Tell us a bit about yourself.
I live in Crowthorne in Berkshire, I’m married to Michelle who is HR Director for an American Petrochemical Company, and we have a daughter Daisy who is 13, but thinks she’s 22 sometimes.
How did you get started in cybersecurity?
My ‘IT’ journey started in 1995 when I joined Hewlett Packard. Before then, I’d clearly not known what I wanted to do, as evidenced by the fact I’d worked at Smithfield Market, several marketing/advertising companies, plus a stint working in lithographic printing, aligned to the record industry.
From 1995 till now, having started my IT career as a HPUX engineer, I eventually realised (quite quickly) that I wasn’t smart enough to pursue a career as a technician, so I moved into various management, senior management, and director roles.
Having left HP after 10 years, I worked for companies such as City Link , De La Rue, plus a Reading-based MSP.
During my time at De La Rue, my team provided IT and project support on the new £5 polymer note, where, on several occasions, I had the privilege of meeting Mark Carney, who at that time was the Governor of the Bank of England. Little did I/we know then that he would end up as the Canadian Prime Minister.
The experience I gained in the world of global currency and identity protection stood me in good stead, and really helped drive my interest into the world of cybersecurity, and my subsequent career choices have been far more aligned to that segment.
What’s your role at BlueFort and what does it involve?
My role is Head of Service Delivery, and I lead a team of fantastic technical security experts. Together, we help drive customer engagement across a portfolio of security products which has developed over time to include pre- and post-sales activities.
What do you love about your job?
Throughout my career, the fond memories I always take with me are the people I work with. The team here at BlueFort are fantastic; they care about the quality of services we provide, and are highly customer-focused.
The role itself has a lot of variety, and cybersecurity is genuinely an interesting area to work within. The diversity involved is what keeps you interested and on your toes. We work with some fascinating clients and vendors, all with one common goal – to protect the integrity of everything that we do.
What do you get up to outside of work?
Most of my time outside of work is spent with my immediate family, in particular, my wife and daughter. We are very lucky because we all get on and enjoy each other’s company. Aside from holidays and general activities, we go to lots of concerts and shows together. I even ‘endured’ Harry Styles (twice), and more recently Sabrina Carpenter, but I always get my revenge by dragging them both along to random, some might say weird concerts!
I love football, and it has provided me and my family with a lot of incredible experiences over the years. I played for Maidenhead United and other local football clubs up until the age of 21, when I had to stop as a result of poor health. I guess the pinnacle for me happened at 14, when I was signed by Reading FC and joined their youth set-up. Two of my school friends and fellow team members at Reading ended up playing in the Premier League. They were evidently a lot better than me. I’ve been a lifelong Chelsea supporter, including back in the ‘dark days’ when they were basically rubbish.
My Father was also a football coach and worked at Woking, Farnborough, St. Albans City, and Yeovil Town over a 30+ year career, which included 3 winning FA trophy finals at Wembley Stadium. As a family, we were very proud of him and rode on his coattails of success for many years.
What does the future hold?
For me personally, well let’s see how the journey continues. I’m not usually someone who looks too far into the future. For my family and friends, I hope for good health and lots of happiness, and Chelsea winning the Premier League again one day would be nice too.
For BlueFort, with the path we are on and the people we have at the helm, I only see growth and success.
