TL;DR: A former banking, finance and investor communications professional bringing an abundance of transferrable experience, professionalism and soft-skills to a new career in software engineering.
Skills | Projects | Experience | Education
Contact: 🔗 LinkedIn | 📧 Email | 📱 WhatsApp |
Ever since I got my hands on my first Windows 3.1 PC in the 90s, I have been captivated by the incredible possibilities of computing and tech. I've always been eager to learn and have even built PCs for myself and my loved ones, while leveraging my coding and scripting skills to streamline everyday tasks. The thrill of learning never fades for me, and I'm always looking for new ways to challenge myself.
When I'm not busy building computers or learning new programming languages, I enjoy tinkering with home devices and finding ways to make them work smarter and better together. Whenever I build a new PC, the old one becomes the home NAS server, where I host my media and files and run docker containers with services such as Jellyfin, Pi-Hole and Synology to serve my other devices. Platforms like IFTTT have been a game-changer for me, and I'm always on the lookout for new tools and resources to streamline and optimize my tech setup.
I have spent seven years in Financial PR, helping hundreds of companies to communicate their investment case when seeking funding, both through public and private markets. This experience, along with time spent in investment banking while studying for my MBA has given me excellent communication skills and professionalism, as well as a keen understanding of what makes a good business.
My drive to learn and grow is insatiable, and before fully taking the plunge with Makers I dedicated countless hours outside of my full time job to self-teaching the fundamentals of software engineering. Sites like Codecademy and Udemy were invaluable resources in my quest to expand my knowledge base and sharpen my skills. Completing coding challenges on platforms like Codewars also gave me a deep appreciation for clean, efficient code and the importance of test-driven development early in my journey.
Overall, I'm a highly motivated, enthusiastic tech-lover with a strong desire to take on new challenges, learn new skills, and make a meaningful impact in the world of tech.
| Project Name | Description | Technologies Used | Purpose/Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Step Free Gigs | A mobile app for finding wheelchair accessible gigs in London with step-free navigation | React Native, Expo, Node.js, Express.js, Jest | Final project at Makers Academy, build a mobile app from the ground up, utilising several API calls while learning a new tech-stack. |
| Acebook Air | A social media app built with the MERN stack | MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js, MongoDB Atlas, Mongoose, Render(deployment), Multer, Jest, Cypress | Build a full-stack web application using the MERN stack and improve experience working in an agile, collaborative environment. |
| Guardian News Aggregator | A web app for aggregating and filtering news articles from the Guardian API. Also utilises Pegasus Newsroom API to generate summaries of articles. | JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Jest | Build knowledge in JavaScript web apps, in particular with API calls and asynchronous programming & promises. |
| Bank Tech Test | A command-line banking application, part of the Tech Test solo week, week 10 of Makers | TypeScript, Jest, ts-node | Focus on a project with less time constraints in order to focus on rigorous TDD and clean readable code. I also took this week as an opportunity to learn TypeScript. |
| Database Server Tech Test | A simple express.js database server app, part of the Tech Test solo week, week 10 of Makers | TypeScript, Jest, ts-node | Build on knowledge of express.js for web app routing, HTTP req/res, and controller logic. As with other tech tests this week, focus on clean code and rigorous TDD. |
| Gilded Rose | A refactoring exercise for a legacy codebase, part of the Tech Test solo week, week 10 of Makers | TypeScript, Jest | Practice refactoring skills with an emphasis on clean, well tested code, working with a messy legacy program |
| Bowling Score Calculator | A bowling score calculator command line app, completed as a weekend challenge at the end of week six of Makers | JavaScript, Node.js, Jest | Applying logic from a previously completed challenge to a new language. Heavy emphasis on building TDD skills and familiarity with JavaScript/Jest |
| Chitter Challenge | A Twitter clone. Weekend challenge at the end of week four of Makers | Ruby, Sinatra, PostgreSQL, ERB, Rspec | Build a web app using Ruby / Sinatra, and consolidate learning of working with databases (PostgreSQL). |
| Notes App | A simple full-stack notes app which also runs text through an 'emojifying' API to allow users to include emojis in their text content (e.g. :fire: = 🔥) |
JavaScript, Node.js Jest, HTML, CSS, APIs | Learn to build an end-end web application with Node.js, using JavaScript to interact with the DOM, as well as build knowledge of asynchronous programming and APIs |
| Shop Manager Challenge | A CLI app for managing products and orders. Weekend challenge at the end of week three of Makers. | Ruby, Rspec | Practice Ruby programming, clean code, and building TDD skills |
| Battleships | A two-player CLI battleship game built in Ruby. Bonus weekend challenge at the end of week two of Makers. | Ruby, Rspec | Introduction to more complex CLI apps and user I/O testing |
| Student Directory | A command-line application for managing student information. | Ruby | An introduction to creating interactive CLI apps and my first small project at Makers Academy |
Houston - Associate Partner
London, UK | November 2021 to November 2022
- Communications and investor relations specialist
- Capital Markets PR team, reporting directly into Board Director, direct report for several members of team
- Helping clients to raise money both through private and public markets
- Clients across multiple sectors including Gaming, Resources, Healthcare, Financial Services, Tech
Yellow Jersey PR - Associate Partner
London, UK | September 2016 to November 2021
- Communications, media relations and investor relations specialist
- Working with Companies in a number of countries including dual listings on TSX and ASX
- Worked on +10 IPOs listing on LSE (Premium Main Market and Standard List) AIM and NEX
Hudson Sandler - Account Executive
London, UK | September 2015 to September 2016
- Clients across multiple sectors and regions, including large Russian institutions
- Organisation and management of client events, capital markets days and campaigns
- Content editor for company website and social media. Part of web design team building new website
Morgan Stanley - Analyst
New York City, USA | August 2014 to August 2015
- Trading assistant for ETF and Financial Arbitrage desks within the Institutional Equity Division
- Working closely with sales and trading, serving as point person for traders
- Responsible for the life cycle of each trade from placement to settlement, reconciling front-to back issues
Liberty Special Markets - Assistant Underwriter
Sydney, Australia & Singapore, Singapore | August 2012 to August 2013
- Rotation between Marine Cargo, Energy Fire & Construction, Casualty, and Professional Indemnity departments
- Drafting and proof-reading policies; providing premium quotes for new clients; research & analysis projects
- Front of house responsibilities: attending meetings and conferences with various brokers, clients, adjusters
SEGA of Europe - Quality Assurance Analyst
London, UK | June 2008 to August 2011
- QA tester on AAA titles across multiple platforms, a high-pressure, highly technical role working within a large team
- 16 week, full-time software engineering course based on the principles of software craftsmanship
- Focus on writing clean, test-driven code.
- Object-oriented design, abiding by SOLID principles
- Teamwork based on Agile development
- Master of Business Administration (MBA), International Business
- 16 Month MBA Program run by the Mountbatten Institute
- 12 months in New York City alongside a professional work placement, and 4 months of field research in Bangkok.
- Awarded the highest dissertation grade in the graduating class.
- Activities and societies: The Centre for Entrepreneurship at the Mountbatten Institute, The Investment Strategy Society
- Dissertation: “The Role of Innovation Diffusion Factors on the rise of Bitcoin. Should we be paying attention to cryptocurrencies?"
- Bachelor of Science (BSc), Economics
- Dissertation Title: “Quantitative analysis of football attendance figures in the English Premier League - should teams sell more tickets?”
- Dissertation: "Quantitative analysis of football attendance figures in the English Premier League - should teams sell more tickets?"
- Accompanying infographic