1 : WHAT DO YOU DO ?
A : Managing director of business software at razorblue .
2 : WHO HAVE YOU WORKED FOR IN THE PAST ?
A : Following a short stint in civil engineering I changed careers back to IT .
3 : BEST PART OF YOUR JOB ?
A : Seeing the success and growth of our clients due to the solutions we provide and playing a key role in the continued growth of the razorblue group .
4 : IS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT YOUR JOB THAT YOU REALLY DON ’ T LIKE ?
A : Always balancing the desire to play with the newest technology against the risk of doing so – many concepts do not scale to last long term .
5 : FAVOURITE THING ABOUT AYCLIFFE BUSINESS PARK AND THE LOCAL COMMUNITY ?
A : Every time I meet someone that works for a company on Aycliffe Business Park it ’ s clear how proud they are to be a part of such a large and diverse community . It always feels like the companies support each other which is great to see and something we love being a part of .
6 : WHICH COMPANY / INDIVIDUAL ON THE PARK DO YOU DO THE MOST WORK WITH ?
A : I am currently working closely with ALM Products to complete a business transformation project . We are working with managing director Tony Thompson and other members of the team to ensure a successful journey .
7 : WHO ’ S YOUR TIP FOR FUTURE SUCCESS ?
A : Any company that is investing in people and processes to improve their business ’ efficiency . The pandemic has been an eye-opener for many businesses , evidencing that they need to be more proactive and those who are choosing to look forward are most likely to succeed .
8 : FOUR FAMOUS PEOPLE YOU ’ D LOVE TO HAVE ROUND FOR DINNER AND WHY ?
A : It would be good to have the Grand Tour trio round for dinner - that would certainly be a good evening ! I ’ d also like to meet up with the YouTuber Tom Scott , whose entertaining , factual story-telling style makes learning anything interesting .
9 : IF YOU COULD DO SOMETHING ELSE IN BUSINESS , WHAT WOULD IT BE ?
A : As clichéd as it sounds , I really do enjoy what I do right now . If I was to do anything else , it would probably be a combination of adventure and creativity .
10 : WHO ’ S YOUR FAVOURITE TWEETER ?
A : I don ’ t use Twitter but I enjoy scrolling through Instagram . I mainly follow travel photographers . There is a Norwegian photographer , Kasper Hoglund , who was travelling the Northern Fjords last winter .
11 : HAVE YOU EVER DONE ANYTHING REALLY DARING ?
A : I recently bought a puppy . The idea of having to consider his needs was certainly daunting but I love him to bits .
12 : WHAT ’ S THE BEST PIECE OF BUSINESS ADVICE YOU ’ VE BEEN GIVEN ?
A : Spend as much time thinking about what you will do if it all goes to plan as you do worrying about what you will do if it doesn ’ t .
13 : IF MONEY WAS NO OBJECT , WHAT WOULD BE YOUR IDEAL CAR ? A : I would have a few ! A Range Rover for practicality through the week and a Porsche 911 for the weekends .
14 : MONEY NO OBJECT , YOUR DREAM HOLIDAY WOULD BE ?
A : There are so many amazing places in the world , but I would really like to go on a long road trip around Europe staying in luxury hotels and taking landscape photographs .
15 : DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE BAND OR TYPE OF MUSIC ?
A : There isn ’ t much music I don ’ t like – it all depends on what sort of mindset I am in . At the moment I am listening to a lot of ambient background music to break the silence in quiet offices .
16 : WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT ?
A : Starting and growing a business from the ground up , most definitely . I joined razorblue to work on internal systems , but we soon realised that there was a real opportunity not only to build a business , but to benefit businesses around us . It ’ s been an exciting journey !
17 : HOW WOULD YOU BEST DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN FOUR WORDS ?
A : Inquisitive , dedicated , considerate and a problem-solver .
18 : WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN FIVE YEARS ?
A : Continuing to lead razorblue ’ s software services division with a bigger team and more presence across the UK .
19 : WHO ’ S THE MOST FAMOUS PERSON YOU ’ VE EVER MET ?
A : The photographer Joe Cornish – not an A-list celebrity but certainly a North-East icon . I spent a day on one of his workshops taking landscape photographs . It was great to spend time with such a master of their craft and many of the techniques I learnt that day I still go back to time and time again .
20 : DO YOU HAVE ANY GUILTY PLEASURES ?
A : Domino ’ s ( the pizza , not the game !).
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 7