IT Week's Leader profile: Travelodge

What does your job entail?
I am responsible for providing technology systems to support Travelodge’s expansion plans across the UK, Ireland and Spain. I support our web site and am responsible for the delivery of IT services, the support function and the systems development agenda.

What was your first job?
After working on my dad’s ice cream van, it was as a trainee analyst programmer for Vickers Systems in Portsmouth.

How did you get into the IT profession?
I did a Manpower Services Commission course in Cobol programming and the rest, as they say, is history.

If you weren’t in IT, what would you be doing?
That’s easy, playing for Glasgow Rangers.

Which IT qualifications have proved most useful to you?
The most useful course I have ever done is in Business Studies. It taught me how to understand business at a strategic and commercial level, as well as how to interact with colleagues - something the IT crowd is not best known for.

What is the most ridiculous support request you’ve had from a user?
Why is my BlackBerry blue?

Which technology would you most like to have invented?
The Google search engine.

What has been the most over-hyped technology in the past five years?
Too many solutions looking for a problem to mention: IP telephony, CRM, RFID – I could go on. Web 2.0 is really exciting, but Web 3.0? Please.

Who has been the most influential IT vendor?
I suppose Microsoft hasn’t done a bad job.