How did you get where you are today?

I did a gap year with IBM and ended up running their student training courses which got me hooked on standing up and presenting technical concepts in front of people who weren't particularly technical. Then when I joined IBM after university I navigated my way to the WebSphere Software group in 2001, just as the market was about to take off and was just a fantastic place to be in terms of new ideas in the industry and getting to talk and present to customers. And now I've thrown in the security of a long-term career and joined up with Ed and Caspar!

What are you working on right now?

I'm focusing primarily on building our consulting business, and also some work on which vendors such as IBM, Microsoft and Cisco we want to work with and how.

Who or what has been the greatest influence on your career to date?

Peter Norton at IBM. He showed me the ropes when I was full of ideas and enthusiasm but sorely lacking in experience!

Who in business do you most admire - and why?

The guys who made it big off their own initiatives (Alan Sugar, Richard Branson, hopefully one day me!), rather than climbing a corporate ladder

What aspect of your job do you find most satisfying?

When the light bulb comes on and people 'get' what you do and how their world will now be different because of it. This has been the case in any role in and out of professional work.

What has been your most valuable lesson learnt?

After you have a phone conversation, always follow it up with an email confirming what you thought was said and agreed

Which are your favourite websites and blogs?

Definitely Wikipedia, and ESPN.com's basketball pages

How do you spend your downtime? Where? With who?

As my (bored) friends will testify, I spend an unusual amount of time thinking, talking and coaching basketball. I used to play as well and still try to on occasion although that seems to be a lot harder than it used to be.

What lifetime ambition have you yet to achieve?

Coach a big-time university basketball programme in the States. I wouldn't mind coaching England either. See? Basketball again - didn't take long...

Tell us one thing that most people don't know about you...

I once worked for McDonalds for a grand total of approximately 15 seconds!

Contact Jon