Career Summary

I graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1983 with a degree in Mathematics, and in the following year completed an MSc in Computer Science at the University of Manchester.

I worked as an IT consultant for twenty years after graduation, for a number of large and small systems integrators, as a developer, project manager, technical consultant and software architect. In 2004 I moved into permanent employment with Marks and Spencer as Lead Technical Architect in the IT Strategy and Architecture Group.

In 2008 I joined Barclays Global Investors to lead the global Enterprise Architecture team. My remit was to "re-launch" the team with the following focus:

• to draw up and agree the vision and roadmap for all areas of IT;
• to provide architectural oversight and guidance to IT projects and programmes;
• to support key investment decisions and help shape and align the major programmes of work;
• to foster innovative solutions to complex business problems.

Barclays put BGI up for sale in Spring 2009, and my team focussed full-time on support of the transition to BlackRock. Enterprise Architecture is now part of IT Engineering in the new firm, although our remit is largely unchanged. My team is international, based in San Francisco, London and Sydney, reflecting the global nature of BlackRock.

I am a CEng (Chartered Engineer) and FBCS (Chartered Fellow of the British Computer Society). Fellow is the BCS's most senior grade and is awarded to those who hold a senior IT position or have an established reputation of eminence or authority in the field of IT.

You can find out more about my career history from my CV.

Skills and Experience

I combine strong architecture, technical leadership, and analysis and design skills with a background that includes complex systems integration, bespoke software development, and enterprise package customisation and deployment.

During my career I have worked on numerous projects and programmes in the finance, retail, government and manufacturing sectors. My systems development experience ranges from small systems for specialised users such as forensic accountants, up to very large corporate applications for financial institutions, high-street retailers and government departments.

My technology expertise includes Unix, Linux, Windows, and mainframe developments, with particular focus on messaging and middleware, relational database and object-oriented software development. I am an experienced technical instructor and internal project auditor. I have also been heavily involved in business development, particularly proposal-writing and pre- and post-sales activity.

I am particularly interested in software engineering, quality assurance and process improvement, and have co-authored a book on software systems architecture (see below).

My recent experience has focussed on leading teams to create architectural vision and strategy, ratify it with stakeholders, and provide technology leadership, governance and support throughout the project lifecycle, from concept to implementation and support.

Published Work

I have written a book on software architecture with a colleague, Eoin Woods.

The book is called Software Systems Architecture : Working With Stakeholders Using Viewpoints and Perspectives, and was published by Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers on 29 April 2005 (ISBN 0321112296). It is a practical handbook for anyone who is, or would like to become, a software architect. You can find more information on the book here.

I have delivered many speaking engagements on architecture, to the BCS SPA conference (Software Practice Advancement) where I have presented for the last four years, and many others. I am a Fellow of the International Association of Software Architects and have contributed viewpoint reference material to their website. I have also written numerous articles and white papers for a variety of print and online publications.

See my published work page for more details.

Educational Qualifications

Dates	Establishment	Degree	Subject
1980 - 1983	Churchill College, University of Cambridge	BA Hons. (2:1)	Pure Mathematics
1983 - 1984	University of Manchester	MSc	Computer Science

Employment History

Dates	Employer	Job Title
2008 - present	Barclays Global Investors	Senior Director of Architecture (lead of Enterprise Architecture Group)
2004 - 2008	Marks and Spencer	Lead Technical Architect
2003 - 2004	French Thornton	Technical Architect
2000 - 2003	Cap Gemini Ernst & Young	Technical Architect
1999 - 1999	Compaq Services	Solution Architect
1994 - 1999	Sybase Professional Services	Principal Consultant
1989 - 1994	Praxis Systems plc	Senior Consultant
1984 - 1989	Logica Ltd	Consultant

Affiliations and Certifications

Date	Authority	Description
July 2008	British Computer Society	FBCS (Chartered Fellow)
March 2008	Engineering Council UK	CEng (Chartered Engineer)
January 2008	British Computer Society	CITP (Chartered IT Professional)
July 1998	Sybase	Certified Sybase IT Architect
November 1996	Sybase / Sylvan Prometric	Certified Sybase IT Professional / DBA
June 1995	BVQI (cert IA/95/GB/081)	Certified Internal Quality Auditor
1991	n/a	SSADM v3 Certification

I am also a Fellow of the International Association of Software Architects.

Curriculum Vitae

You can find my more detailed curriculum vitae (PDF) here.

Personal Interests

I play first violin for the Kingston Chamber Orchestra for whom I am also the webmaster. We rehearse weekly and perform three or four concerts a year. We have also toured abroad! Our repertoire ranges from the Baroque period through to the twentieth century, including many specially-commissioned pieces.

I am Chair of Governors at Oliver Goldsmith Primary School in London, United Kingdom.