John Jenkins

Bio

Personal interests:

Drag racing - used to build and race meth-fueled and turbo-charged drag bikes.
Painting (of the large wall-mural kind) Did this for a few years earning some pocket money along the way, Managed to keep a couple of cherished photos of some of my past work. Side-line painting artwork on M/C tanks and helmets for my mates for beer money.
Creative writing - I have a rolling few 'back burner' projects I might get around to finishing one day.
Inventor: I have some published I.P. and a couple of W.I.P. - you never know....
Cheffy: nearly went into professional catering at the time of a job change many moons ago. Still maintain the skills (as can be told from the waistline alone).

Career:

Started in mainframe operations many moons ago and migrated through a number of roles over the years:

Dunlop: Operations/Programming
Rolls-Royce: Systems Analyst / Systems Programmer
Debenhams: Systems Analyst - my first introduction to multi-value!
DISC International Ltd - later FBH Associates Ltd: Cutting edge communications and real-time interactive systems based on MV for the first mass-market interactive systems pre-Internet. Architected and added interactive voice recognition and speech capabilities to MV - most flavours and variants, greatest emphasis on Reality, Pick (PC) and Prime creating a VM environment inside MV.. Member pro-tem of C.C.I.T.T. IGOSYS 5 SIG on X.400, representing DISC and Prime.
UniData - later Ardent: Consultant with emphasis on web-based solutions
Informix: Stepped into Management as took my team and responsibility for Lastminute.com and BBC Futureworld projects and teams (amongst others)
IBM: Manager - U2 Technical Support team in EMEA. went through my first formal Management training with IBM's 'Basic Blue' and years-in-service afterwards. Mixing Manger/HR responsibilities with a technical role.
Rocket: Back to technical roots covering the MV product set and the occasional extra-curricular activity wearing a 'Consultant, 'Trainer' or technical conference presenter hat. Promoting the use of 'Knowledge Management' and of 'Consumability'.