Track Record

Building and Growing Technology Businesses

Most of my career has been spent building businesses, leading commercial teams and stepping into situations where something important needs to move forward.

I have worked as a founder, a commercial leader inside established organisations, and alongside leadership teams navigating growth, new markets and commercial challenges.

The examples below show a selection of the situations I have worked through across technology and data driven businesses.

Building and taking an IoT platform to market

Company: iDefigo Group Ltd

Sector: IoT / Infrastructure Monitoring
Role: Founder and Commercial Lead

My Impact:

Founded and commercialised the IDefigo IoT platform, taking the concept from idea to a deployable monitoring solution
Built the commercial proposition and early partnerships that led to the technology being productised through Vodafone
Positioned the platform around infrastructure monitoring use cases where early detection delivers real operational value
Introduced the concept of visual verification and intelligent alerting rather than simply generating large volumes of footage or sensor data
Helped establish the commercial direction that allowed the platform to evolve toward AI driven monitoring and infrastructure applications

IDefigo began with a simple observation. Many industries needed better visibility from remote environments, but traditional camera systems and sensors generated far more data than cellular networks could efficiently handle. Working with manufacturers and telecom partners, I helped shape the development of a low power camera and sensor platform designed specifically to transmit useful operational data across mobile networks without overwhelming infrastructure. The platform combined imaging with environmental sensors to monitor things like water levels, temperature and pressure, allowing organisations to detect issues early and avoid operational failures or regulatory breaches. Taking the technology to market involved more than product development. It required building the commercial proposition, forming the right partnerships and navigating the realities of bringing a new IoT platform into established telecom ecosystems. The technology was eventually productised through Vodafone and deployed across a range of monitoring environments. Like many technology businesses, the company also had to adapt as markets shifted during and after the pandemic. Part of my role has been helping reshape the commercial direction of the platform, focusing on sectors where reliable monitoring and early insight can deliver real operational value. Today the technology is increasingly used in infrastructure and water monitoring environments. A key differentiator is the use of AI to analyse visual data from the field, helping identify potential issues and alert the right people at the right time. Rather than simply generating large volumes of footage or data, the platform focuses on delivering meaningful signals that allow organisations to respond quickly and avoid operational failures or regulatory breaches. Experiences like this have shaped the way I approach commercialising technology and helping businesses translate complex products into solutions that markets can actually adopt.

Evolving the commercial model of a national geospatial data provider

Company: Getmapping Ltd

Sector: Geospatial Data / National Infrastructure

Role: Sales Director & Commercial Strategy

My Impact:

Shifted the commercial focus from transactional imagery sales toward strategic partnerships and scalable data delivery models
Built relationships with engineering and infrastructure companies to create a more predictable pipeline for mobile mapping projects
Introduced national imagery data feeds enabling technology companies to integrate high quality geospatial data directly into their platforms
Automated smaller data transactions so the sales team could focus on higher value partnerships and strategic opportunities
Helped transition the aerial acquisition model from bespoke client flights to proactive national flying programmes delivering data on demand
Established a technology grant programme to support startups and innovation using geospatial data, expanding the ecosystem around the business

When I joined Getmapping, the business had already built a strong reputation for high quality aerial imagery and geospatial data. However, much of the commercial activity was focused on transactional sales of lower value imagery products. While this generated steady activity, it also meant revenue could be unpredictable and sales teams were often reacting to individual enquiries rather than building longer term commercial momentum. Part of my role has been helping reshape the commercial approach so the business is less dependent on transactional sales of individual imagery products. One area of focus has been building stronger partnerships with engineering and infrastructure companies that regularly require mobile mapping data for major projects. By working alongside organisations planning long term infrastructure programmes, the business is able to generate a more consistent flow of survey work rather than relying on one off enquiries. Alongside this, we have also expanded how our national aerial imagery data is delivered to the market. Instead of only selling individual datasets, we now work with technology companies that require high quality geospatial data at scale, delivered through feeds and integrations that allow them to incorporate the imagery directly into their own platforms and applications. These two approaches have helped shift the business towards more predictable, scalable revenue streams while still supporting the traditional customer base. Smaller data requests are now increasingly automated, allowing the sales team to focus their time on higher value partnerships and strategic opportunities. The business has also adapted its aerial acquisition model. Instead of hiring aircraft to capture bespoke imagery for individual clients, we now operate proactive flying programmes that capture large areas of data which can then be delivered on demand to multiple customers. We have also introduced a technology grant programme that supports startups and innovation projects working with geospatial data, creating opportunities for emerging businesses to access the data they need while building new relationships across the technology ecosystem.

Creating a leading edge digital platform for an International consumer brand

Company: Early database-driven web development company (New Zealand)

Sector: Digital Technology / Consumer Products
Role: Account Manager → Sales Manager

Client: Global consumer brand

(name withheld due to client confidentiality)

My Impact:

Selected from more than 300 global suppliers to lead the development of a major digital platform for an international consumer brand
Became the only supplier to challenge the original brief, arguing that a traditional product catalogue site would not deliver the brand impact the client wanted
Reframed the opportunity around building a personalised digital platform rather than a simple ecommerce site
Led the commercial discussions that resulted in the client’s international marketing team travelling to New Zealand to work through the revised strategy
Delivered a personalised membership based platform that recognised returning users and created a deeper ongoing relationship with the brand
Transformed what began as a simple website brief into a far more ambitious personalised digital platform
The success of the engagement led to my promotion from Sales Account Manager to Sales Manager within three months

When the project first landed on my desk, the client had already spent considerable time developing a detailed plan for what they believed the website should be. The plan centered around a traditional product catalogue approach, with products displayed online alongside pricing and a shopping cart. At the time this was already considered quite advanced. However, after looking more closely at the brand and its audience, it became clear that the real commercial opportunity lay elsewhere. The products themselves were already widely available through retail channels. The real value of the digital platform was not simply selling products online, but building an ongoing relationship with a very specific audience who tended to form long term loyalty to the brand at an early stage. Our team became the only supplier willing to challenge the original brief. Rather than building a traditional ecommerce site, we proposed creating a personalised platform that would recognise returning users and act as an advisory hub, providing guidance, information and support for young customers as they navigated an important stage of their lives. Because the client had invested significant time developing their original plan, the discussion became serious very quickly. Their international marketing team travelled to New Zealand to challenge the thinking directly and explore whether the alternative approach would truly deliver greater long term value. After working through the audience insight and brand opportunity together, the direction of the project shifted. What had originally been planned as a relatively simple website evolved into a much more ambitious digital platform built around membership, personalisation and long term engagement. At the time this kind of personalised digital experience was highly unusual, particularly for a consumer brand. The result was a platform designed not just to present products, but to build an ongoing relationship with a generation of customers likely to remain loyal to the brand for many years.

Repositioning a struggling IT business into a scalable consultancy model

Company: Comtech Ltd

Sector: IT Services / Communications Technology

Role: Commercial Strategy and development

My Impact:

Recognised that a traditional hardware-led IT model was losing traction and unlikely to sustain growth
Introduced a consultancy-led approach, shifting the business towards higher value advisory services
Built a network of trained and accredited advisors, growing from zero to over 20 active consultants
Created a model where advisors invested to join, aligning commitment and generating early revenue
Developed a pipeline of over 80 active client engagements delivered through the network
Positioned the business within emerging communications technology opportunities, extending its commercial lifespan by over a decade

Comtech had reached a point where the existing model was no longer delivering the growth or resilience needed. Rather than incremental change, the opportunity was to rethink how value was created and delivered. By introducing a consultancy layer and building a network around it, the business moved from product dependency to relationship-driven revenue. It created a more flexible, scalable model that responded to where the market was heading, not where it had been.