My JourneyProfessional Bio <:
A Lifelong Dialogue with Technology
I began my career as a data analyst programmer with the Scottish NHS, trusted to extract and structure complex datasets to support parliamentary questions (the kinds of topics MPs dig into during committee sessions). From wrangling hand-written records to preparing data for statistical modelling, I quickly discovered a guiding principle: when data is well understood, it becomes a tool of insight, influence, and actions.
That belief has shaped every chapter of my career. I transitioned into commercial insurance, where I led the design of a marine aviation underwriting solution for global insurers. As a team lead, I have mentored junior analysts and developers whose work became so valued that business units deferred projects until my team was available. Later, as Data Dictionary Administrator and DBA, I was recognised by ICL for pioneering data dictionary-driven approaches to define data ownership and lineage—well ahead of the data governance curve.
I then joined Racal Telecom (which became Vodafone during my tenure), contributing to early GSM standards and building the first commercially launched GSM rating engine. That success led to two decades of global telecoms work, designing and deploying BSS/OSS-layer systems for Vodafone, Virgin Mobile, BT, Three, Deutsche Telekom, and others. My blend of conceptual clarity and delivery focus made me the go-to for projects where complexity, ambiguity, or cross-team tensions threatened success.
As the telecom wave matured, I broadened my scope—delivering transformation initiatives across banking, insurance, utilities, and the public sector with firms like KPMG and Atos. Since 2009, I’ve worked independently, specialising in ERP transformation, data architecture, systems integration, and regulatory alignment.
Across industries and decades, one truth has held: data is the golden key—the bridge between commercial needs, operational reality, and technical execution. I help organisations unlock their full value.
Today, I’m a systems thinker with a pragmatic streak—combining deep expertise in data architecture, ERP, and cloud transformation with a lifelong curiosity that ranges from traditional artisanship to modern AI. I work across layers—technical, operational, and philosophical—connecting the big picture with hands-on precision.
Whether I’m untangling a data model, reshaping governance, or challenging a lazy metaphor, I believe in clarity, usefulness—and the occasional well-placed joke. Good ideas are forged in dialogue. I aim to help both humans and machines think better, not just faster.
Click on 'Road I travelled button' below ⬇️
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🎓 Drop down of Academic Foundations (click to expand)
You could say I was hands-on with tech before it was cool. My academic journey didn’t follow the traditional conveyor belt—it evolved alongside the technology itself, rooted in applied skills and layered with systems thinking, strategic management, and a fair amount of curiosity.
💾 SHND – Computer Data Processing (1984) – Heriot Watt
Where Batch Jobs met Databases
Earned at a time when computers were the size of wardrobes and legacy (heritage) systems relied on punched cards, this HND grounded me in the fundamentals of software, logic, and system design—on platforms that roared rather than purred.
The learning was hands-on, pragmatic, and unapologetically procedural. Before we had GUIs, we had grit.
| Subject Area | Topics Covered |
|---|---|
| Programming Languages | COBOL, PASCAL, BASIC — real typing, real debugging |
| Systems Analysis & Design | Structured analysis, data flows, waterfall in its natural habitat |
| Data Processing Techniques | Batch processing, magnetic tape, file formats, punch card legacy |
| Database Systems | Hierarchical models, early relational concepts, index-based design |
| Operating Systems & Hardware | Virtual machines ICL ME29, VAX, IBM System/32 (5320) — when uptime really meant something |
| Mathematics & Logic | Boolean algebra, discrete maths, logic gates, algorithmic thinking |
| Business Applications | Payroll, stock control, invoicing — tech with a job to do |
| Communication Skills | Report writing, flowcharts, diagrams that meant something |
Looking back, this was the beginning of a lifelong habit: building systems people could trust, and translating between the blinking cursor and the boardroom.
🖥️ Scottish Advanced Diploma (Post-HND) – Computer Studies (1985) – Heriot Watt
From technician to designer: the bridge between coding and architecture.
Awarded by SCOTVEC (now SQA), this post-HND programme deepened the SHND foundations with structured methods, data modelling, and real-world delivery. Less “how to code this” and more “how to design it so the business can live with it.”
| Subject Area | Topics Covered |
|---|---|
| Structured Methods & Analysis | SSADM-era practices, DFDs, ER modelling, written specifications |
| Database Systems | Relational design, normalisation (1NF–3NF), schema design, query optimisation basics |
| Software Engineering & Quality | SDLC management, version control discipline, test planning, QA gates, documentation |
| Operating Environments | Minis/mainframes to emerging micros; batch to online transaction processing |
| Business Applications | Finance, stock control, payroll — building systems that actually ran the shop |
| Data & File Management | File organisations, indexing, backup/restore, operational controls |
| Capstone Project | End-to-end design & build, stakeholder sign-off, delivery artefacts |
In short: translating business intent into working systems — without leaving scars.
📘 BSc (Hons) First Class – Heriot Watt & Open University
Computing, Innovation & Systems Thinking
Built on credit transfer from my SHND in Computer Data Processing (1984), this degree was completed by exploring modern systems and sustainable innovation through:
- T306 – Managing Complexity: A Systems Approach
- T307 – Innovation: Designing for a Sustainable Future
This wasn’t about chasing trends. It was about understanding how systems behave, how to change them responsibly, and how to keep technology honest.
🧠 Postgraduate Diploma – Computing for Commerce & Industry – Open University
Where Engineering Met Enterprise
This diploma blended the practical with the strategic. I focused on how to deliver software, manage projects, and build systems that humans could actually use.
| Module | Year | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Software Engineering (M880) | 2002 | Design, development, testing |
| Project Management (M865) | 2001 | Planning, risk, delivery |
| Java for Networked Apps (M874) | 2000 | Early web software foundations |
| Foundations of Senior Management (B800) | 1996 | Leadership and strategic thinking |
| Human–Computer Interaction (PMT607) | 1994 | Usability, interaction design |
| Relational Database Systems (M866) | 1993 | Normalisation, SQL, design logic |
🎓 MBA – Technology Management – Open University
Where Tech Meets the Boardroom
The MBA brought it all together. It gave me the tools to talk tech with C-suite execs without losing sight of delivery on the ground. Less jargon, more clarity. Less fluff, more function.
| Module | Year | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| The Technology Management Project (T842) | 1997 | Real-world leadership in tech |
| Strategic Management of Technology (T841) | 1997 | Aligning innovation with strategy |
| Technology Management: An Integrative Approach (T840) | 1997 | Governance, transformation, systems |
| Foundations of Senior Management (B800) | 1996 | Leadership and strategic thinking |
| Human–Computer Interaction (PMT607) | 1994 | Still relevant. Still misunderstood. |
| Relational Database Systems (M866) | 1993 | Before data was ‘big’, it was relational. Still is. |
🏭 Building on Academic Foundations (click to expand)
🏥 Scottish NHS — Data for Accountability
| Narrative | Project management: delivery leadership, stakeholder alignment, QA. Data: architecture, modelling, and platform execution. Structured and extracted complex datasets to answer parliamentary questions, establishing the groundwork for statistical modelling within the data pipeline — and supporting public accountability. Recognised the need to speak two “dialects”: one for business audiences and another for algorithmic, technology-focused specialists. |
|---|---|
| Meta | Project management; Data architecture; QA lead; Stakeholder alignment |
💼 Commercial Insurance — Underwriting Engine
| Narrative | Project management: led delivery. Led marine aviation underwriting engine; mentored a high-performing team. Developed dual “dialects” for business and technical audiences; saw how clear, well-commented code accelerates understanding. |
|---|---|
| Meta | Project management; Data architecture |
📊 Data Governance Pioneer (ICL)
| Narrative | Project management: governance. Recognised for pioneering DDS use to define data ownership and lineage — precursors to modern data governance. |
|---|---|
| Meta | Project management; Data architecture |
📡 Telecoms (Racal → Global Operators)
| Narrative | Project management: led delivery. Developed the first commercial GSM rating engine; helped shape early GSM standards; led BSS design and international rollouts (Vodafone, Virgin, BT, Deutsche Telekom). Defined the GSM TAP procedure for roaming settlements. |
|---|---|
| Meta | Project management; Data architecture |
🔌 Billing Vendors
| Narrative | Project management: led delivery. Devised and led large-scale BSS integrations using EAI tools (e.g., Tibco); enabled start-up and incumbent transformation. |
|---|---|
| Meta | Project management; Data architecture |
🏢 KPMG & Atos
| Narrative | Project management: led delivery. Delivered enterprise data solutions and systems integration across sectors. Conceived BSS integration for Virgin Mobile; led billing integration for Three’s UK launch. |
|---|---|
| Meta | Project management; Data architecture |
🏭 EDF Energy — Senior Project Manager, Data Architecture & Integration
| Narrative | Project management: scope & definition alignment. Delivered regulatory-aligned data architecture and integration to improve grid reliability and compliance. Aligned asset, network, and operational data to support market reforms, outage response, and reporting. |
|---|---|
| Meta | Project management; Data architecture; Stakeholder alignment |
⚡ National Grid — Data Architecture & Integration
| Narrative | Led S/4HANA divestment data architecture—set the data perimeter and carve-out baseline to build a separate Gas estate, QA’d designs, and aligned stakeholders with visual metaphors/NLP; approach later reused for Electricity. |
|---|---|
| Meta | Project management; Data architecture; SAP S/4HANA; Star schema; NLP summaries; Divestment / carve-out; QA lead; Stakeholder alignment; Carve-out baseline; Gas IT estate; Artefact reuse for Electricity |
🛠️ Independent Consultant — ERP & Data (2009–present)
| Narrative | Project management: governance. Template-driven ERP rollouts, pragmatic data architecture, and privacy-by-design. Known for landing touchless P2P, sensible governance, and realistic roadmaps. |
|---|---|
| Meta | Project management; Data architecture |
🌐 Multilayer Expertise — Strategy ⇄ Detail
| Narrative | Project management: delivery leadership, stakeholder alignment, QA. Data: architecture, modelling, and platform execution. Bridge strategy to nuts-and-bolts: turn aspirations into diagrams, metrics, and plans people can follow — then keep score. |
|---|---|
| Meta | Project management; Data architecture; QA lead; Stakeholder alignment |
🏦 Lloyds Bank — PRA “Intolerable Harm”
| Narrative | Project management: led delivery. Led team for PRA “intolerable harm” compliance. Trained on ServiceNow CMDB; built Splunk/cloud-native prototype to analyse ITSM data. (Narrative truncated in source.) |
|---|---|
| Meta | Project management; Data architecture |
My Guiding Principles — Short & Sharp (click-2-expand)
🏢 Tech Adopters Already Have the Brains
Most organisations already have the talent and know-how to turn data into insight—they just need the structure, not a sermon. The skills are already in the building. For proof, visit the finance department at month-end; you’ll see data innovation is already business as usual.
☁️ Cloud, AI/ML = Just the Latest Kit
AI, ML, and cloud aren’t magical—just the latest wave of off-the-shelf tooling. Think of them as today’s spreadsheet: useful, but not mystical. New acronyms, same goal: clarity.
🧮 AI/ML It’s Just Matrix Maths — Done Faster
AI/ML cloud services are brilliant at one thing: smashing matrices together at speed. That’s where the magic lies—not in the branding. Think less “sorcery,” more “linear algebra at scale.”
🧰 Start With the Structured Stuff
Begin where you’re strong: structured and semi-structured data. Tame the known beasts before chasing shadows in unstructured realms. Sort your spreadsheets before your sentiment scores.
👥 T-Shaped Teams Are the Engine
T-shaped teams—those with depth and cross-functional stretch—deliver better and faster results with more staying power. Empower them, don’t outsource them. Wider shoulders deliver broader outcomes.
🍒 Unstructured Data Is Dessert
Don’t start with unstructured data. Add it once the basics work. Like a cherry—it belongs on top, not the plate. Save the sprinkles till the cake’s baked.
🧑💼 Consultants Have Their Place
External consultants can help, but don’t let them displace the people who already understand your data. Familiarity beats frameworks. Bring them in for perspective—not possession.
🎯 Where I Fit In
I bridge the gap between technical delivery and organisational reality—across data, cloud, and AI/ML. I don’t reinvent the wheel; I get it rolling. I make data work—without the drama.
Not Your Typical Consultant — T-Shaped, Not Typecast
I am a T-shaped consultant: deep in data and delivery, with the scars (and stories) to prove it. I’ve spent decades working across industries, tech stacks, and transformation programmes—long enough to know that most problems don’t fit neatly into one lane
- 🔧 30+ years solving (and fixing) enterprise data puzzles
- 🔍 Background across telecoms, utilities, finance, public sector
- 🧭 Agile PM with a strong grip on data and a working fluency across tech stacks
- 📦 Designed real solutions that actually got used
- 🧠 Speak fluent business and fluent tech
- 🎓 MBA ensured I have credible financial and marketing literacy
- 😏 Trusted for strategic clarity, honest dialogue, and cutting through complexity
Common Headaches I Help Solve
- “Our reporting is useless.” Probable Cause: Inconsistent data sources, poor ETL logic, and no trusted data definitions.
- “We’re migrating to a new platform and drowning.” Probable Cause: Underestimated data complexity, missing integration patterns, and unclear ownership.
- “Nobody trusts the data.” Probable Cause: No single source of truth, no data governance, and conflicting business rules.
- “The integration map makes no sense.” Probable Cause: Years of point-to-point fixes, no architectural oversight, no source control or documentation.
- “We don’t even agree on what success looks like.” Probable Cause: No aligned value measures, unclear vision, and missing stakeholder alignment.
Let’s Make IT Work for You
If you’re looking for someone who can untangle complexity with experience, empathy, and a bit of edge—get in touch.