I have not always been in the computing services industry. My first jobs from leaving University were in marketing. I then spent some time as a management consultant before taking a graphic design job and then starting my own business. I believe that this background in a commercial environment enables me to better understand the business problems that bespoke software must solve. After all, that's how I first got to grips with computing - solving day-to-day business problems in my commercial roles. Computing became a major part of my job when I was a management consultant. It was during this time that I started to develop software solutions for companies such as the BBC, Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals and the Department of Trade and Industry. The experience I gained here underpins my current business. I feel that my broad range of experience enables me to understand people's business problems more readily than someone who has solely worked in the field of computing. It also enables me to handle a whole project from initial briefing through to testing and implementation, whereas many software developers would only feel comfortable with the programming portion of a project. Obviously, all computer and no play makes one a less than rounded human being so I try to be as arty as possible when not at the keyboard. To this end I play all manner of guitars, paint pictures and take loads of photographs (digital of course!).