
AI is analyzing your overall score…
Identifying your key strengths…
Evaluating your skill match against the job requirements…
Assessing your cultural and operational fit
CTO | Board-Level Engineering & Digital Transformation 🔸 Trustee (Black Country Living Museum) 🔸 Scaling SaaS & High-Performing Teams 🔸 Leadership/Tech Blogger
🟧 My Expertise I’m a board-facing CTO / engineering leader with 19+ years’ experience building and scaling technology organisations. I focus on outcomes: faster, more predictable delivery, resilient platforms, and measurable commercial impact. I set strategy and translate it into execution across product, engineering, architecture, QA, security and operations. I’m known for clear communication, aligning stakeholders, and creating operating rhythms that reduce risk, improve reliability, and control cost. My leadership style is trust-led and high standards: empower teams, develop leaders, and build cultures of continuous learning and accountability. Alongside my day job, I coach and run workshops that help leaders reflect, reset, and perform at their best. I also write a weekly leadership and technology blog (BeMoreMeerkat.com) and speak on practical leadership topics — especially how to turn tension into teamwork. 🟧 Industry Experience Retail | Staffing & HR | Sport | Consultancy Services
Aston University
Computing Science, IT
August 1, 2003 – August 1, 2006
PebblePad - The ePortfolio for Higher Education
Vice President of Engineering
April 1, 2026 – Present
PebblePad - The ePortfolio for Higher Education
Director of Engineering
July 1, 2025 – April 1, 2026
Black Country Living Museum
Trustee
June 1, 2025 – Present
Enactus Aston
Board Advisor
December 1, 2024 – December 1, 2025
Remote
Aston University
Mentor to Undergraduate Students
October 1, 2024 – July 1, 2025
Hybrid
Harvard Business Review
Advisory Council Member
September 1, 2024 – December 1, 2025
InflamMed
Voluntary Contributing Writer
August 1, 2024 – September 1, 2024
Forbes Technology Council
Official Member
July 1, 2024 – July 1, 2025
AND Digital
VP Engineering and Technology Consultant
February 1, 2024 – June 1, 2025
Birmingham, England, United Kingdom · Hybrid
The Football Association
Interim Head of Application Development
July 1, 2023 – January 1, 2024
Hybrid
Be More Meerkat Limited
Founder and Director
January 1, 2023 – August 1, 2025
United Kingdom · Hybrid
Aston University
MBA Student Coach
January 1, 2023 – September 1, 2023
LambdaTest
Technology Writer
January 1, 2023 – July 1, 2023
TestCrew | Quality Engineering & Software Testing
Fractional Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Consultant
January 1, 2023 – March 1, 2023
SHL
VP of Technology (Engineering, DevSecOps and Quality Assurance)
September 1, 2021 – December 1, 2022
United Kingdom · Remote
TEDx Aston University
Board Executive
August 1, 2021 – November 1, 2022
Enactus Aston
Advisory Board Member
March 1, 2019 – August 1, 2021
Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom
Aston University
Mentor to Undergraduate Students
September 1, 2018 – June 1, 2022
Remote
The Economist
Head of Technology (Quality Assurance, Engineering and DevSecOps)
December 1, 2017 – September 1, 2021
Birmingham · On-site
Signet
QA Engineering Manager / Project Manager
August 1, 2014 – November 1, 2017
Birmingham, United Kingdom
JHC
QA Engineering Lead
November 1, 2011 – August 1, 2014
Birmingham, United Kingdom
NFU Mutual
Management Intelligence (MI) Software Engineer
April 1, 2010 – November 1, 2011
whatusersdo.com
Website Tester
January 1, 2010 – August 1, 2014
Cambridge University Press
Examinations Marker
January 1, 2008 – August 1, 2014
Kalamazoo-Reynolds
Systems Analyst
October 1, 2006 – April 1, 2010
OCR
Examinations Marker - GCSE Foundation Computing
May 1, 2004 – August 1, 2014
Enterprise Architecture Foundations
June 23, 2026 – Present
Cultural Fit Analysis
The candidate's extensive experience in leadership, mentoring, and advisory roles across diverse organizations (e.g., educational institutions, non-profits, media, tech consultancies) suggests a strong cultural fit for roles requiring collaboration, mentorship, and strategic influence. Their involvement in community and advisory boards indicates a commitment beyond core job responsibilities. However, the target role is 'Quality Assurance Engineer', which is a more individual contributor or hands-on technical role compared to their recent executive leadership positions. While they have a strong QA background earlier in their career, the recent focus has been on high-level strategic and leadership roles, which might indicate a mismatch in day-to-day responsibilities and expectations for an 'Engineer' level role.
Soft Skills & Operational Fit
The candidate demonstrates strong leadership, strategic thinking, and communication skills through their various board and advisory roles, as well as their contributions to Forbes and Harvard Business Review. Their experience in mentoring and coaching indicates a commitment to team development and knowledge sharing. Operationally, their focus on delivery governance, cost optimization, and process improvement suggests a highly structured and results-oriented approach. The emphasis on AI as a delivery multiplier indicates an innovative and forward-thinking mindset.