FEATURE
After graduating from Teesside University with a degree in business studies , David started work as a local enquiry officer with Business Link Tees Valley , liaising with business clients and giving them basic advice .
Again , he was helping people find their way , and his success led to him being promoted to business adviser to the tech community in 2004 .
“ Helping people to start a business is such a positive place to be because they ’ ve got an idea , they ’ re excited , full of hope , and it ’ s infectious ,” he explains .
When Business Link was hit by redundancies in 2011 , David took the opportunity to move into the education sector , selling training for Redcar and Cleveland College – a role that gave him the opportunity to be commercially creative .
For example , after the major fire in 2005 at the Buncefield oil storage facility led to a renewed international focus on health and safety , Teesside chemical manufacturer , SABIC , needed a tech solution to evidence its ongoing commitment to training and competence . David came up with the answer and it ended up being sold not just to SABIC but nationwide in partnership with Cogent Skills .
He went on to become head of business development at the college , before spending a year with the Tees Valley Combined Authority as a business consultant , and then on to his current role at Teesside University with DigitalCity five years ago .
Highlights since then have included designing and executing the SCALE business growth programme – a game-changer for many tech companies – and launching the Investor Readiness Programme . In addition , he ’ s a non-executive director for Booking Live – a company providing booking software solutions .
“ To be recognised as an ambassador for the tech sector is amazing because it reinforces the passion I ’ ve always had for banging the drum for the world-class talent we have ,” he says .
David cites the example of video game developer and publisher Double Eleven , which is led by founder and CEO , Lee Hutchinson , and employs the creative talents of Kevin Mann – winner of the Unsung Hero category at the Tees Tech Awards .
“ When Lee came along and said he wanted to build one of the biggest games companies in the world on Teesside , I believed him – and we need more entrepreneurs with that kind of bold ambition ,” he says .
Tim Ward , co-founder and CEO of Stockton-based Opportuni , also falls into that category , having developed leading technology to make it easier for small and mediumsized companies to win public sector contracts .
“ The Tees Valley has huge opportunities at the moment .”
“ There ’ s no doubt that Opportuni has the potential to be a global phenomenon ,” predicts David . eCommerce software and digital marketing agency Visualsoft , founded by Dean Benson – the subject of a previous Tees Business cover story – handles more than £ 1bn of orders annually .
And Strelitzia Software – a Darlington-based company providing innovative solutions for UK and international floristry clients – is cited by David as another local company that has developed a niche with “ huge potential ”.
These are just a few of the Tees tech sector ’ s many success stories , but there are hundreds of smaller digital businesses he has helped to develop from start-ups .
There is much to be proud of and excited about , but David insists there can be no resting on laurels .
“ We ’ ve come a long way but there ’ s more for us to do ,” he says . “ We need to open up people ’ s perspectives and stop operating in silos . We need different rivers of thinking , and to work together more , so that instead of seeing competitors as enemies , we see them as potential partners .
“ The Tees Valley has huge opportunities at the moment , with everything that ’ s happening through the combined authority , especially Teesworks , and the relocation of Treasury jobs , and it would make me immensely proud if I could play a part in the renaissance of the area .”
He will always be committed to his beloved Teesside , where he lives with his wife , Nicola , and their children , Emily , 15 , and James , 11 . But he also has a burning ambition to make a personal impact beyond his home patch through a business launch of his own one day .
“ There ’ s a feeling inside that I won ’ t be satisfied until I do something that has the potential to have an impact worldwide ,” he declares .
An idea ’ s been brewing for nearly 10 years but , for now , he ’ s keeping the details to himself . Mum ’ s the word .
30 | Tees Business