What does your job entail?
Understanding how the business earns its money, how the various parts of the organisation operate together to form the whole unit, and how the technical infrastructure may efficiently support and enhance the business. I am responsible for building a strategy for technology that maps into the business strategy as a whole, and for owning and executing that strategy.
What was your first job?
A paper round at £1 a week.
How did you get into IT?
I loved experimenting with electrical components at school, and one thing led to another.
If you weren’t in IT, what would you be doing?
Herding llamas in Mongolia.
What qualifications have proved most useful to you?
In my experience, there is no substitute for the school of hard knocks and a passion for what you do. I know of no qualification that has any meaning when compared to experience and a love of what you do to earn a living. The ability to build and maintain relationships and take disappointments on the chin without letting your head drop is vitally important in an environment where perfection is impossible and the demands to be perfect are extreme.
Which person do you most admire in the industry?
My boss, of course.
Which technology has been the most influential and in what way?
There seems to be a level of underlying fear in our society today that was unimaginable 40 years ago. The response, at a technology level, is a massive increase in security and controlling technology. It has expanded way beyond most people’s expectation, has spawned many ancillary and supporting technologies, and is destined to continue its rapid growth, probably for the long term.
Is now a good time for people to come into the IT profession?
If someone loves working with technology, and using it to enhance their colleagues’ working experience by delivering and supporting technology, then there is never a bad time for people to join in.
