What was your first job and how did you get into IT?

It was a temporary job doing Basic programming at Birds Eye Walls. I assisted a shift supervisor writing a stock control system. After six weeks I got a position
at the West Bromwich Building Society as a junior assistant analyst. I am now in my fourth building society job.

If you were not in IT, what would you do?

I always wanted to be a cameraman for the BBC. I love wildlife and sports photography, so that would be the ideal job for me.

Do you think the current financial turbulence will have any impact on Market Harborough Building Society’s IT operations?

It will affect the industry, and we will have to cost justify any projects we roll out next year. If they are essential, the business will back them. It will cut back on those things that we could put off for two to three years.

Which IT vendor do you think has been the most influential in the past 20 years?

It has to be Microsoft, because it is everywhere. It is not necessarily the most influential for the right reasons, but it is in terms of the territory it covers.

Which mobile device do you currently use?

I use an O2 XDA Atom. We originally used iMate JAMs, but then I got the Atom earlier this year. It is fantastic ­ it’s small and more phone-like than the earlier devices. Its slide-out keyboard makes it much easier to use.

What coming government legislation will most affect your IT operations?

The FSA recently issued a data security report, which was a list of best practices. That is having an impact on us. We do not legally have to be compliant, but if we choose not to be, the FSA could turn up later and ask: “Why aren’t you doing this? Why have you gone down a different road?”