Experience / the full career journey

A full-stack technology journey, from cable to boardroom.

I have worked through most layers of the technology estate: physical infrastructure, networks, hosting, service desk, monitoring, ITSM, systems development, BI, data architecture, application platforms, ecommerce, fulfilment, cybersecurity, compliance and senior IT leadership.

Career journey overview

Built layer by layer.

A practical progression through the technology stack, with each role widening the scope of the next.

I have built my career by moving through the layers of technology rather than skipping over them.

I started in South Africa in financial services, close to the fundamentals: servers, networks, Active Directory, Group Policy, VPNs, physical hardware, financial systems and user support. That gave me a proper grounding in how technology behaves when it is under pressure and people need it to work, not just look good on a diagram.

When I moved to the UK, I started again from the ground up in hosting and managed services. From there I progressed through Softcat's service desk, monitoring, ITSM development, BI leadership and data architecture. I learned how to turn noisy systems into useful signals, service tools into business platforms and raw data into decisions.

At simplehuman, that experience widened into full business technology leadership across IT operations, digital transformation, ecommerce, fulfilment, service platforms, integrations, cybersecurity, hybrid data, cost optimisation and team leadership. The work became less about one system and more about the whole operating model.

Alongside that journey, I built and led The Common Framework as a regulatory and risk assessment platform. The thread through all of it is simple: I like taking messy, fragmented or underused technology and turning it into something practical, scalable and useful.

Built from the ground up

I started in infrastructure, hardware, networks, servers and frontline support, which gave me a practical understanding of how technology behaves when people depend on it.

Grew through systems and data

I moved into monitoring, ITSM, systems development, BI and data architecture, learning how to turn operational noise into trusted platforms, reporting and insight.

Now leading technology as a business function

Today I shape IT strategy, cloud, data, ecommerce, fulfilment, cybersecurity, supplier value, application development and operational delivery across complex environments.

Career timeline / role by role

From hands-on infrastructure to whole-estate leadership.

The roles below show how responsibility widened: first learning how systems work and fail, then how to monitor, develop, measure, integrate and lead them.

Choose how to read the timelineFollow the journey in either direction.

Feb 2019to Present

Head of IT Operations

simplehuman · Premium consumer products, ecommerce, fulfilment and retail technology

Scope: EMEA technology function · five countries plus US users · £1.2m starting annual estate spend · executive and cross-functional stakeholders

My role grew into full ownership of business technology and IT operations across EMEA, with support extending across multiple countries and US users. It brought together infrastructure, support, data, reporting, application development, cybersecurity, service management, suppliers and commercial decision-making.

I shape the technology roadmap with leadership, operations, customer service, finance, marketing, inventory, sales and warehouse teams. The job is to understand where technology is slowing people down, where it can create a better outcome and how the change will be owned once it is live.

A major part of the role has been digital transformation across ecommerce, fulfilment and customer service. I have modernised the systems around Shopify, Amazon, FedEx, ERP, WMS, Dynamics 365, Zendesk, Gorgias and Sage 200 so that orders, customer data, service activity and fulfilment information move through the business with less friction.

I have also led cost optimisation, cybersecurity, disaster recovery and continuity work. That means balancing resilience and control with commercial reality rather than treating them as separate conversations.

Owned IT operations, infrastructure, systems, support, cybersecurity, vendor management and technology delivery.
Led a core team of eight internal staff and four contractors; wider peak delivery scope reached up to 12 internal staff and 13 contractors.
Supported onboarding and technology services for more than 1,500 users across five countries, plus US users.
Shaped the roadmap across cloud, data, ecommerce, fulfilment, service and cybersecurity.
Leading the March 2026 enterprise migration from Microsoft Entra ID, Azure, Microsoft 365 and OneDrive to Google Workspace, Cloud Identity, Google Drive and Google Cloud hosting.
Integrated Shopify, Amazon, FedEx, ERP, WMS, Zendesk, Gorgias, Dynamics 365 and Sage 200.
Helped move order fulfilment from slow batch and EDI-style processing towards real-time API-led workflows.
Built hybrid data infrastructure to improve analytics, reporting resilience and data availability.
Reduced annual IT expenditure from around £1.2m to £480k through consolidation, rationalisation and automation.
Negotiated technology contracts that saved more than £200k per year.
Replaced costly third-party tooling with more flexible internal portal and application capability.
Oversaw disaster recovery, cybersecurity and business continuity planning.
Introduced self-service and AI-assisted workflows using Azure and Microsoft Copilot technologies.

Selected technologies

Early 2019to Leadership transition

Business Intelligence / Data Contractor

simplehuman · Contractor engagement that grew into permanent technology leadership

My simplehuman journey began through BI, data and platform improvement work. It was the bridge between my Softcat BI background and the wider operational leadership role that followed.

The work focused on moving reporting towards Power BI, upgrading ageing SQL infrastructure, improving data management and creating better foundations for reporting, auditing and operational insight. As the engagement widened, so did the need to connect the data work to applications, operations and ownership.

Helped migrate reporting and BI capability towards Power BI.
Delivered more than 20 training days and workshops to support adoption and knowledge transfer.
Upgraded data platform components from SQL Server 2008 to SQL Server 2016.
Implemented backup and recovery improvements for on-premises databases.
Supported Sage 200 upgrade and data migration activity.
Created ETL processes for data management, validation and auditing.
Provided ongoing application guidance as the engagement expanded into a permanent leadership role.

Selected technologies

Jan 2018to Jan 2023

Part-time Technical Director

The Common Framework · Parallel venture · regulatory, compliance and risk assessment platform

Scope: Parallel venture · product strategy, architecture, delivery roadmap and operating ownership

Alongside my employed role, this was a technical leadership and product-build venture: turning complex regulatory and risk guidance into a digital product that people could understand and use.

I created and led the technical direction for a custom risk assessment and regulatory portal around NCSC, GDPR, corporate social responsibility and wider compliance obligations. The platform combined structured guidance, evidence capture, risk assessment, documentation and practical recommendations.

As the first technical lead, I established the processes, product foundations, self-help content and customer adoption approach needed to take the platform from an idea into something usable.

Created and owned the technical vision for a regulatory and risk assessment platform.
Designed a custom application to guide users through complex compliance requirements.
Turned dense regulatory material into structured user journeys.
Built technical processes from the ground up as the first technical lead.
Expanded the self-help documentation and knowledge library by 50%.
Supported customers through go-live, onboarding and adoption.
Organised and delivered more than 50 educational and training events.
Built the platform around evidence, controls, risk scoring and practical recommendations.

Selected technologies

Sep 2018to Feb 2019

BI & Data Solutions Architect

Softcat · FTSE 250 IT infrastructure and services provider

This was where my BI, reporting, governance and architecture experience came together formally. I was responsible for business-critical BI content, data movement, reporting applications, data strategy and the integrity of systems that collected, stored and distributed business data.

I worked from business questions rather than dashboard requests: understanding the problem, translating it into requirements, designing the solution, guiding or building the implementation, testing it and making sure it could be supported and scaled.

The role often meant moving between business analysis, project management, design, development, support and architecture. I also represented BI in customer tender conversations where account teams needed technical credibility in plain English.

Owned and maintained business-critical BI and reporting solutions.
Designed analytics, dashboards, scorecards and visual reporting from business questions.
Managed data movement from source systems through warehouses into front-end applications.
Defined standards for data validation, cleansing, integration and transformation.
Supported GDPR-aware reporting controls and secure tracking of spreadsheet-led reporting.
Worked with third-party platforms and integrated APIs.
Produced solution specifications, architecture diagrams and technical documentation.
Represented BI and analytics in customer-facing tender situations.
Designed solutions with supportability and scale in view from the start.

Selected technologies

Sep 2017to Sep 2018

BI Systems Lead / BI Systems Manager

Softcat · Sales, finance, operations and managed services reporting

I moved from ITSM and operational systems into BI leadership after building a strong reporting solution for Managed Services. The business recognised that useful reporting was already becoming a major part of my work and asked me to take that thinking across the wider organisation.

I expanded Power BI and QlikView across Sales, Finance, Operations and Managed Services, introduced row-level security and brought reporting visibility to teams that had operational systems but limited insight.

Standout work included encrypted HR reporting with controlled access to sensitive fields, and a Resource Desk solution using Exchange calendar data, PowerShell, Power Query and DAX to create live utilisation reporting and evidence for headcount decisions.

Led BI and reporting across multiple departments.
Brought Power BI into the company and built the case for wider licensing.
Built a proof of concept connected to live sales data through API and database access.
Created desktop and mobile reporting views for sales managers.
Introduced DataMarts, controlled releases and source control into the warehouse approach.
Rebuilt slow, unreliable and poor-quality sales reporting.
Created HR reporting with encrypted handling and controlled access to sensitive fields.
Created Resource Desk reporting using Exchange, PowerShell, Power Query and DAX.
Mentored reporting team members and produced architecture maps for complex solutions.

Selected technologies

May 2015to Sep 2017

ITSM Systems Developer / Senior Systems Developer

Softcat · Managed Services Operations Centre

I became the technical lead, project owner and internal developer for Softcat's ITSM toolset, supporting customer-facing and internal incident, problem and change processes across Managed Services.

I extended Sunrise and Sostenuto-style tooling with new modules for Change, Problem, Legal and Internal Security, plus bespoke customer solutions. The work combined ITIL, application development, SQL, reporting, security and user experience.

This role also seeded my BI journey. As I evolved the platform, I began reporting operational data back to leaders, first through Excel KPIs and then through more advanced SQL-based performance reporting.

Acted as technical lead, project owner and internal developer for the ITSM platform.
Designed customer and internal workflows for incident, problem and change management.
Built custom modules for Change, Problem, Legal and Internal Security teams.
Developed bespoke customer-facing service management solutions.
Built SQL views, tables, triggers and stored procedures.
Created granular performance reporting for management and directors.
Designed custom screens and interfaces using Java and HTML-style tooling.
Built data-integrity and ISO-aligned security controls.
Set up an Apache proxy with custom SSL certificates for secure access.
Created a Linux relay server for controlled mail distribution, auditing and integration.
Worked directly with the product vendor's development team and customers.

Selected technologies

Jul 2014to May 2015

Monitoring & Awareness Engineer, Tier 4

Softcat · Managed Services monitoring and operational awareness

I moved quickly from frontline support into monitoring and awareness, taking on an environment with multiple platforms, noisy alerting and limited trust in the signal coming from the tools.

I owned and improved NetIQ, Novell Operations Center, WhatsUp Gold, PRTG and SolarWinds across implementation, administration, alert design, knowledge scripts, troubleshooting and consolidation. This was where I learned observability before I would have used that word: understand what matters, tune out the noise and protect the service commitment.

Managed and developed monitoring platforms for internal systems and external customers.
Created alerts aligned to service commitments and improved proactive monitoring.
Implemented and administered NetIQ, SolarWinds, PRTG and WhatsUp Gold.
Developed monitoring rules, knowledge scripts and custom SMTP alert formats.
Consolidated damaged or poorly trusted tools into more effective platforms.
Delivered a nine-month SolarWinds transformation within the allocated period.
Tuned monitoring for Exchange, SQL, VMware, SharePoint, firewalls, routers and SAN devices.
Supported customer-site monitoring solution design.

Selected technologies

Jun 2014to Jul 2014

Service Desk Analyst

Softcat · 24/7 managed services environment

This was a short but important transition into Softcat: frontline triage and customer support in a 24/7 managed services environment.

Because of my broader technical grounding and analytical style, I moved quickly into monitoring and platform ownership. The role still matters because it kept me close to the pressure experienced by the people who have to support systems when they fail.

Supported frontline service desk operations in a 24/7 environment.
Triaged customer cases and helped resolve technical issues under pressure.
Balanced communication, prioritisation and incident handling across competing demands.
Built internal credibility quickly, leading to a move into monitoring ownership.

Selected technologies

Sep 2013to Jun 2014

Technical Support Engineer

PoundHost / Namesco · Hosting, infrastructure and customer support

This was my first UK technology role after moving from South Africa. I supported hosting customers through email, phone, tickets and face-to-face conversations in a technically broad, fast-moving environment.

The work covered server hardware, virtualisation, hosting control panels, third-party providers and infrastructure issues across day and night shifts. It sharpened both my technical problem-solving and my ability to stay calm and communicate clearly with very different customers.

Supported hosting customers across email, phone, ticketing and face-to-face channels.
Worked with third-party providers to investigate and resolve issues.
Installed, maintained, racked and cabled servers, routers and switches.
Installed memory, hard drives and RAID cards.
Configured Plesk, cPanel and DirectAdmin hosting environments.
Supported SQL Server, Hyper-V and hosting-related application issues.
Solved problems independently and as part of a multi-national support team.

Selected technologies

Mar 2011to Sep 2013

Southern Regional IT Manager / Technical Support

Debiti Data / Insig Group · South African financial services and regional branch operations

This was the start of my professional IT career. I worked across microfinance, debt collection and debt counselling businesses, beginning in hands-on support and growing into regional IT responsibility.

It was a practical environment spanning servers, networks, VPNs, financial platforms, hardware, physical cabling, users, branches, budgets and equipment sourcing. With no large enterprise team behind me, ownership meant finding a way to keep the operation moving.

The role also required Afrikaans, which I did not speak fluently at the time. I took language courses and became comfortable using conversational and technical Afrikaans within a few months. That ability to adapt has followed me throughout my career.

Supported IT across microfinance and associated financial services businesses.
Maintained and configured FTP, mail and DHCP servers.
Managed Active Directory, Group Policy and VPN networking.
Maintained physical hardware and performed repairs.
Built and mapped physical network topology, trunking, cabling and mounting.
Supported financial, credit-control and debt-analysis systems.
Sourced stock and IT supplies for regional operations.
Supported users and branches across a regional footprint.
Progressed from hands-on technical support into regional IT management.

Selected technologies

Skills map / built over time

Each phase added another layer.

The current leadership breadth is grounded in practical experience across infrastructure, operations, development, data and business platforms.

Foundation years

The physical and operational foundations of dependable IT.

Hosting & managed services

Customer-facing infrastructure support in fast-moving environments.

Monitoring & operational awareness

Turning alert noise into trusted operational signals.

ITSM & systems development

Building operational workflows, controls and insight into service platforms.

BI & data architecture

Moving from reporting delivery into governed data and solution architecture.

Senior technology leadership

Connecting technology choices to customers, operations, risk and commercial value.

The common thread

A gradual widening of responsibility.

I do not see my career as a list of job titles. I see it as a gradual widening of responsibility.

First, I learned how systems work. Then I learned how systems fail. Then I learned how to monitor them, automate them, report on them, integrate them and improve them. Eventually, the work became less about one tool or platform and more about the full business system: people, process, data, technology, suppliers, cost, security and change.

That is where I do my best work now. I like being close enough to the detail to understand what is really happening, but senior enough to shape the roadmap, challenge the architecture and make sure delivery creates something the business can actually use.