Nov 2002 to present

PIXELearning Limited
(games-based eLearning),
Managing Director & Founder

I founded PIXELearning in October 2002, with Suraj Rana, having identified a market opportunity and established this enterprise specifically to focus on game and simulation-based approaches to training, development and education. In the five years since the company has founded we have gone from being a two-man band working from home to being based at the Coventry University Technology Park and employing approximately 25 people (full time and FTE) in various capacities.

The company's existence has coincided with the explosion of interest in Games-based Learning / Serious Games and I have attended many of the related industry events in this period (Serious Games Summit GDC/DC/Lyon, Apply Serious Games 06/07, Education Arcade, NASAGA). I find myself speaking to invited audiences more and more frequently in the UK and overseas.

To learn more about what PIXELearning do please visit the main web site at: www.pixelearning.com or our demonstrations page.

To learn more about Serious Games I recommend visiting the Ning-based Serious Games social networking site.

Oct 2001 to Nov 2002

Einstein Network
(video-based CPD provider), part of FSDC Group Plc,
Divisional Manager & Senior eLearning producer

My role changed only slightly when Einstein Learning (and its parent company, Einstein Network) were acquired by FSDC. The overall ethos from 'the top' became less 'media-industry lovely' and more corporate focused which was no bad thing; sales generation being, in my book at least, fairly fundamental to achieving sustainable business activity!

It was in this period that I first got to experiment with melding games and eLearning by undertaking some internal R&D projects. These included a RPG aimed at schools (learners played the role of a journalist during WW2) and RPGs aimed at building various business-related soft skills.

I had overall P&L responsibility for Einstein Learning (the eLearning division) and reported to Einstein Network's MD. I was responsible for the day to day management of development teams (10 staff) in two offices (SE and WM).

• Secured over £75k in new business in the first 4 months with no sales or marketing budget.
• Gained board approval for a games-based learning pilot project (£50k budget).
• Tasked with developing a pilot ‘eCPD’ service (£50k budget).
• Developed proposals for education, heritage, public and private sectors.
• Script-writing and studio production of video content.
• Designed web-based project management system for internal planning and reporting.

Jan to Oct 2001

Einstein Consulting,
part of Einstein Group Plc (digital TV group, Science & Technology)
Senior eLearning consultant

My employment with Einstein Group Plc proved to be a personal disappointment but was a period during which, never the less, I learned a hell of a lot. Einstein had just floated on AIM prior to my appointment and had raised £12m to expand its TV production, broadcasting and consultancy services as well as (attempting) to put in place a 'learning ladder' of related products and services amongst which eLearning figured highly.

Whilst my division (Einstein Learning) and the part of the group under which it fell (Einstein Consulting) managed to be profitable, the overall Plc managed to burn its way through all of its cash at a staggering rate and ultimately was forced to sell off its non-TV elements. Einstein Learning never received any funding support for the R&D which had been planned and, indeed, never got any sales & marketing support, but we managed, none-the-less, to be self-sustaining.

• Employed by consulting arm of digital TV PLC to establish eLearning division reporting to CEO.
• Client needs analysis, specification/technical design & project management.
• Responsible for all proposal writing, pricing, storyboards and technical specifications.
• Recruitment, training and management of technical/creative team.
• Implementation of development methodology, QA and CRM.
• Instrumental in the acquisition of £15k of revenue per month.
• Technical Manager for €3m EU-funded project with £100k p.a. budget.

1997 to 2000

Netucate Online Limited
(Bespoke eLearning and web development)
Director of eLearning & co-founder

• Co-founded company after successfully completing a 12-month graduate training scheme.
• End-to-end responsibility for bespoke development and eLearning consulting.
• Preparation of proposals, technical specs, storybooks, scripts and design documentation.
• Preparation of management accounts, market research and business planning

1994 to 1998

These were my student years during which time had many part time jobs to keep me in food and beer. These included working for Coventry University as a web designer (part time) and working self-employed (web design again) trading under the name 'Number27 Limited'. I also 'did time' working as a bar man (where I met my wife), in a bookies, telesales, loading lorries and sorting post. What fun! Despite often working 40+ hours a week I still managed, somehow, to pass my degree with a 2:1.

It was during this period that I learned web design and, after building a web site that was designed my fellow class mates and I to share notes, help each other and generally complain about our lecturers (they call them Virtual Learning Environments now) I saw the potential for applying web technologies to learning and utimately ended persuading Coventry University to pay me to undertake an M.Phil research degree in learning technologies and learning theory.

1988 to 1994

Lorne Stewart Plc
(Mechanical building services)
Assistant contracts engineer

Prior to going to university I trained as a Building Services Contracts Engineer for nearly seven years. The company that I worked for shrunk from about a thousand employees to a hundred or so in this period during Thatcher's last economic slump and it was often quite a depressing experience seeing your closest friends and colleagues being let go with 5 minutes notice. This period taught me a lot about the need for businesses to be competitive, to focus on core (winnable) business areas and to communicate with their staff effectively.

• Project management of design and build contracts (£20k to £300k)
• Site management with full budget responsibility.
• Complete design of mechanical building services systems from client brief including heat/cooling load and equipment specification, water and air distribution system sizing calcs, plant room and general system schematics and detailed installation drawings.
• QA (BS5750) procedures and monitoring.