Group Director of IT and Data Protection Lead - Repton School
(2026-01)
Group IT Director accountable for technology strategy, investment, architecture, cyber and data protection, service performance and digital transformation across a multi-site, acquisition-led schools group. Mandate: Bring technology across the group under one strategy, strengthen governance and service standards, and create a consistent approach for integrating new schools as the group grows.
- Led a group-wide review of infrastructure, applications, contracts, cyber security and risk, creating a clear baseline and priorities for the group technology roadmap.
- Developed and began delivering the group technology strategy and multi-year roadmap, aligning infrastructure, applications and digital investment with educational, operational and growth priorities.
- Established a Group Technology Board and architecture review forum, introducing clearer standards, accountability and decision-making across the group.
- Created a repeatable approach for integrating new acquisitions, covering platform consolidation, identity, cyber controls and IT service onboarding.
- Led group digital transformation and modernisation programmes from business case through to delivery, including platform consolidation and the controlled adoption of AI.
- Directed group infrastructure, cloud services, cyber security and IT operations, with responsibility for operational and capital budgets, suppliers and key technology partners.
- Owned group technology risk, information security and business continuity, aligning controls with Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus and sector expectations.
- Built and led the central technology team, improving capability, succession planning, accountability and delivery standards across internal and partner teams.
- Led the outsourcing of Print Room functions and brought critical IT services back in-house, managing supplier handovers, knowledge transfer and service continuity.
Director of IT and Facilities - Burton and South Derbyshire College
(2024-08 - 2026-01)
Executive leadership of 21 staff across IT and Facilities, with a £4.2m combined portfolio, reporting to the Vice Principal and Senior Leadership Team in an Ofsted Outstanding-rated further education college. Mandate: Transform an underperforming IT function, modernise an ageing end-user estate and restore confidence in technology delivery.
- Repositioned IT as a strategic support function through operating-model restructure, capability uplift and clear service accountability; SLT extended the remit to include Facilities and Estates on the strength of early impact.
- Set direction for service resilience across the estate, ending sustained disruption and restoring SLT and stakeholder confidence in technology.
- Shifted enterprise endpoint strategy from a capital replacement cycle to Azure Virtual Desktop across 850 devices, deferring a full hardware refresh, releasing capital for reinvestment and extending estate life.
- Established portfolio governance across technology and estates, accountable to the Vice Principal and SLT for delivery, risk, value for money and capital programme performance.
- Reset the organisation's security control and tooling baseline in line with Cyber Essentials Plus and wider assurance expectations.
- Led the college to Cyber Essentials Plus, a college-wide cyber awareness programme and instituted cyber risk reporting to the Audit Committee; critical vulnerability remediation reduced from 160 to 14 days.
- Directed service delivery improvements - standardised processes, defined ownership and technical runbooks - reducing manual effort, service variability and key-person risk.
- Led the development of capital proposals that unlocked over £1.7m in SALIX grant funding for the college's sustainability and estates programme, covering solar generation, air source heat pumps and legacy building redevelopment.
Head of IT - MHR Global - Nottingham
(2023-07 - 2024-08)
Functional lead for 20 people across Desktop Support and Managed Services in the UK and India, supporting 900 remote and office-based staff and reporting to the Senior Leadership Team and Board. Mandate: Unify two previously separate teams, remove structural cost from a fragmented estate and restore service credibility after sustained SLA failure.
- Developed and secured approval for a business case to centralise the technology architecture, achieving a reduction of more than 30% in operating costs.
- Introduced ITIL-aligned service management and SLA reporting, improving first-time resolution and reducing a 1,100-ticket backlog to fewer than 200 active tickets within two months.
- Unified two functions into one 20-person team, establishing accountable multi-site delivery across first-, second- and third-line support, cyber resilience and managed services.
- Strengthened organisational data protection through design workshops, face-to-face training, automation and implementation of IT security policies aligned with ISO 27001, SOC 2 and Cyber Essentials Plus.
Director of IT and Project Performance - South Staffordshire College
(2018-11 - 2023-07)
Directed IT across five campuses and three outreach centres, supporting 600+ staff and 12,000 students, with a £1.4m capital and £600k operating budget. Inherited an underperforming function shaped by successive structural changes that had drifted from its core purpose. Mandate: Build a stable, secure IT function and team capable of supporting the college's growth agenda and long-term aspirations.
- Grew the technology team from 4 to 10 across desktop support, server, cloud and cyber security, coaching a new leadership tier and establishing succession within the function.
- Achieved ISO 27001 certification and successfully recertified, embedding an information security management system across five campuses.
- Led the implementation of Cyber Essentials Plus across all five campuses, aligning controls, tooling and assurance reporting to the Audit Committee.
- Delivered a server and cloud adoption programme that materially reduced the on-premises server estate while supporting 600+ staff and 12,000 students across five campuses and three outreach centres.
- Owned a £1.4m capital and £600k operating budget, managing suppliers and strategic partners and consistently delivering the annual technology plan within the envelope.
- Developed and executed the college's five-year IT strategy and roadmap, sequencing consolidation, cyber, cloud and end-user modernisation programmes.
- Restructured and realigned the department, developing a high-performing team through coaching, clear accountabilities and stretch delivery.
- Coordinated with senior leadership and stakeholders to evaluate technology investments, eliminate technical debt and support the college's growth agenda.
Head of Technical Services - Quiss Technology Plc
(2018-01 - 2018-12)
Head of Professional Services - NAK Consulting Services
(2015-01 - 2018-12)
Senior Solutions Architect, Datacentre and Cloud - Project Network LLP
(2009-01 - 2015-12)
Network and Infrastructure Manager - JLT Online
(2006-01 - 2009-12)
IT Manager - Tamworth and Lichfield College
(1999-01 - 2006-12)
Senior IT Support Lead - Tamworth College
(1996-01 - 1999-12)
