Life, Wine &
Mountains
I travel a lot. Everyone loves a holiday! For me it's not about the switching off though, it's the change of environment. I'm constantly looking to change my thinking; sadly sitting on my living room floor doesn't always do it. Change your environment, change your mind.
Most trips are centered around vineyards or mountains. When the two collide I'm at total peace.
Wine brings an energy to connection I haven't found an equal to. Try having a terrible time sitting in the sun with a partner / friend / stranger, some bread, olive oil and a bottle of wine grown a few feet away.
I spent 3 months in Argentina and tasted a lot of Malbec. I was there when they won the World Cup. Say no more!
Mountains humble me and make me appreciate how insignificant we are. How can I not feel like that when faced with a 200 million-year-old rock. When I arrive in a new place my first search is, "how was this place formed?". Who knew the Troodos mountains in Cyprus were formed of old ocean crust!
Mountains of Fire was the most enjoyable book I've read in the past year. Walking with Destiny was the most inspiring.
I'm fortunate to have a partner (see left, the one with hair). You'll hear her mentioned in the content I write from time to time, she is a constant source of inspiration. We compliment each other well; I help run businesses, she's a creative founder who runs her own business. She helps bring out my creative side, I help her with her finances and business strategy (when she lets me).
It's nice to know I've found my teammate.
Simplicity is king,
People are the key,
Awareness is the way
Simplicity is the North Star. Every solution should aspire to be as simple as possible. Complexity increases over time and I am forever trying to remove it. If something only works when the expert is in the room, it isn't a system, it's a bottleneck.
People are the core of every business. If we're only working with robots, where's the fun in that? I genuinely believe they hold the key to growth. In operations, I hunt tirelessly for waste — inefficiencies, unnecessary steps and doing ineffective tasks that don't create value. When you remove the waste, you free people up to deliver value to others (removing their waste) and you amplify their capabilities. It's a growth positive feedback loop.
Awareness is the way. I think most businesses operate in a way they feel obligated to because "that's how Google does it". This is a trap and it will destroy the soul. What works best for your company? What works best for you? I constantly strive to bring awareness to organisations, to drum into people that there is another way which is more effective. Oh and it's more enjoyable as well, result!
Business should be personal. We should strive to curate bespoke solutions for people's unique scenarios, staff and clients alike. By treating people as individuals you will only be rewarded.
Business to me is the synergy between leadership, people and systems. By viewing an organisation like this and understanding how it truly operates, it allows me to get to the root cause of problems. Those three elements create ever-changing complexity and I live for the challenge of simplifying it. The growth of the business depends on it.
What I Stand For
Clarity
Making sense of chaos
Simplicity
Removing complexity
Effectiveness
Focusing on what creates value
Energy
Bringing pace, optimism and enthusiasm to work
My Path
Office Administrator
First operations role at a hotel group
Management
Became responsible for the management of the reception team
Leadership
Joined the senior leadership team
Group Accounts Administrator
Centralised role to oversee the accounts for all the hotels
Systems
Evolved into the person rolling out systems across the group
turntabl founded
Met the founders of a software consultancy, becoming unofficial employee no. 2 and laying the operational foundations of the business
Manufacturing
Accounts role at an international specialist vehicle parts manufacturer
Systems Manager
Returned to the hotels, responsible for business transformation
Chief Operating Officer
Became official employee no.2 at turntabl
Stoirm. founded
Launched my consultancy to help businesses transform operations from a cost to an asset
Transition
Leveraging the skills of turntabl and Stoirm. to become business's operational technology partner
Let's Create Something
Exceptional Together
Every great collaboration starts with a great conversation.