Anyone who challenges the status quo and innovates, while keeping their head – and their job!

Which recent IT news item do you think will have the biggest impact on your organisation?
Although the airline industry receives a disproportionate amount of attention and criticism for the impact it has on the environment, there is no doubt we have a role to play in reducing overall greenhouse gases. The industry clearly accepts this responsibility and is investing heavily in researching new fuel and material technologies that will allow aircraft to fly more efficiently.