Profile
Experienced entrepreneur, CEO & NED with a proven track record of success in the start-up/scale-up ecosystem. As the CEO and Co-Founder of multiple thriving startups, I have demonstrated the ability to lead and inspire teams, drive business growth, and deliver innovative solutions to market. I am considered a strategic thinker with a passion for innovation and technology whose key strengths include: strong business acumen, skills in finance, marketing, and operations; driving sustainable growth in a competitive markets; a reputation for being ethical, honest, and transparent; developing a strong network of investors, advisors, and other industry professionals to raise finance and generate value; setting the vision and strategy and establishing the company's unique value proposition; and assembling and leading high performing executive teams.
As a veteran of four IPOs, I work with Boards of Directors, Advisory Boards, startup business partners, Venture Capital and Private Equity Companies with exceptionally high ethical standards and practical commercial know-how.
Career Narrative
Soon after leaving school with no formal qualifications but with energy and a passion for business, I started a promotional products company Incentives2. Following rapid early growth, I began to source supplies directly from Hong Kong, purchased print machines, and began offering fully outsourced services – a concept now widely adapted and known as the ‘company store’. I sold to Bemrose Corporate and between 1994 to 2002 served as the UK MD of their non-security print and calendar businesses during which time I moved to Hong Kong rationalise the supplier base and improve margins. After returning to the UK, I shifted our focus to expanding into the US which we did as ‘4Imprint’, now a £1.3BN Plc. After exiting in 2002, I founded Galileo Innovation, a company that specialized in commercializing intellectual property (IP) solutions, raising £6 million in an IPO.
Seeing the value in tech-based solutions, I initiated another venture called Corporate Solutions, a tech-focused promotion company that incorporated advanced technology systems into its business model. We later merged with competitor Dowlis in a 50:50 deal and created Dowlis Corporate Solutions. I led an IPO to generate investment capital and we invested heavily in acquiring three software companies. Eventually, Dowlis Corporate Solutions was sold to its management in 2010.
In that deal, I retained the software arm and created Altitude Group Plc where I served as CEO and expanded our presence in California and Toronto, operating under the ‘Trade Only’ brand operating a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model. After fending offer acquisitive advances from competitors ASI and Vista Print I hired a CEO and transitioned into a non-executive director (NED) role where I remain to this day. In the US, Altitude operates under the name AIM Smarter and is valued at $2.4 billion.
Recently I embarked on another startup venture, The Souvenir Collection, a manufacturer and designer of visitor merchandise where I am actively involved in day-to-day operations. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we created online print-on-demand service Merchr.com, raised funds and developed it into a content monetization platform clients that include Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge, 80 employees and a turnover exceeding £10 million.
Career Summary
2021 to present: CEO & Non-Executive Director, Altitude Group Inc.
2010 to 2020: CEO & President, Altitude Group Inc.
2002 to 2010: Co-founder & CEO, Dowlis Corporate Solutions
1994 to 2002: UK Managing Director, Benrose
1986 to 1994: Founder & CEO, 4Imprint
Additional Information
I am a passionate about aviation and hold a Private Pilot’s License for Helicopters from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (1991) and Private Pilot License for Helicopters licenses by the Federal Aviation Administration (2020).
