Learning my own way
I struggled with the way school was taught. Being dyslexic meant the standard approach often didn’t work for me. At university, I found a different way through: self-directed learning, project work and figuring things out by doing them.
It changed how I understood my own abilities. It also left me with a lasting interest in how differently people think, and how much the systems around them can help or get in the way.
Working through the business
I joined Shaw Academy in 2015 as a sales agent. I moved into communications and marketing, reached C-level within three years and later became CMO in the Upskillist era. In May 2023, I became CEO.
I’ve worked through growth, restructuring and reinvention. It has given me a view of the business from the customer conversation right through to product decisions, operations and the boardroom.
Building what comes next
While running Upskillist, I began developing the idea that became Kairo. I could see how AI might change learning, but I was interested in something more fundamental than adding a chatbot to a course catalogue.
That work became Ambition and its first product, Kairo. I developed the original product vision and prototype, shaped the brand and continue to lead the work with a team whose expertise makes it possible.
How I work
I like understanding how the pieces fit together. When something isn’t working, I tend to go into the detail: what are we trying to achieve, what is actually stopping us and what can we change?
I’m hands-on, but I’m not a software developer. I work closely with engineering, design and creative specialists. I’ll defend the direction I believe in, and I’ll change my mind when someone shows me a better way to get there.
Beyond the companies
I’m fascinated by AI, psychology, entrepreneurship and creative technology. I care about why something connects with people as much as how it works. Generative filmmaking and design have become practical ways for me to explore that.
I’m also a dad. Thinking about the world our children will grow up in makes these questions more personal. This site is a place for all of that thinking, without every idea needing to sit under a company name.