My Journey

Where It All Began – School, Curiosity, and the Spark (1980s–1991)

A 38 year journey through engineering, technology, leadership, resilience, and the strange magic of digital transformation – This is my experience; the story of a career shaped by curiosity, resilience, people and purpose ; besides – CVs are so yesterday!!

 

My story didn’t begin with servers or cloud architecture – it began as a curious kid in the West Midlands who loved taking things apart to understand how they worked.

At school I studied:

  • 5 O-Levels including English (x2), Maths, Chemistry and Geography

  • 3 GCSEs in Woodwork, Metalwork and Vehicle Mechanics

  • BTEC ONC & HNC in Mechanical & Production Engineering

 

These early years built the foundation for everything that came after: structure, problem-solving, patience, and the belief that every system; whether mechanical, digital, or in person can be improved with care, curiosity and the right tools.

 

From Mechanical Engineering to cloud architecture.
From floppy disks to Entra ID.
From service desk teams to senior leadership.
From mental health struggles to advocacy.
From technical precision to human connection.

 

This is my journey – not just my career – the story shaped by curiosity, resilience, people and purpose.

My Experience

Modern Workplace Architect | Senior Project Lead | Mental Health Advocate - Primary Technology (2024–Present)

My role at Primary Technology represents the point where every chapter of my career converges; the technical depth, the leadership experience, the project management discipline and the human understanding shaped by three decades in the industry. It is the position that feels most aligned to who I am today: a Modern Workplace Architect, a Senior Project Management professional and someone who genuinely cares about the people behind the technology.

 

In this role, I am trusted to design, deliver and drive secure, resilient, user-focused Microsoft solutions across the education sector, public sector, SMBs and non-profits.

Each project demands not only technical accuracy, but clarity, empathy and structured leadership – qualities I’ve developed over a lifetime of hands-on experience.

My work brings together everything I’ve mastered, including:

 

  • Microsoft 365 architecture across collaboration, identity, security and governance

  • Azure design and administration, supporting scalable and modern infrastructures

  • SharePoint Online & Teams architecture, including information design and user adoption

  • Power Platform solutions, integrating automation, low-code apps and process optimisation

  • Security & Compliance frameworks, aligned to UK GDPR, NCSC, IASME, Cyber Essentials+ and ISO standards

  • Governance modelling, ensuring long-term sustainability, consistency and operational maturity

  • Comprehensive training and workshops, empowering users, leaders and technical teams

  • Presales and solution discovery, translating challenges into clear technical pathways

  • Project leadership and delivery oversight, using a refined Prince2 discipline and real-world experience

  • Documentation & design authority, ensuring quality, clarity and repeatable excellence

  • Change management and user experience design, supporting smooth, human-centred adoption

  • Mental health awareness and support, embedding compassion into every engagement

 

This role gives me the opportunity to combine architecture with storytelling, governance with empathy, and delivery excellence with human connection. Whether I’m designing a secure tenant, running a classroom workshop, guiding a team through a major change programme, or supporting users through stressful transitions, I bring both technical assurance and emotional intelligence to the table.

 

This chapter of my life is more than a job; it is the culmination of my expertise, my values and my purpose. I get to help organisations transform, support people through change, lead with integrity and ensure technology becomes something that lifts people up, not weighs them down.

 

This is the most “me” I have ever been:

  • a technologist,
  • a strategist,
  • a project leader,
  • a mentor,
  • and a human being who believes technology only succeeds when the people behind it feel supported, understood and empowered.

Mental Health First Aider - Primary Technology (2024–Present)

My role as a Mental Health First Aider at Primary Technology is a core part of my professional identity and a meaningful contributor to our workplace culture. This position carries the same level of responsibility and importance as a traditional physical first aider – offering immediate confidential support, early intervention and a compassionate point of contact for colleagues who may be experiencing mental health issues, disorders, trauma or distress.

As an MHFA, I:

 

  • Listen confidentially and without judgement, creating a safe and trusted space for colleagues to talk.

  • Recognise early signs of mental health challenges, providing initial guidance and reassurance.

  • Support individuals in crisis, ensuring they are signposted to appropriate professional help.

  • Promote open, healthy conversations around stress, resilience, burnout and well-being.

  • Champion a culture of understanding, helping reduce stigma across teams.

  • Model empathy and compassion during client engagements, projects and workshops particularly when signs of distress or emotional strain become visible.

 

This commitment has contributed to a wider organisational change, including encouraging other colleagues to become certified MHFAs and strengthening Primary Technology’s reputation as an employer that genuinely prioritises the well-being of its people. The role extends naturally into my client work as well: mental health concerns can surface at any stage of a project, and it costs nothing; yet means everything to show empathy, offer support and create connections.

 

Being an MHFA is not symbolic; it is a responsibility I carry with seriousness and heart. It reflects who I am as both a professional and a person: someone who believes that a healthy workplace is built on respect, understanding and kindness.

Mental Health Advocate - Freelance (2023–Present)

My work as a Mental Health Advocate emerged from personal experience, recovery and a deep desire to break the silence surrounding mental health; not as a business venture, but as a personal commitment to supporting others without expectation, judgement or financial intent.

 

This role is grounded entirely in empathy, openness and the belief that no one should feel alone in their struggles.

I use my platform, writing and lived experience to speak openly about:

 

  • Mental health and well-being

  • Resilience and rebuilding after adversity

  • Burnout and the realities of workplace pressure

  • Recovery and finding strength in vulnerability

  • Anxiety and the challenges many face quietly

  • Humanising the workplace and fostering mental health safety

  • Creating environments and an understanding where it is safe to say, “I’m not okay”

 

My advocacy work is offered voluntarily; freely shared, freely accessible and driven by a genuine desire to reduce stigma and encourage honest conversations. It is not a consultancy service or revenue stream. It is a personal mission shaped by lived experience, compassion and the belief that meaningful change begins with human connection.

 

This isn’t a job title. It is a purpose – one I carry forward with sincerity, responsibility and the hope that even a single conversation may help someone feel seen, supported or understood.

Career Break - Professional Reset & Future Alignment (2023–2024)

Following my life-saving brain surgery, and after unforeseen circumstances, I stepped back for seven months.
During this time I:

 

  • Recovered and grew stronger

  • Rebuilt and re-certified

  • Retrained and deepened my Power Platform expertise

  • I refocused my life priorities, my love and my mental health advocacy challenge

 

This period was far more than time away from work – it was a deliberate commitment to healing, self-care reality, rediscovering my strengths, rebuilding a confidence and aligning my future; proving to myself that growth is still possible after extraordinary challenge.


This wasn’t a pause.
It was rebirth.

Head of Modern Workplace Practice — Vantage 365 (2022–2023)

My time at Vantage 365 represented a significant period of professional growth, where I led the Microsoft 365 practice and was entrusted with the technical quality, strategic direction and architectural governance of the company’s Modern Workplace offering. I was responsible for shaping the delivery framework, driving solution excellence and ensuring that every technical artefact – from Statements of Work to Solution Designs – met a consistently high standard.

 

Core responsibilities included:

 

  • Reviewing, validating and approving all Microsoft 365 solution documentation

  • Leading the M365 practice and providing architectural oversight

  • Designing and releasing secure, scalable and well-governed solutions

  • Developing consultants and supporting their professional growth

  • Running presales engagements, workshops and technical discovery sessions

  • Driving quality assurance and ensuring alignment with best practices

  • Architecting Power Apps, Power Automate workflows, intranets and migration strategies

  • Managing project risk, technical dependencies and delivery expectations

  • Encouraging a culture of continuous improvement, mental health, and responsible innovation

 

This period also coincided with one of the most challenging and transformative moments of my personal life – a sudden medical emergency requiring life-saving brain surgery. During the months that followed, I focused on recovery while maintaining my commitment to staying technically current, continuing to support the team where possible and preparing for my eventual return to professional life.

 

Although this chapter ended earlier than expected, it remains a testament to my resilience, my dedication to excellence and my ability to lead, inspire and deliver at a high standard even in the face of life-altering circumstances. The expertise, discipline and clarity gained from this period continue to strengthen every role and responsibility I take on today.

Modern Workplace Architect, InfoSec Officer & Global Admin - Cielo Costa (2020–2022)

This was a pivotal chapter in my career; a multi-disciplinary role that significantly shaped my security mindset and deepened my understanding of enterprise-grade Microsoft cloud environments. Operating across both business and developer tenants, I became the central point of governance for all things security, compliance, tenant administration and operational excellence.

 

I managed two global Microsoft 365 and Azure tenants, ensuring rigorous adherence to security frameworks and best practice standards, including:

 

  • Cyber Essentials+ alignment and renewal activities

  • ISO-driven security governance and organisational policy oversight

  • Azure administration, architecture and identity design

  • Advanced device management & conditional access control

  • SharePoint intranet architecture and structured content governance

  • Complex data and service migrations across Microsoft 365

  • Support operations, including SLA governance, helpdesk leadership and client relationship management

  • Recruitment, onboarding and hardware lifecycle management

  • Comprehensive risk management, compliance reviews and escalation handling

 

Beyond the technical responsibilities, I played an essential role in bridging communication between senior leadership and operational teams, ensuring that security, compliance and delivery requirements were understood, prioritised and actioned.

 

This role strengthened me as a security-first architect, expanded my technical and leadership capability, and connected me deeply to the evolving landscape of modern Microsoft cloud practices forming a crucial foundation for the architect and advisor I am today.

Senior Applications Consultant - Ricoh UK (2017–2020)

At Ricoh, I refined my expertise in Office 365 migrations, Modern Workplace architecture, and the full lifecycle of Microsoft cloud projects. I led presales engagements, delivered workshops, built strong technical relationships with clients, and designed end-to-end Office 365 solutions that aligned with both business objectives and long-term strategy.

 

My responsibilities extended far beyond solution design. I provided critical technical oversight across multiple active projects, mentored junior consultants, supported cross-functional delivery teams, and authored detailed technical documentation to ensure quality and consistency. I developed PowerShell-based tools to streamline migrations and enhance delivery efficiency, and I played a pivotal role in aligning project execution with scope, risk, budget and client expectations.

 

This chapter marked a significant period of growth – strengthening my confidence as a leader, refining my architectural thinking, and reinforcing my ability to translate complex cloud technologies into meaningful, human-centred outcomes for organisations of all sizes.

The SharePoint & Collaboration Chapters (2010–2017)

Across roles at SCC, Capgemini (for a second time), and Novotronix, I became deeply embedded in the world of:

 

  • SharePoint (2003–2016)

  • Information Architecture

  • Taxonomies & governance

  • MOSS/SharePoint implementations and Migrations

  • Office 365 implementations (2011 onwards)

  • Customer workshops, presales, training and documentation

  • Hyper-V, SQL, Windows Server and on-premises systems

 

I ran workshops, wrote documentation, built intranets, migrated terabytes of content, and helped organisations understand what SharePoint could genuinely do beyond “just storing files.” It was during these years that I learnt the importance of listening closely to users, understanding real-world frustrations and designing solutions that made their everyday working lives easier.

 

These experiences cemented my reputation as a SharePoint SME and shaped my long-term philosophy of building technology around people; not the other way around.

The Continued Growth of My Microsoft World - Capgemini/Aspire (2006–2010)

This period wasn’t just another step in my career, it was the moment the entire Microsoft ecosystem opened up to me. I moved from general IT and project leadership into the world of SharePoint 2003, Exchange Server, Windows Server and the early days of  the modern intranet and collaboration platforms. It was the spark that ignited a passion and shaped the architect I eventually became.

 

I led MIS programmes, delivered full office rollouts, upgraded infrastructures, modernised communication systems and designed collaboration environments long before “digital transformation” became the buzzword it is today. I introduced structured document repositories, taxonomy-driven information architecture and early governance frameworks – the foundations of what we now call Microsoft 365 best practice.

 

This was also where I implemented my first ISO9001 and ISO27001:2005 aligned quality management system, discovering that governance and compliance weren’t “extras”, they were essential pillars of doing things properly. Those standards changed the way I thought about service delivery, documentation, risk, consistency and what it means to ensure a solution won’t fall apart six months later.

 

Working across Capgemini and Aspire taught me how powerful Microsoft technology could be when treated not as a collection of products, but as an ecosystem; one built on identity, storage, collaboration, communication and structure. It was here that I first saw how SharePoint, Exchange, Windows Server and SQL worked together, forming the blueprint for everything modern cloud solutions do today.

 

This chapter sharpened my analytical skills, strengthened my technical discipline, and deepened my love for designing solutions that genuinely make work easier for thousands of people. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was meaningful; the kind of foundational experience that quietly shapes everything that comes after.

 

Did I mention that this was the start of my Migrations experience? SharePoint 2003 to SharePoint 2010 via Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS 2007).

Service Delivery, Leadership & Transition - Capgemini (2001–2006)

This was the era that shaped my leadership.

 

I worked across Birmingham, Inverness, London and Prague as a:

 

  • Service Delivery Manager

  • Transition Manager

  • Change Manager

  • Service Desk Manager (leading 27 analysts)

 

These roles taught me how to lead under pressure, how to stay calm during escalations, how to bring teams together, and how to build services that genuinely help people. I learnt how to earn trust, how to support teams through uncertainty, and how to create an environment where people felt safe bringing problems forward.

 
I became ITIL-certified and developed a deep respect for governance, structure and quality.

Project Manager, Analyst & Part-Time Student - Windsor Life & Capgemini (1998–2001)

This chapter of my life didn’t follow a straight line – it was more of a controlled chaos, stitched together by ambition, caffeine and a willingness to learn anything that moved my career forward.

 

I was employed at Capgemini (global top 5), undertaking project management, business analysis, service transition, and early Microsoft-focused project responsibilities (for an Insurance Sector client – Windsor Life) that would later define much of my career. Y2K compliance hit hard (yes, we really thought the world might end), requirements gathering, testing, documentation, and delivering a tightly-scoped technical project for the client. It taught me discipline and clarity – that projects aren’t just plans and deadlines, but human stories wrapped in technical ambition. Those experiences strengthened my ability to stand between clients and technology, translating needs, fears, and visions into real solutions.

 

Layered on top of my role, in the evenings and weekends, I was studying for my BSc (Hons) in Computer Science at Wolverhampton University. A degree I began in 1994 and earned in 1999 – not by luck, but by sheer determination. It meant long nights, sacrificed weekends, and a constant balancing act between work, study, and life. But it also meant growth. Real growth. The kind that changes who you are, not just what you know.

 

Those years taught me resilience, focus and an early understanding that careers aren’t built in tidy chapters; they’re built in messy, overlapping seasons where you give more of yourself than you thought you had.

 

Looking back, it was the perfect storm and the perfect preparation for everything that came next.

The Accidental Pivot - Assistant IT Manager (1994–1998)

One day, I spotted a serious network issue on the designed floor plan – the potential mistake of designed failover network cabling.

I spoke up. People listened.

And suddenly without planning it, without a roadmap, without even realising the door had opened – I became the Assistant IT Manager.

 

It was the era of Windows 3.11 for Workgroups, Lotus SmartSuite, floppy disks that held “just enough” data, and beige computers that sounded like small aircraft preparing for take-off. I learned and managed WAN/LAN networks, servers, early Active Directory (long before anyone called it that), email platforms and full DR/BC strategies – all while leading a small IT (3 staff) team at just 23 years old, still half-convinced someone would realise I was learning as I went.

 

But this was where everything clicked. Where curiosity met purpose. Where I realised I didn’t just enjoy IT – I loved helping people feel confident with something that once intimidated them.

 

This wasn’t the career path I expected… but it became the one that shaped my entire life.

Engineering Days - Racal Chubb & Sons (1987–1994)

Before I became “the IT guy,” I was a Mechanical & Production Engineer Apprentice, working for one of the world’s most respected safe and lock companies. Those early years taught me what precision really means – when a millimetre matters, when poor quality isn’t optional, and when a well-designed system becomes something you can trust with your life.

 

Those years shaped my discipline, my attention to detail, my appreciation of structure and my respect for the way complex systems come together. They also revealed something I didn’t fully understand at the time: that engineering is just problem-solving with different tools. I learnt to treat every problem as solvable, every challenge as an opportunity, and every project as something worth doing properly; a mindset that followed me into IT long before I knew I’d end up there.

 

But then something happened that changed everything.