Founder and Director

• May 2015 - Present

ChallengeCurve helps organisations embrace innovation and transformation with confidence and courage by designing and implementing customised quality assurance strategies. We ensure the right practices are executed at the optimum moment. We believe that quality assurance is more than just about techniques and tools it is about applying the right verification and validation throughout the development lifecycle, challenging each component against the business goals. ChallengeCurve helps organisations embrace innovation and transformation with confidence and courage by designing and implementing customised quality assurance strategies. We ensure the right practices are executed at the optimum moment. We believe that quality assurance is more than just about techniques and tools it is about applying the right verification and validation throughout the development lifecycle, challenging each component against the business goals.

QA and Test Manager (via ChallengeCurve)

• Jan 2021 - Sep 2022

Working as part of an international team, ChallengeCurve is helping to bring to market a new and ambitious banking entrant. Working as part of an international team, ChallengeCurve is helping to bring to market a new and ambitious banking entrant.

QA and Test Manager

• Sep 2019 - Mar 2020

Technology Risk Consultant at M&G Prudential (via ChallengeCurve)

• Oct 2018 - Sep 2019

Founder

• Sep 2012 - Dec 2018

Founder of a software development company that has developed an innovative sales qualification and bid management platform. The competition to win business is getting tougher and clients are increasingly putting work out for formal tender to ensure they get best value from the marketplace. Winning new clients is going to get harder and being an incumbent supplier doesn’t mean you’re going to get business on a silver platter. Organisations have to step up to the challenge… Show more Founder of a software development company that has developed an innovative sales qualification and bid management platform. The competition to win business is getting tougher and clients are increasingly putting work out for formal tender to ensure they get best value from the marketplace. Winning new clients is going to get harder and being an incumbent supplier doesn’t mean you’re going to get business on a silver platter. Organisations have to step up to the challenge of being able to respond to formal tenders and competitive proposals faster and more efficiently. Responding to a formal tender or proposal will call upon a lot of effort from not only your sales team but also from your operations staff, your subject matter experts and back office personnel. veeuuFinder manages the bid management/tender response process. Core features such as integrated workflow, document management and knowledge base help to ensure that your tender responses are produced in an efficient and timely manner. Show less Founder of a software development company that has developed an innovative sales qualification and bid management platform. The competition to win business is getting tougher and clients are increasingly putting work out for formal tender to ensure they get best value from the marketplace. Winning new clients is going to get harder and being an incumbent supplier doesn’t mean you’re going to get business on a silver platter. Organisations have to step up to the challenge… Show more Founder of a software development company that has developed an innovative sales qualification and bid management platform. The competition to win business is getting tougher and clients are increasingly putting work out for formal tender to ensure they get best value from the marketplace. Winning new clients is going to get harder and being an incumbent supplier doesn’t mean you’re going to get business on a silver platter. Organisations have to step up to the challenge of being able to respond to formal tenders and competitive proposals faster and more efficiently. Responding to a formal tender or proposal will call upon a lot of effort from not only your sales team but also from your operations staff, your subject matter experts and back office personnel. veeuuFinder manages the bid management/tender response process. Core features such as integrated workflow, document management and knowledge base help to ensure that your tender responses are produced in an efficient and timely manner. Show less

QA and Testing Management Consultant (via ChallengeCurve)

• Mar 2018 - Jul 2018

Responsible for creating the overall Quality Assurance and Testing strategy for a new UK challenger bank. The scope of the strategy encompasses all the layers of the banking solution - people, processes, technologies and infrastructure. Responsible for creating the overall Quality Assurance and Testing strategy for a new UK challenger bank. The scope of the strategy encompasses all the layers of the banking solution - people, processes, technologies and infrastructure.

Quality Assurance Lead

• Jul 2017 - Dec 2017

Lead a small team responsible for defining and implementing the overall assurance strategy for the creation of a new digital banking platform. This involved extensive liaison with most departments of 10x including the executive management team, business proposition leads, legal and partnerships teams, business readiness team and technical architecture & engineering teams. The strategy was presented to the 10x management team as well as to 10x's first client. Implementation of the… Show more Lead a small team responsible for defining and implementing the overall assurance strategy for the creation of a new digital banking platform. This involved extensive liaison with most departments of 10x including the executive management team, business proposition leads, legal and partnerships teams, business readiness team and technical architecture & engineering teams. The strategy was presented to the 10x management team as well as to 10x's first client. Implementation of the assurance strategy involved the creation of an associated risk-matrix which determines the breadth and depth of assurance activities required to mitigate risk. The assignment involved conducting a number of "deep-dive" reviews upon core elements of the new platform and presenting the findings/ recommendations to key internal and client stakeholders. Due diligence was also conducted upon a number of specialist 3rd party service providers. Other notable activities included: * Creation of an innovative risk dashboard as part of a proof of concept using NEO4J's GraphDB technology * Contribution towards a 3rd party due diligence matrix * Use of ChallengeCurve's Agile Maturity Assessment guide Show less Lead a small team responsible for defining and implementing the overall assurance strategy for the creation of a new digital banking platform. This involved extensive liaison with most departments of 10x including the executive management team, business proposition leads, legal and partnerships teams, business readiness team and technical architecture & engineering teams. The strategy was presented to the 10x management team as well as to 10x's first client. Implementation of the… Show more Lead a small team responsible for defining and implementing the overall assurance strategy for the creation of a new digital banking platform. This involved extensive liaison with most departments of 10x including the executive management team, business proposition leads, legal and partnerships teams, business readiness team and technical architecture & engineering teams. The strategy was presented to the 10x management team as well as to 10x's first client. Implementation of the assurance strategy involved the creation of an associated risk-matrix which determines the breadth and depth of assurance activities required to mitigate risk. The assignment involved conducting a number of "deep-dive" reviews upon core elements of the new platform and presenting the findings/ recommendations to key internal and client stakeholders. Due diligence was also conducted upon a number of specialist 3rd party service providers. Other notable activities included: * Creation of an innovative risk dashboard as part of a proof of concept using NEO4J's GraphDB technology * Contribution towards a 3rd party due diligence matrix * Use of ChallengeCurve's Agile Maturity Assessment guide Show less

Interim Non-Functional Banking Consultant at Tandem Bank (ChallengeCurve)

• May 2016 - Dec 2016

Interim Non-Functional Banking Consultant Tandem Bank May 2016 – Present |London, United Kingdom Hello. We’re Tandem. Wouldn’t it be nice if banks did well when you do well, instead of making money at your expense? People’s relationship with money is broken, and despite a lot of big promises and nice looking adverts, we don’t see banks actually doing anything to fix it. But we all deserve something better, we deserve a good bank. So we’re building one!… Show more Interim Non-Functional Banking Consultant Tandem Bank May 2016 – Present |London, United Kingdom Hello. We’re Tandem. Wouldn’t it be nice if banks did well when you do well, instead of making money at your expense? People’s relationship with money is broken, and despite a lot of big promises and nice looking adverts, we don’t see banks actually doing anything to fix it. But we all deserve something better, we deserve a good bank. So we’re building one! And with our official Bank of England banking licence proudly in hand. So what does this good bank look like? - It only does well when you do great - It actively helps you avoid money pitfalls like overdrafts and missed payments - It constantly finds you savings and helps you get more from your hard-earned money - It’s seamless and instant, available anytime, anywhere - It lives to solve your problems, with a techie brain and a human heart Want to help us build it? We’ve got loads more brilliant positions for brilliant people. So go on, get in touch. Whether you’re in the banking world and dreaming of a new dawn for the industry, or you’re from a different sector and want to disrupt the biggest undisrupted sector in the UK Show less Interim Non-Functional Banking Consultant Tandem Bank May 2016 – Present |London, United Kingdom Hello. We’re Tandem. Wouldn’t it be nice if banks did well when you do well, instead of making money at your expense? People’s relationship with money is broken, and despite a lot of big promises and nice looking adverts, we don’t see banks actually doing anything to fix it. But we all deserve something better, we deserve a good bank. So we’re building one!… Show more Interim Non-Functional Banking Consultant Tandem Bank May 2016 – Present |London, United Kingdom Hello. We’re Tandem. Wouldn’t it be nice if banks did well when you do well, instead of making money at your expense? People’s relationship with money is broken, and despite a lot of big promises and nice looking adverts, we don’t see banks actually doing anything to fix it. But we all deserve something better, we deserve a good bank. So we’re building one! And with our official Bank of England banking licence proudly in hand. So what does this good bank look like? - It only does well when you do great - It actively helps you avoid money pitfalls like overdrafts and missed payments - It constantly finds you savings and helps you get more from your hard-earned money - It’s seamless and instant, available anytime, anywhere - It lives to solve your problems, with a techie brain and a human heart Want to help us build it? We’ve got loads more brilliant positions for brilliant people. So go on, get in touch. Whether you’re in the banking world and dreaming of a new dawn for the industry, or you’re from a different sector and want to disrupt the biggest undisrupted sector in the UK Show less

Sales Director

• Sep 2014 - Jan 2015

Delivered a new Sales and Marketing strategy in line with the board's objectives of doubling annual revenue within a 2 year period. Testing Solutions Group specialises in assuring successful outcomes for business critical programmes. We’ve been in business since 2002, during which time we’ve developed a brand and reputation as: • A capable and trusted partner that provides business with confidence in its testing programmes; • A recognised innovator of change to improve… Show more Delivered a new Sales and Marketing strategy in line with the board's objectives of doubling annual revenue within a 2 year period. Testing Solutions Group specialises in assuring successful outcomes for business critical programmes. We’ve been in business since 2002, during which time we’ve developed a brand and reputation as: • A capable and trusted partner that provides business with confidence in its testing programmes; • A recognised innovator of change to improve capability, time to market and quality of systems delivered to provide solutions for business; • A recognised industry leader though our work with ISO 29119, the ISEB, ISTQB & iSQI testing certification bodies and at conferences worldwide. For us, it’s about business assurance and outcomes, not just testing. TSG has been recognised as a point of excellence over the last 12 years, for many blue chip companies such as IBM, Fujitsu, Bank of England, FCA/FSA, The Royal Bank of Canada, Linklaters LLP and countless others in the UK. We have also supported client programmes in the USA, Hong Kong, Hungary, Portugal and Australia. Show less Delivered a new Sales and Marketing strategy in line with the board's objectives of doubling annual revenue within a 2 year period. Testing Solutions Group specialises in assuring successful outcomes for business critical programmes. We’ve been in business since 2002, during which time we’ve developed a brand and reputation as: • A capable and trusted partner that provides business with confidence in its testing programmes; • A recognised innovator of change to improve… Show more Delivered a new Sales and Marketing strategy in line with the board's objectives of doubling annual revenue within a 2 year period. Testing Solutions Group specialises in assuring successful outcomes for business critical programmes. We’ve been in business since 2002, during which time we’ve developed a brand and reputation as: • A capable and trusted partner that provides business with confidence in its testing programmes; • A recognised innovator of change to improve capability, time to market and quality of systems delivered to provide solutions for business; • A recognised industry leader though our work with ISO 29119, the ISEB, ISTQB & iSQI testing certification bodies and at conferences worldwide. For us, it’s about business assurance and outcomes, not just testing. TSG has been recognised as a point of excellence over the last 12 years, for many blue chip companies such as IBM, Fujitsu, Bank of England, FCA/FSA, The Royal Bank of Canada, Linklaters LLP and countless others in the UK. We have also supported client programmes in the USA, Hong Kong, Hungary, Portugal and Australia. Show less

Client Director

• Feb 2014 - Sep 2014

Certeco is a UK based business technology change company specialising in IT Planning, Programme Management, Business Analysis, Quality Management and Testing. Certeco’s services enable companies to plan, analyse, manage, test and deliver enterprise change programmes, ensuring the systems are ‘fit for purpose’ before implementation in a ‘live’ business environment. Certeco is one of the fastest growing IT Services Company in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 2013. Certeco is a UK based business technology change company specialising in IT Planning, Programme Management, Business Analysis, Quality Management and Testing. Certeco’s services enable companies to plan, analyse, manage, test and deliver enterprise change programmes, ensuring the systems are ‘fit for purpose’ before implementation in a ‘live’ business environment. Certeco is one of the fastest growing IT Services Company in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 2013.

Director

• Jan 2010 - May 2012

I was promoted to Director of Market responsible for the Profit and Loss account of one of three UK business sectors. My role included the strategy, leadership and management of a sales and delivery team that included up to 200 QA and Testing consultants. The key focus of the role was the on-going business development and delivery management of a portfolio of industry sectors that included Retail Financial Services, Telecoms, Healthcare, Utilities and Travel & Leisure. In 2011, I… Show more I was promoted to Director of Market responsible for the Profit and Loss account of one of three UK business sectors. My role included the strategy, leadership and management of a sales and delivery team that included up to 200 QA and Testing consultants. The key focus of the role was the on-going business development and delivery management of a portfolio of industry sectors that included Retail Financial Services, Telecoms, Healthcare, Utilities and Travel & Leisure. In 2011, I secured the largest ever deal within SQS with an £8M deal for a 12 month contract with Centrica for Testing services on their SAP and Smart Metering programmes. This consisted of an onshore/offshore delivery model. Out of some 20 business units within the SQS Group, my business unit was the most successful by contributing approximately 25% of the Group's profit. Key clients included: Centrica, Lloyds, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, SSE and BUPA. Author of the “Top 10 Software Bugs of the Year” initiative which is used to highlight the impact that software defects can upon the customers, the reputation and the finances of major institutions and companies. This initiative is now a regular industry feature in a variety of trade and industry journals.

Associate Director of Sales

• Sep 2003 - Jan 2010

SQS is an independent Quality and Software Testing consultancy. My role was to win and maintain new clients within the Retail Financial Services, Travel & Leisure and Telco sectors. I consistently exceeded my (ever-increasing) targets and helped pioneer a number of new service lines. I successfully won new clients which included Barclays, Bright Grey, British Airways, British Library, Cable and Wireless, Lloyds Banking Group and Visa. Speaking assignments included Agile… Show more SQS is an independent Quality and Software Testing consultancy. My role was to win and maintain new clients within the Retail Financial Services, Travel & Leisure and Telco sectors. I consistently exceeded my (ever-increasing) targets and helped pioneer a number of new service lines. I successfully won new clients which included Barclays, Bright Grey, British Airways, British Library, Cable and Wireless, Lloyds Banking Group and Visa. Speaking assignments included Agile Testing at the DSDM Conference and the “Politics of Testing” at the Iqnite conference.

IT Architect

• Apr 1995 - Mar 2003

Portrait Software (formerly AIT) was a leading and pioneering CRM company that specialised in creating solutions for the Financial Services sector. Technical architect and team lead working within the CRM product team. Author and designer of the workflow and process modelling engine that formed a core competent to the CRM product suite. Transitioned to Presales Manager and helped to win several £multi-million contracts with major UK and international financial services… Show more Portrait Software (formerly AIT) was a leading and pioneering CRM company that specialised in creating solutions for the Financial Services sector. Technical architect and team lead working within the CRM product team. Author and designer of the workflow and process modelling engine that formed a core competent to the CRM product suite. Transitioned to Presales Manager and helped to win several £multi-million contracts with major UK and international financial services organisations. Clients included Lloyds, Nationwide, NRMA, KeyBank and Komerční Banka. Show less Portrait Software (formerly AIT) was a leading and pioneering CRM company that specialised in creating solutions for the Financial Services sector. Technical architect and team lead working within the CRM product team. Author and designer of the workflow and process modelling engine that formed a core competent to the CRM product suite. Transitioned to Presales Manager and helped to win several £multi-million contracts with major UK and international financial services… Show more Portrait Software (formerly AIT) was a leading and pioneering CRM company that specialised in creating solutions for the Financial Services sector. Technical architect and team lead working within the CRM product team. Author and designer of the workflow and process modelling engine that formed a core competent to the CRM product suite. Transitioned to Presales Manager and helped to win several £multi-million contracts with major UK and international financial services organisations. Clients included Lloyds, Nationwide, NRMA, KeyBank and Komerční Banka. Show less

IT Consultant

• Sep 1989 - Apr 1995

I joined Hoskyns (now Cap Gemini) as part of their graduate induction programme and quickly progressed from programmer to Technical Consultant within 3 years. Clients included Mitsubishi Bank, Citibank, Enterprise Oil, Medical Research Council and CPP. I joined Hoskyns (now Cap Gemini) as part of their graduate induction programme and quickly progressed from programmer to Technical Consultant within 3 years. Clients included Mitsubishi Bank, Citibank, Enterprise Oil, Medical Research Council and CPP.