My 26 year career includes experience as a founder, MD, COO and non-executive board member of technology-focussed growth companies, including successful exits.
I have significant leadership experience of organic and acquisition-based growth in privately held and UK-listed companies.
I’m also a trustee at The Caldecott Foundation and my non-executive experience includes technology businesses such as GreenShoot Labs, Deeson and OpenDialog as well as the not-for-profit social enterprise National Support Network CIC.
My career since 1998 has included leading businesses and teams delivering professional services, consultancy, operations, HR and recruitment, technology, marketing, PR, publishing, customer service and internal communications.
CURRENTLY
Independent Chief Operating Officer (COO) – fractional, consultancy and advisory
JANUARY 2023 ONWARDS
I work with technology-centric businesses that are experiencing early-stage success and are ready to scale.
My focus is working with founders, leaders and investors in growth businesses that have 10 to 150 people. I help them solve the typical challenges that come with rapid revenue or headcount growth.
Current non-executive roles
JUNE 2015 ONWARDS
September 2018 – present
Trustee board member
Chair, audit & risk committee
Member, finance committee
The Caldecott Foundation (Kent and East Midlands)
PREVIOUSLY
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
TPXIMPACT PLC (FORMERLY THE PANOPLY Plc)
SEPTEMBER 2020 – DECEMBER 2022
Senior leadership team member for UK listed technology services group. Scaled revenue from £31.5m in 2019/20 to £83m in 2022/23 and headcount from 361 to 700.
Operational leadership including central shared services.
Extensive M&A including operational due diligence and new company onboarding.
Facilitated leadership transition from founders to new incoming CEO and CFO.
Cross-company projects and initiatives, including organisational design, process improvement, commercial optimisation and leadership coaching.
Managing Director
DEESON GROUP LTD
APRIL 2014 – MARCH 2020
Led 40 person digital transformation agency with bases in London and Canterbury. Full P&L responsibility delivering 95% revenue growth in four years delivering net profit consistently above 29%.
Successful new business track record with major new account wins over multiple years.
Responsibility for all agency operations, including new business, marketing, project delivery, recruitment client service, finance and operations.
Sold agency to AIM-listed The Panoply plc (now TPXimpact plc) in December 2018 and led the agency’s integration within the group successfully achieving earnout targets ahead of plan.
Chief Growth Officer (secondment)
GREENSHOOT LABS LTD
APRIL 2020 – SEPTEMBER 2020
In April 2020 I was seconded to Greenshoot Labs for a short term engagement leading new product and service development.
I implemented new business lead generation, nurturing and conversion processes, alongside testing new service propositions and pricing models.
I also delivered pre-sales consultancy work with clients including consumer brands, governments, universities and media to help them understand the potential for conversational AI within their digital channel strategies.
Co-founder / Chief Operating Officer
GREENSHOOT LABS LTD
OCT 2017 – FEBRUARY 2019
GreenShoot Labs was a spin-off business from extensive R&D work we undertook in Deeson Group Ltd.
The business launched focussing on conversational AI and chat interfaces.
It was subsequently acquired by The Panoply plc in 2019 and has since pivoted to developing the OpenDialog AI product.
As a co-founder I took operational responsibility for establishing the business, alongside my main role as MD at Deeson.
Previous non-executive roles
April 2022 – March 2024
Non-executive director
National Support Network CIC (Glasgow)
June 2015 – September 2023
Advisory board member and Vice-Chair
Canterbury Christ Church University
Business School
April 2020 – March 2022
Non-executive Director – digital agency
Deeson Group Ltd
July 2018 – August 2021
Non-executive Director – commercial property
Castle Street Holdings Ltd
July 2018 to September 2020
Non-executive Director – contract publishing
Deeson Publishing Ltd
Other roles – 1998 to 2014
January 2012 – February 2013
Head of Transformation Programme (secondment)
Medway Council
February 2004 – April 2014
Marketing Manager
Head of Communications and Marketing
Medway Council & East Sussex County Council
September 1998 to August 2004
Marketing, customer experience and digital roles
Boots, Open Interactive, Egg & Enterprise IG
