Meet the Team...

I started my career as most people do – at the bottom. After leaving college I went straight into an IT position at a Huddersfield based Chartered Accountants. It wasn’t long before they went international, giving me the perfect opportunity to develop my career. While I was there, I completed a computing qualification at the University of Leeds and polished up my skills in Microsoft, Cisco, Lotus, Checkpoint, Citrix, A+ and Novell.

By now I was seasoned IT professional and felt it was about time for a new challenge. So I tried my hand at spot of technical consultancy before jetting off to explore Australia. When I got back to the UK in late 2001, I co-founded Fusion. And that’s where it all began.

I play a very active role in the business, so don’t be surprised if I’m handling your account personally. And you’ll be glad to know that I haven’t let myself go either. I’m still involved in all the technical IT stuff and on the odd occasion I can still be seen lugging servers around. I’m also the one you’ll find scouting out new technologies, so our clients can make the most of them.

But of course, there’s a managerial side to my role now too. It’s my job to guarantee we have the resource and skills required to meet all our clients’ needs. And of course, it’s my job to make sure Fusion’s a great place to work too.

• Researching and implementing new technologies
• Managing internal resources
• Account management
• Everything technical

Once outside the office, I turn into one of those outdoorsy types. I’m never happier than when I’m throwing myself down a mountain on my snowboard. And I’m quiet partial to a nice walk or run too. Oh and don’t get me started on the camping. You can’t beat a bit of camping in the British countryside – even if it does rain.

I’m big on the old music scene too and can often be found drinking in one of Leeds ’ many music venues. I took up the guitar a couple of years ago too, but I’m certainly no Mark Knopfler! Ah well, practice makes perfect...

My passion for IT started when I was just 8 years old. I was given an Atari ST and it left me with an interest for IT that never went away. Since then I have taken IT courses at both school and university. My first few jobs gave me the opportunity to explore IT further but not to develop my career in it. In 2007 I joined the Fusion team and I've gone from strength to strength ever since.

After a year working as a helpdesk engineer, helping clients to solve technical problems both remotely and onsite, I became Helpdesk Manager. So as well as solving some of the more complex IT problems, I also help to ensure that the team as a whole provides our clients with the service and the prompt solutions they expect.

• Windows troubleshooting
• Complex problem solving
• Managing the helpdesk team

I like a nice walk in the country, however my rambles usually end at a nice little country pub though, so they're not quite so healthy as I'd like to think they are. I'm also a big film buff and I've got a great collection of sci-fi classics. And I enjoy a bit of good music too.

I had my first taste of the IT business in the late 80s when I got my hands on an old Amiga. Before long I’d upgraded to a Pentium 1, by which time I was absolutely hooked. I studied IT through school and then in college too. So I’ve got quite a few qualifications under my belt.

I went from college straight into an IT job in Toronto. It was a fantastic experience for me and I had the opportunity to do everything from lugging around equipment to helping run a busy helpdesk which catered for over 300 users. Once back in England, I switched to the telecommunications sector by taking a position at O2. However, my passion for IT stayed strong, so when a position opened at Fusion, I was happy to take it.

In my role at Fusion, I tend to get involved in some of the more complex problems that come into the helpdesk. I also act as a point of escalation for the other guys on the helpdesk, and I always aim to keep our clients happy and well looked after in whatever ways I can.

As well as working on the helpdesk, I enjoy going out to site and helping to set up our systems to work as well as they can and it also gives me a chance to put faces to the voices of our clients!

I am now planning to improve my skills even further by securing a number of Microsoft's professional qualifications, and I am also actively studying ITIL to make sure Fusion can officially be certified as the professional helpdesk that we are!

• Voice over IP Telephony
• New IT systems
• Windows troubleshooting
• Complex problem solving

You will normally catch me with my other half, either out walking, or being dragged ambling around the local shops looking morose! I enjoy cooking, reading, watching films, listening to music, having the odd tipple and relaxing with my family and friends!

Ive always had an interest for I.T. development; I started extremely young programming in Basic for my older brothers ZX Spectrum and then on my own Spectrum 128k. That said, I never chose to study I.T. through school, college or university, instead I set my sites on becoming a Solicitor.

After 3 years studying Law at Staffordshire University I graduated with a First Class Honours Degree and I knew that actually practising law wasnt for me. I decided instead to combine my interest in law with my passion for computers. The first stop on this path was as a project manager for a London-based legal software provider, where I developed my skills as an I.T. Trainer and had an amazing opportunity to work with some of the largest law firms in the country. Whilst working here I also completed a Masters in I.T. and Telecommunications Law to satiate my legal head

My last five years has been spent working within a law firm in York, initially as an I.T. Trainer and growing to an I.T. Analyst / Systems Developer. My major focus has been, through development, to increase productivity and efficiency by bringing together multiple pieces of software and get them talking to each other. In addition I established a detailed system of reporting to provide the management team with an easy to use suite of tools to pull information from the core of business. Im new to Fusion, joining Christmas 2010, but I hope to bring all my legal knowledge, project management and development experience from my previous roles and continue to push for the best solutions for our Clients.

• Legal Case Management Systems
• Development (C#, ASP, HTML)
• Complex Problem Solving
• Business procedures and practices
• IT System Training

Ill be spending some quality time with my wife, family and friends. I can normally be found in the kitchen, either cooking the food for everyone or devouring it. In any spare time I enjoy watching movies and planning where in the world Id like to travel to next.

After 20 years in the Insurance Sales business, I opted for a change of career. New regulations had just been introduced that changed the face of the job entirely. So I started my own private taxi hire company. 8 years later I sold it on and started looking after Fusions accounts part time.

But as the business grew, the need for a full time Financial Director increased, I found myself spending more and more time in the office. So now I spend my days keeping the company accounts in order. I also help out with human resources matters.

• Client invoicing and payment plans
• Everything accounting
• Human resource management

Family always comes first. My whole family live pretty close, so we see each other every day. And Sunday’s always promise a traditional Sunday lunch with everyone sat around the table. Of course, there are some exceptions – like when we’re off travelling the world. We love holidays and we’ve found our perfect destination - the Maldives. Oh and I spend a lot of my time in the garden too. I’m only a helper when it comes to the garden; my wife is the one that keeps it looking pretty. But it wouldn’t look nearly as good if I weren’t there to do all the hard labour!