1. What do you do? I’ m the Principal of UTC South Durham, the new technical school for 14-19-yearolds on the business park. It’ s a fantastic privilege to have been able to set the UTC up from scratch, build a cracking team of staff and work with talented young people from the region.
2. Who have you worked for in the past? I started my career as an engineer for ICI Chemicals on Teesside and had a good five years with them as technical engineer and project manager. I then moved to Gemini Consulting, in London as a business consultant. It was extremely interesting to see a wide range of industries, from heavy engineering to telecoms, retail and financial services. I then trained to be a design and technology teacher in London and found my vocation. My first job was in a school of 2,500 girls in south London with 40 different first languages. I then moved back home to the North East with my family and settled in Northumberland.
3. Best part of your job? Watching our students grow in confidence. It’ s fantastic to see them talking about their experiences and to hear such positive feedback from business leaders and their parents.
4. Is there anything about your job that you really don’ t like? Trying to remember everything! With 250 emails a day and terrible organisation skills, I live in fear of forgetting important meetings and missing deadlines. Apologies to everyone who’ s been on the receiving end of those.
5. Favourite thing about working on Aycliffe Business Park? I had a wonderful year based at the Xcel Centre before the UTC opened. Kerina Clark and the team were brilliant landlords and it was a great place to meet lots of enthusiastic business leaders who wanted to help the UTC succeed.
6. Which company / individual on the park do you do the most work with? Hitachi, as our founding sponsor, have been brilliant. They are growing fast and have a lot to manage but their level of support for the UTC has been superb.
7. Who’ s your tip for future success? That’ s easy. We have 140 14 and 16-year-olds who are going to have a huge impact on the business park and beyond as future employees.
8. Four famous people you’ d love to have round for dinner and why? That’ s tricky – I’ m not sure I’ d want four famous people round at the same time! If I’ m allowed them in pairs then probably Owen Jones, the very interesting left-wing thinker and Vince Cable, MP for an interesting evening of politics and social justice. Two designers I find inspiring are Thomas Heatherwick and Zaha Hadid, the Iraqi-born architect who sadly died this year so I guess won’ t be available for dinner; I would love to understand the way they think.
9. If you could do something else in business, what would it be? Furniture design. At various points in the past I’ ve thought about setting up a small business making bespoke furniture. It took me over a year to make a cot for my son and he was six months old when it was finished so I realised it wasn’ t as easy as it seems. One day, maybe …
10. Who’ s your favourite Tweeter? Tweeting is one of the things I do occasionally and spend the rest of the time feeling guilty about( see answer to question 4). I can’ t say I have a favourite.
11. Have you ever done anything really daring? I once bungee-jumped into a river in South Africa; I was soaking from the waist up! Now, I cycle to work from Durham down the A167 – some of the trucks heading to the business park get very close.
12. What’ s the best piece of business advice you’ ve been given? The most useful advice was the worst I was given. Early in my career a senior executive coach told me that I needed to change my hair and my car if I was going to be successful in the company; I left that year, realising that I needed to find a much more meaningful career with people whose values I shared.
13. If money was no object, what would be your ideal car? Audi RS5 probably. But it’ s not something I think about much as I’ ve chosen the wrong profession to make the money …
14. Money no object, your dream holiday would be? A few months’ trekking in Nepal and Tibet with my wife, Caroline. I’ ve been to the Himalayas before but it was a bit rushed. I’ d love to go up to Everest Base Camp and visit Buddhist monasteries.
15. Do you have a favourite band or type of music? Tom Waits and Elvis Costello – I love that type of alternative blues and so do my boys now as I sing them to sleep( badly). At least I hope they do.
16. What is your greatest achievement? To be honest, opening the UTC last September and watching our students develop over our first six months. It has such potential to help young people make great career choices and help businesses grow.
17. How would you best describe yourself in four words? Tall, forgetful, principled Principal
18. Where do you see yourself in five years? I hope I’ ll be leading a group of UTCs as the concept expands further.
19. Who’ s the most famous person you’ ve ever met? I played rugby with and against a lot of international players. I was once dumped on my head in the mud by Jason Leonard, England’ s most capped player, who picked me up, apologised and bought me a drink afterwards.
20. Do you have any guilty pleasures? Magnums( the ice-cream). One every night, two if I’ m working late, very occasionally three. Probably very greedy but I’ ve convinced myself it doesn’ t count if they are all different flavours.
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 31
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1. What do you do? I’ m the Principal of UTC South Durham, the new technical school for 14-19-yearolds on the business park. It’ s a fantastic privilege to have been able to set the UTC up from scratch, build a cracking team of staff and work with talented young people from the region.
2. Who have you worked for in the past? I started my career as an engineer for ICI Chemicals on Teesside and had a good five years with them as technical engineer and project manager. I then moved to Gemini Consulting, in London as a business consultant. It was extremely interesting to see a wide range of industries, from heavy engineering to telecoms, retail and financial services. I then trained to be a design and technology teacher in London and found my vocation. My first job was in a school of 2,500 girls in south London with 40 different first languages. I then moved back home to the North East with my family and settled in Northumberland.
3. Best part of your job? Watching our students grow in confidence. It’ s fantastic to see them talking about their experiences and to hear such positive feedback from business leaders and their parents.
4. Is there anything about your job that you really don’ t like? Trying to remember everything! With 250 emails a day and terrible organisation skills, I live in fear of forgetting important meetings and missing deadlines. Apologies to everyone who’ s been on the receiving end of those.
5. Favourite thing about working on Aycliffe Business Park? I had a wonderful year based at the Xcel Centre before the UTC opened. Kerina Clark and the team were brilliant landlords and it was a great place to meet lots of enthusiastic business leaders who wanted to help the UTC succeed.
6. Which company / individual on the park do you do the most work with? Hitachi, as our founding sponsor, have been brilliant. They are growing fast and have a lot to manage but their level of support for the UTC has been superb.
7. Who’ s your tip for future success? That’ s easy. We have 140 14 and 16-year-olds who are going to have a huge impact on the business park and beyond as future employees.
8. Four famous people you’ d love to have round for dinner and why? That’ s tricky – I’ m not sure I’ d want four famous people round at the same time! If I’ m allowed them in pairs then probably Owen Jones, the very interesting left-wing thinker and Vince Cable, MP for an interesting evening of politics and social justice. Two designers I find inspiring are Thomas Heatherwick and Zaha Hadid, the Iraqi-born architect who sadly died this year so I guess won’ t be available for dinner; I would love to understand the way they think.
9. If you could do something else in business, what would it be? Furniture design. At various points in the past I’ ve thought about setting up a small business making bespoke furniture. It took me over a year to make a cot for my son and he was six months old when it was finished so I realised it wasn’ t as easy as it seems. One day, maybe …
10. Who’ s your favourite Tweeter? Tweeting is one of the things I do occasionally and spend the rest of the time feeling guilty about( see answer to question 4). I can’ t say I have a favourite.
11. Have you ever done anything really daring? I once bungee-jumped into a river in South Africa; I was soaking from the waist up! Now, I cycle to work from Durham down the A167 – some of the trucks heading to the business park get very close.
12. What’ s the best piece of business advice you’ ve been given? The most useful advice was the worst I was given. Early in my career a senior executive coach told me that I needed to change my hair and my car if I was going to be successful in the company; I left that year, realising that I needed to find a much more meaningful career with people whose values I shared.
13. If money was no object, what would be your ideal car? Audi RS5 probably. But it’ s not something I think about much as I’ ve chosen the wrong profession to make the money …
14. Money no object, your dream holiday would be? A few months’ trekking in Nepal and Tibet with my wife, Caroline. I’ ve been to the Himalayas before but it was a bit rushed. I’ d love to go up to Everest Base Camp and visit Buddhist monasteries.
15. Do you have a favourite band or type of music? Tom Waits and Elvis Costello – I love that type of alternative blues and so do my boys now as I sing them to sleep( badly). At least I hope they do.
16. What is your greatest achievement? To be honest, opening the UTC last September and watching our students develop over our first six months. It has such potential to help young people make great career choices and help businesses grow.
17. How would you best describe yourself in four words? Tall, forgetful, principled Principal
18. Where do you see yourself in five years? I hope I’ ll be leading a group of UTCs as the concept expands further.
19. Who’ s the most famous person you’ ve ever met? I played rugby with and against a lot of international players. I was once dumped on my head in the mud by Jason Leonard, England’ s most capped player, who picked me up, apologised and bought me a drink afterwards.
20. Do you have any guilty pleasures? Magnums( the ice-cream). One every night, two if I’ m working late, very occasionally three. Probably very greedy but I’ ve convinced myself it doesn’ t count if they are all different flavours.