By day I am Managing Director of Double First Ltd , a software development house with a management information system called Engage and accounting systems for UK and International Independent Schools and Colleges of all sizes. The company is based in Yeovil, Somerset and employs 35 staff.
I am also Executive Officer for Double First’s parent company, telecommunications and IT solutions integrator du Pré plc. This company of 40 staff is based in Newbury, Berkshire but works to BSI standards across the whole of the UK.
The du Pré group has now launched a third company,du Pré Marine, which takes me right back to my roots. We have so far introduced two excellent ranges of equipment, FLIR thermal imaging cameras and Kahlenberg air horns.
My main office is based at our Newbury headquarters but I am often in Yeovil as well and out visiting customers, so my week is always varied. I’m interested in all sorts of aspects of business but have particular fascination with management and people skills. In this role I’ve been both a provider of training and the recipient of it; recently delivered courses include an internally formulated staff management coaching course and qualifications gained include ITIL Foundation v3 and Prince 2 Practitioner.
Outside of work I have a rather silly number of interests. Hence this site is a complete jumble, the antithesis of a grown-up single-minded site with serious search engine pretensions. It’s not the way I would run a commercial site but this little enterprise is completely self-indulgent with no apology for that.
2008 and earlier
Prior to joining Double First in September 2008 I was Digital Development Director for IPC Media, building a 70-strong end-to-end team that creates, hosts, develops and supports websites for the company’s Inspire, Southbank, Connect, Tx and corporate divisions.
Rewinding to 2006 I was Group Editor in charge of IPC Marine Media’s business and Internet media including International Boat Industry magazine and the ybw.com network. This profile in New Media Age gives a flavour of what was happening at the time.
Among many parallel adventures I was invited to give a lecture and run a workshop for post graduate students at Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies (Jomec).
Further back again I was Editor of Motor Boats Monthly magazine for 11 years from 1989-2000 which took me on a journey from a one magazine start-up company, through United Newspapers and Link House magazines (via two management buyouts) to IPC.
Working on Motor Boats Monthly, International Boat Industry and ybw.com introduced me to many different people, adventures and experiences, not all of them boat related. I worked in a consultative capacity for several notable companies including Capgemini and Microsoft. I was chairman of the DAME marine equipment awards and a regular speaker and event facilitator at a number of different venues, from private clubs to business conferences and exhibitions.
Sailing and motorboating
I’ve been boating since my early teens, in sailing dinghies, cruising yachts and motorboats. Owned four motor cruisers (three steel displacement cruisers and latterly a 45ft semi-displacement 1974-built mega project called Formanda) and logged many miles in powered craft of all types. Headed Motor Boats Monthly’s cruise in company programme for 15 years, was a co-organiser of the British Marine Federation’s Try A Boat and Start Boating campaigns in the 1990s and undertook a round Britain cruise ‘Grand Tour’ on a flybridge 36-footer in 1999 that spanned 147 days and 109 coastal and inland havens. I posted daily news reports during that time that I guess you would call a blog now…one of my aims is to restore those posts on here at some point. You can view my Grand Tour boat UK circumnavigation here.
Computers and an Apple Mac love affair
An unhealthy interest in technology has included an involuntary love affair with everything Apple Mac since I saw a IIfx appear on my desk in 1992, along with an instruction to start using it to create magazines. This blog will mostly get updated on my own MacBook Pro although I use a PC laptop for work and an iPhone to keep my life together.
Have been messing around on the Internet since 1997 when sites were delightfully optional but it’s all got a lot more serious since.
Theatre lighting
I guess some of that interest in all things technical dates back to my teens when I started collecting various bits and pieces to create a touring sound and lighting rig. At its height this sound and light system occupied the whole of a stripped out caravan that (fortunately) followed dutifully my old Vauxhall Cavalier all over the country. My long-suffering wife and brother formed the stage crew and Ian doubled as DJ when need arose. While I don’t think anything we did was intrinsically unsafe (as proof I offer up the fact we never killed or injured anyone), Health and Safety would probably have a field day if we attempted the same now.
These days I mostly concentrate on lighting, using other peoples’ kit. I’m in the Hexagon theatre in Reading a few times a year to design shows. I work with Reading Operatic Society, Sainsbury Singers, Starmaker, Reading Central Salvation Army and most recently, with a newly formed group that will be performing operettas in concert called Mostly G&S. I’ve also worked in the Wilde Theatre in Bracknell, Kenton Theatre in Henley and at the Bearwood College Theatre near Wokingham for Linda Butler School of Dance and the Woodley Concert Band.
View my list of show and event credits.
Other things…
Life has been good. I’ve spoken at the Royal Albert Hall and Earls Court, recorded at Abbey Road, jumped into a liferaft with Jeremy Beadle and presented (a few bits) on BBC TV and BBC local radio. I’ve hosted a seasick singing chef on my boat, thrown myself into the water (numerous times) and got rescued (on purpose) by an HM Coastguard Sea King helicopter in front of a Southampton Boat Show crowd.
…and other interests
I have a fascination with aviation, like reading, enjoy a broad mix of music and have Grade 8 distinction in Euphonium.
I enjoy cooking, mostly self-taught but much improved by taking a five-day foundation course and two-day Thai course at Ashburton Cookery School. I enjoy travelling, sport (F1, football, just about anything else as well really). I enjoy warm water recreational diving, qualified to PADI Advanced. And I take great pleasure from being married to Michelle and having so many of our family close to home; my uncle skills are always permanently behind the curve when measured against our very lively, super intelligent and rapidly-growing-up nieces.