Growing up, I was always interested in computers and I studied Computer Science with Management at Royal Holloway University.
I went on to take a technical graduate role as an Application Support Consultant, primarily using C++, Ruby on Rails and TCP/IP networking skills. I held several other positions at the same company, gradually moving to less technical, more business focused roles, with increasing customer interaction. It was only after I’d been working for a while that I found I got the most enjoyment out of my job as I saw technology help people to solve their real-world problems. I like that there are always new problems to solve and new ways to solve problems. The company was very security conscious, heavily process driven and controlled. I left to move to Red Hat, the world’s leading provider of enterprise Open Source solutions, which is a very different environment – open and all about communities. It took me a while to transition to work a different way. I spent a few years working in the Customer Experience and Engagement group, last year moving to Pre-sales and services, where I’m currently a Business Architect in the EMEA Office of Technology (EOT), working across the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. I work with organisations to strategically use open source software and methodologies and to establish communities. I guide customers through the process and cultural changes needed for digital transformation and technology adoption to ensure customer success. For me, it’s important to have a job working with people (colleagues, customers and communities) and also having variety, solving lots of different problems.
