I find solutions to problems.

From an early age I have always loved a problem……I love thinking about the potential solutions and refining them to come up with the best solution. This has led me over the years to identify solutions to help prevent terrorist attacks, helped a government organization privatize, helped a company grow by 30% and more. Like a mountain, no problem is insurmountable and the more facets the problem has the more I enjoy finding solutions!

I have always been a motivated self started who strives on challenges………sometimes to the annoyance of others as when I see a solution to a problem, I sometimes can’t help myself but to share it. Sometimes that “over sharing” is not received well so I have learned to only give advice if its requested……..save annoying everyone!

Intrapeneur and Entrepeneur – I have run companies from within in addition to starting new ventures. My personal passion is I love identifying gaps in the market and finding solutions to those gaps and I thrive on the challenge of helping others to do the same. More often than not it is simply a case of connecting people with the right solutions but sometimes its a case of building those solutions.

My early years I didn’t really know what I wanted to do – I spent my time bouncing around working around the world as a representative in ski and summer resorts, helping holiday makers enjoy their time away until in 1995 when it was time to “settle down” and get a “proper job”.

I always wanted to fly so I went to the Royal Air Force recruitment centre and took the test. In speaking to their staff afterwards, I was told I was “too old”. 23 at the time, there would not be any vacancies until I was 26 and 26 (at that time) was too old for the RAF. “Try the Army” they said.

Army recruitment was in the same building so I thought, I am here, I might as well take the test. I took the test and in doing through the results the recruitment staff sergeant said “we do not take on pilots as recruits, you need to do something else first and transfer when you are a sergeant, your test results show you are suitable for RMP or Int Corps”. I said “well I know what RMP (Royal military Police) does but what about Int Corps” to which he replied “I can’t tell you”…………….I will do that then!!!

I joined the Army Intelligence Corps in 1996 as an Operator Intelligence and Security and was posted to Northern Ireland. It was the best thing I have ever done as it helped start me on the journey that led me to where I am today. The analytical aspect of the job dovetailed with my thirst for problem solving and I loved it.

In the Army, I was assisting a DERA (Defence Evaluation and Research Agency) team solving an IT problem (in completing an IT investigation) and in 2000, they asked me to join them. I joined the DERA team as a Scientific Officer dealing with Special Projects (Counter Terrorist and Special Forces).

Still loving the problem solving aspect, in 2002 my dream job became available as an Investigator for the National Investigation Division of HMCE (Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise) which later became Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. My role as investigator became a specialized role as a dedicated surveillance officer and my team was transferred to the Serious Organized Crime Agency when it was established in 2006.

In 2008, I moved to Canada with my husband and initially, I couldn’t work as I did not have a permit. I had always been involved with technology and alway wanted to learn Web Development so I decided to do a course with VSBT (now Q College). Upon completing the course I started doing websites for myself, friends and others under my sole proprietorship “Ice Shadow Studio” (which is my dogs kennel club name!).

I also started working for North Studio and Stikky Media (Q College’s sister companies) and teaching for Q College. This gave me a rounded marketing, web development and training background that allowed me to move my way up in the company, undertaking every role, from developer to project manager to account manager and Vice President. I was President when the CEO went on holiday to Thailand and came back a year later to a 30% increase in sales……..at that point I became CEO and never looked back!

Late 2014 I was having difficulty with balance, speech and multi tasking and I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in early 2015. A long discover process occurred next where I worked out what I could do and what I needed to change and the biggest thing that needed to change was my stress levels. After a lot of discussions with my partners at North Studio we decided that I would remove the stress of being the CEO for the 5 companies I was managing and focus my efforts on the one thing I loved – analytics and strategy!

I registered Coredeca in 2009 but I never really knew what I wanted to do with it. I had been managing and overseeing strategy for my own companies (Ice Shadow Studio and Flight Crew Finder) along with my friends companies and North Studio & Stikky Media. Late 2016 I stepped down from North Studio and focused 100% on delivering Analytics and Strategy under Coredeca whilst working hand in hand with the companies (North Studio, Q College, Digital Business Intelligence and Stikky Media) that I still share part ownership in. This is a fantastic way of working as we both get to focus on being experts in our respective areas whilst leveraging the team work and synergy that we have always had.

And that is my story to date…….I am sure there will be lots more to come!