Product security approach

I am enjoying my work with Dynamo North East to try and set up a cyber resilience cluster across the region. This is a topic I have covered on several occasions and one, no doubt I will come back to. I sometimes wonder how I have arrived here as I would never class myself as … Continue reading Product security approach

More students

I have now been a guest lecturer at the three universities closest to me, Newcastle, Northumbria and Sunderland. I might be bigging myself up a bit here but I was there, standing in front of the students doing my stuff and wondering what was going on in their heads. This was my second time at … Continue reading More students

Sales is an emotional experience

Not that I need reminding but I become more and more convinced that selling is a question of emotion rather than fact. People don’t necessarily buy products because of what they are but because of how they make then feel or they project an image of the kind of person they would like to be. … Continue reading Sales is an emotional experience

Unconscious bias

We were making our way into the Metro Centre from the Debenhams end when we saw a very young boy getting into one of the fun buggies that can be hired from the customer service desk. The buggies are shaped like cars and can be pushed around while the child sits inside and pretends to … Continue reading Unconscious bias

Atlas Shrugged

Spoiler alert. I have been reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I still am, it is a long book yet it has left me in a dilemma. At times I think it is the most fantastic of books while at others I don’t agree with some of the sentiments it contains. Perhaps that is the … Continue reading Atlas Shrugged

Our greatest resource

Rachel, a friend of mine from my Durham days posted on Twitter ‘It may be a snow day for some, however for those who are freelance and self-employed, snow days can often mean no pay days.’ She is right. For many of us who are working in the gig economy disruption can have significant consequences. … Continue reading Our greatest resource

Rural Cultural Business Innovation Programme day 2

The ‘Beast from the East’ tried to do its worst and dumped a large amount of snow on Hexham just in time for day 2 of the Rural Cultural Business Innovation Programme. The clouds had been gathering during our time at Alnwick the day before but the sky remained, in the main, blue on the … Continue reading Rural Cultural Business Innovation Programme day 2

Marshmallow challenge

One of the ways we got the delegates to engage with each other at the Rural Cultural Business Innovation Programme, was through the Marshmallow Challenge. I love it. It makes me laugh every time I see it run. It is quite simple. Each group, it is essential that there several people in the group, has … Continue reading Marshmallow challenge

Leading ladies

I’ve talked about my involvement in Lyndsey’s Leading Ladies before yet this time my role in the programme was something special, to me at least. I was asked if I would hold a session as part of this year’s programme, to talk about why getting more women into tech is important and my perceptions of … Continue reading Leading ladies