What does your job entail?
Staff, project and technology management in the UK. Staff and project management in Germany, with particular emphasis on the streamlining and sharing of pan-European processes, and the use of our outsourcing partner.
What was your first job?
Secretary – I learned how to type, very useful!
How did you get into the IT profession?
I was working for a local authority planning department and bored to tears. A vacancy circular came round for a computer programmer on a Sperry/Univac 90/30, for anyone who can remember that far back. I think I got the job because I would take £40 per week and anyone with experience wanted £60, and because I was willing to do the operations work in the morning and programming in the afternoon.
If you weren’t in IT, what would you be doing?
I’ve been doing an IT-related job for 30 years now so that’s not an easy one to answer. If I was retired, I’d be spending more time riding, dog-walking, gardening and reading, and I’d maybe pick up a musical instrument again. But I suppose it would be project management of one sort or another.
Which IT qualification or training course has proved most useful to you?
The best technical courses I ever attended were those that used to be run by IBM software engineers.
Which web sites do you have bookmarked at work?
I don’t distinguish between work and home. Google, British Airways, BBC Weather and Oracle MetaLink are some of them.
How often do you check your BlackBerry?
You mean my Toshiba Portégé G500 Smartphone! It tells me when it’s got something to say. But I do turn it off before going to bed.
Which person do you most admire in the IT industry?
Frank Soltis [IBM iSeries chief scientist].
Which technologies have had the biggest impact on your working life?
Broadband and 3G.
