My Story

I’m an entrepreneur and a Risk Specialist in Information Security and Cyber Security Awareness Training. I also consult on emerging threat landscapes in Cyber Security & Risk for a multi national, who provides part of the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) for the UK. Also I am a qualified Scrum Master, ISACA CRISC certified and a member of the Edinburgh Magic Circle.

You may be here because you have a read the intro on the homepage…

Then let’s rewind a few years from that moment, to give you a more rounded view of things.

But don’t worry, we will get back to that point in proceeding soon enough… My father worked for the same company all of his life.

And never got any thanks for it…

This was my decision made that when I started working I would work for myself.

After leaving school and completing my apprenticeship in hairdressing, that is exactly what I did.

In 1988, at the age of 18, I became self employed, an entrepreneur.

Not only was I earning 5x what my peers were making , but I was thrown into a world of marketing, customer service, stock control, risk management, security, insurance and the inevitable tax. The veritable 'Baptism of Fire'

By the age of 19, I had opened my own salon and at the age of 21, I sold the business for a heathy sum, with ongoing royalty payments for 2 years.

Spending the next four years travelling and working all across Europe, I revelled in all the experience this had to offer. From cutting hair on balconies at sunset to 5 star luxury hotel salons, running 'Booze Cruises' and 'Bar Crawls', teaching water-skiing and even working as a Jeep Safari guide.

Returning to the UK, tanned and much wiser, I went to study Photography and Video Production in Edinburgh. Within weeks of starting the course I had carved out a niche businesses working with upcoming bands, producing videos and promo pictures. Along with working one day a week in a barbershop, this saw me through to the end of my course, where I produced twelve 20”x16” black and white hand-printed photos, not only as my final graduation exhibition, but they were also for sale on the night...

I sold 10 of them for £200 each, and I was offered a job, on a freelance basis, as an assistant for a commercial photographer.

Working with him for 18 months whilst also perusing my own projects, I bagged some freelance shifts on an Edinburgh newspapers, and soon went onto work across Scotland covering local, national and global stories for the likes of The Sun, The Mirror, The Times, The Scotsman Group, The Herald, Times Education and even News Of The World.

I ended up specialising in shooting live music and events, and writing features on quirky subjects like The World's Smallest Whiskey Distillery and the 1st Female Decorating Company. I then went on to set up my own photo agency, focusing on music industry and my work published worldwide, working with the likes of Robbie Williams, Ian Brown, The Kaiser Chiefs, Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, Public Enemy and many more.

It was during this period where I got my first taste of public speaking, as a member of the National Union of Journalists I was spearheading a campaign against a certain newspaper group as they attempted a 'copyright grab' using freelance contracts. I spoke at the AGM in Blackpool, to a packed auditorium, and I was given a strict 3 minute time-slot to state my case, and after that the mic would be cut off. I was given a standing ovation and my motion was carried unanimously.

Fast-forward ten years, and after thousands of shoots, images and articles sold across the globe I moved into a managerial role for DMGT as a Picture Editor, on the Scotland desk, responsible for the daily delivery of images for a national newspaper and helping pioneer content for news websites.

In less than a year I had returned to the world of freelance, working as a Picture Editor for a number of prestigious publications including The Scotsman, The Herald and The Daily Mail where I honed my skills specialising in negotiations, management, copyright and digital asset protection.

After a number of years working at management level as a Picture Editor I decided it was time for a new challange, and seeing a huge market about to explode in the men's grooming space, I quit the media business and returned to my premiere profession of hairdressing, now focused solely on the male market.

I opened a 2 chair boutique barbershop, just 10 miles from my home and set out my goals for the next 10 years.

Within a couple of years the shop was fully booked weeks in advance, I had been nominated for various awards and that's when things really took off.

I started lecturing at colleges, and helped develop a curriculum for Fife College, where I taught for 3 years, helping to create a new generation of barbers, many who have gone on to open their own successful businesses.

The launch of a new barbering magazine 'BarberEvo' saw me return to my journalistic roots, as I worked on a freelance basis for them as a feature writer and helped with PR, which also led to me creating a swathe of unique men's hair collections, this time I didn't take the photos but focused on creating unforgettable images.

These collections over the next 5 years went on to be published globally in more than 25 countries,and in some of the most prestigious publications on the planet.

I was also awarded the title of Grand Master Barber, the very first in Scotland, and one of only a handful in the UK, and took my collections 'on tour' to shows and events including the biggest one of them all, Salon International in London, where I took to the stage to speak, demonstrate my techniques, share insights and showcase my work.

Failure is the road to success