My Story

A 27 Year Journey: From Temporary Visitor to Risk Management Innovator

In 1997, I arrived in London from New Zealand with a two-year plan: explore the UK and Europe, then head home. Twenty-seven years later, I'm still here—and that unplanned detour became the foundation of a career at the intersection of technology, strategy, and risk.

Finding My Niche

With a background in large-scale ERP and Business Intelligence deployments in manufacturing, I joined CorVu plc as an implementation consultant shortly after arriving in London. I worked on-site with clients, deploying Business Intelligence software and building reporting and dashboarding solutions that supported both strategic vision and day-to-day operational decisions.

As the company evolved from Business Intelligence to Enterprise Performance Management, I found myself at the forefront of innovation - we were building the world's first Balanced Scorecard software. After leading multiple Balanced Scorecard implementations for leading European blue-chip companies and spearheading a 'skunk works' project to develop our v2 solution, an opportunity emerged that would define my career trajectory. A collaboration with Aon Risk Services led to the development of a very early Enterprise Risk Management software, launching what would become a 27-year journey in risk management.

Baptism by Fire: Leading Through Crisis

My early career took an unexpected turn during the dot-com crash. I was appointed Chief Operating Officer of CorVu plc and thrown into what can only be described as a crisis-driven turnaround. Facing almost certain death, we cut costs and focused on a small number of important things. This resulted in going from revenue decline to growth, and a doubling of the EMEA revenues from £2M to £5.3M over 24 months - all while navigating one of the most challenging periods in technology history.

That experience taught me something invaluable: effective leadership isn't about perfect conditions; it's about making sound decisions under pressure and executing with limited resources.

Building, Scaling, and Exiting

Post CorVu, I completed my MBA at Henley Business School, I channelled those hard-won lessons into entrepreneurship. I founded three companies—Manigent, Stratexsystems, and Ascendore—each focusing on the integration of strategy execution and risk management. I also build an integrated straetgy and risk management methodology and wrote a book outlining this approach. The journey culminated in successfully selling Ascendore to KRM22 as part of a ‘roll-up’ strategy, where I joined as Product Director to lead the development of their enterprise risk solution and contribute to the management of their Global Risk Platform (GRP).

A Philosophy Forged Through Experience

Across 50+ client engagements, three qualitative enterprise risk software platforms, and a methodology that integrates strategy execution and risk management, I've developed a core belief: effective risk management isn't about building perfect frameworks—it's about creating practical frameworks and tools that help leadership teams make better decisions, execute strategy within risk appetite, and move forward with confidence.

My most recent work exemplifies this philosophy. I've designed and implemented an Enterprise Risk Management framework for a global fintech at the heart of international capital markets, and I'm currently building an 'AI-first' quantitative risk management software solution that leverages artificial intelligence as a powerful enabler for both strategy execution and risk management.

What I Bring to the Table Today

Today, I work with financial services firms navigating risk, resilience, or regulatory change—whether they need interim CRO leadership or want to transform their approach to risk management. I bring more than technical expertise; I bring the practical wisdom of someone who has built and run businesses, weathered crises, and delivered results under pressure. I understand the pressures leadership teams face because I've sat in those chairs myself.

Alongside client work, I continue to lead a small, dedicated team exploring how Artificial Intelligence can revolutionize strategy execution and risk management—not as a theoretical exercise, but as practical tools that deliver real value.

The Journey Continues

What started as a two-year adventure has become a career defined by transformation, innovation, and resilience.

From those early days deploying Business Intelligence systems to today's AI-powered risk platforms, the thread that connects it all is simple: helping organizations navigate uncertainty and make better decisions in an increasingly complex world.