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The Accidental Strategist

Operating Experience, Not Consulting Credentials

CEO, COO, Board, RAF Air Traffic Controller, Technology Founder

14 years from software engineer to CEO of a $50M public company. Founded a technology company. Sat in the chair where strategy meets execution and watched the gap between the two destroy value. Now I help PE owners and portfolio leaders understand what works.

14 years from software engineer to CEO of a $50M public company. Founded a technology company. Sat in the chair where strategy meets execution and watched the gap between the two destroy value. Now I help PE owners and portfolio leaders understand what works.

The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. - Socrates

The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. - Socrates

An oil tanker in a strom.
An oil tanker in a strom.
An air traffic control tower.
An Antonov 124 plane.
A Royal Air Force graduation parade at RAF Cranwell.
A Royal Air Force graduation parade at RAF Cranwell.

The Operating Background

Real operator. Not a consultant dressed as one. 14 years in the chair making decisions, running operations, managing teams, shipping products.
Royal Air Force officer and air traffic controller, which is oddly perfect training for managing complexity under pressure where mistakes have real consequences. That background shapes everything. No theory. No playbook templates. Just the accumulated scar tissue of what actually works and what doesn't.

Education

Master of Business Administration - Nottingham Trent University (2024)

Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice - Chartered Management Institute (2024)

Air Traffic Control Studies & Licensing - College of Air Traffic Control RAF Shawbury

Marine Navigation & Deck Officer License, Class 3 - UK Department of Transport

Associates Degree in Nautical Science - Fleetwood Nautical College

Certifications

Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Azure Open AI, Managing Machine Learning Projects, Data Science Ethics, Preparing for AI in the Workplace, Applying AI

Transacting on the Blockchain, Blockchain for Business, Blockchain Opportunity Analysis

Financial Modeling & Forecasting, Financial Forecasting with Big Data, Foundations of Raising Capital, Corporate Governance, Cybersecurity & Risk Management

Negotiation Skills, Conflict Management, Developing Emotional Intelligence

National Association of Corporate Directors Training

Financial Oversight, Risk Management Oversight, Compliance and Ethics, CEO Succession, Strategy and Long-Term Value Creation.

A Brief Career History

Corporate Experience

From software test engineer to CEO in 14 years.

Board Chairman, Non-Executive Director, CEO, Startup Founder, Chief Operating Officer, VP R&D and Advanced Programs, VP Product Management

Transformed a 250 person, global, public technology company into a powerhouse of performance.

Created products and executed programs that generated over $500 million in revenue.

Founded a speech recognition software company.

Job Functions

Several senior positions responsible for:

Product management | Program Management | software engineering | R&D | operations | QA and product testing | marketing | program management | business development | IT.

Global Experience

UK & US Citizen

Lived and worked in:

UK | Germany | Ukraine | Canada | USA.

CEO for a publicly-listed multi-national

Visited or done business in more than eighty additional countries.

A British & US Citizen, I have lived and worked in the UK, Germany, Ukraine, Canada and the USA. I was the CEO for an Australian listed company and have visited or done business in more than eighty additional countries.

Industry Experience

Software & Technology
Simulation and Training
Aviation & Aerospace
Airline Operations and Cargo Logistics
Military Operations
Heavy Industry
Marine Operations

Merchant Navy

Picture this: A wide-eyed 17-year-old navigator and cargo officer cadet, stepping onto an oil tanker in West Africa, for the first time, salt spray in his face and absolutely no clue that this was the first chapter in an adventure that would span the seas, skies, and boardrooms of the world.

Those five years at sea taught me more than just how to navigate ocean waves, they sparked a hunger for challenge that would define my career.

Picture this: A wide-eyed 17-year-old navigator and cargo officer cadet, stepping onto an oil tanker in West Africa, for the first time, salt spray in his face and absolutely no clue that this was the first chapter in an adventure that would span the seas, skies, and boardrooms of the world.

Those five years at sea taught me more than just how to navigate ocean waves, they sparked a hunger for challenge that would define my career.

Picture this: A wide-eyed 17-year-old navigator and cargo officer cadet, stepping onto an oil tanker in West Africa, for the first time, salt spray in his face and absolutely no clue that this was the first chapter in an adventure that would span the seas, skies, and boardrooms of the world.

Those five years at sea taught me more than just how to navigate ocean waves, they sparked a hunger for challenge that would define my career.

The Royal Air Force

At 27, I traded ships and machinery for planes, joining the Royal Air Force as a commissioned officer (Flight Lieutenant) and air traffic controller. If you want to master the art of making split-second decisions while keeping your cool, try juggling multiple aircraft in crowded airspace where "almost right" isn't an option. It turns out this skill translates surprisingly well to navigating businesses through turbulent markets, though I'll admit the corporate world does serve better coffee.

Oh, and have you ever been camping with a bunch of Harrier jump jets?

At 27, I traded ships and machinery for planes, joining the Royal Air Force as a commissioned officer (Flight Lieutenant) and air traffic controller. If you want to master the art of making split-second decisions while keeping your cool, try juggling multiple aircraft in crowded airspace where "almost right" isn't an option. It turns out this skill translates surprisingly well to navigating businesses through turbulent markets, though I'll admit the corporate world does serve better coffee.

Oh, and have you ever been camping with a bunch of Harrier jump jets?

At 27, I traded ships and machinery for planes, joining the Royal Air Force as a commissioned officer (Flight Lieutenant) and air traffic controller. If you want to master the art of making split-second decisions while keeping your cool, try juggling multiple aircraft in crowded airspace where "almost right" isn't an option. It turns out this skill translates surprisingly well to navigating businesses through turbulent markets, though I'll admit the corporate world does serve better coffee.

Oh, and have you ever been camping with a bunch of Harrier jump jets?

Flight Operations

Just when life seemed predictable, I left the Royal Air Force. I embraced what my friends politely called a "moment of madness." I hopped on a passing Antonov 124, the world's largest plane, to manage air cargo operations for a Ukrainian airline.

Picture this: Monday, you're loading satellites worth more than some countries' GDP; Tuesday, you're figuring out how to fit a giraffe in a cargo hold; and Wednesday, you're coordinating disaster relief supplies to areas most people can't find on a map. We flew everything short of the kitchen sink, actually, no, we flew those too.

Just when life seemed predictable, I left the Royal Air Force. I embraced what my friends politely called a "moment of madness." I hopped on a passing Antonov 124, the world's largest plane, to manage air cargo operations for a Ukrainian airline.

Picture this: Monday, you're loading satellites worth more than some countries' GDP; Tuesday, you're figuring out how to fit a giraffe in a cargo hold; and Wednesday, you're coordinating disaster relief supplies to areas most people can't find on a map. We flew everything short of the kitchen sink, actually, no, we flew those too.

Just when life seemed predictable, I left the Royal Air Force. I embraced what my friends politely called a "moment of madness." I hopped on a passing Antonov 124, the world's largest plane, to manage air cargo operations for a Ukrainian airline.

Picture this: Monday, you're loading satellites worth more than some countries' GDP; Tuesday, you're figuring out how to fit a giraffe in a cargo hold; and Wednesday, you're coordinating disaster relief supplies to areas most people can't find on a map. We flew everything short of the kitchen sink, actually, no, we flew those too.

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NeWTHISTle Consulting

DELIVERING CLARITY FROM COMPLEXITY

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Copyright © 2025 NewThistle Consulting LLC. All Rights Reserved

NeWTHISTle Consulting

DELIVERING CLARITY FROM COMPLEXITY

Home

About

Contact

Blog

Privacy Statement

Copyright © 2025 NewThistle Consulting LLC. All Rights Reserved

NeWTHISTle Consulting

DELIVERING CLARITY FROM COMPLEXITY

Home

About

Contact

Blog

Privacy Statement

Copyright © 2025 NewThistle Consulting LLC. All Rights Reserved