Thirty-five years in hospitality. Twenty-five building the tech that runs it.
I spent 15 years behind the bar, on the floor, in the kitchen & on the door, including turning a derelict swimming baths into a 600-capacity venue at 22. Since 2001, I’ve been building the software that the sector uses day to day for revenue generation and to drive footfall. In 2018, I took over Airship as CEO, and with a super talented team, brought the business back from near-bankruptcy, launching Toggle and then exiting to Zonal in 2022 before standing down in September 2026.
35+
years in hospitality
£100m+
gift sales / year
9,000+
venues served
7
companies built
00 / welcome
People kept telling me I should have a website. Well, here it is.
It’s a work in progress, and I’m trying to make it as interesting and as funny as I can, because the last thirty-five years have been a bit of a journey. Not all of it was great. I try to be honest about where I got things wrong and what I learned. And, like any other human, I don’t always learn from the first mistake. Often not from the second either.
Where to next.
index / 04 routes
05 / newsletter
New writing, by email.
When I publish something new, on hospitality, the tech that runs it, or what I’m building now, I’ll send it to you. Occasional, not weekly. Unsubscribe in one click.
06 / building with ai
Working out loud with Claude
What I’m actually shipping with AI, where it earns its keep in a hospitality business, and where it plainly doesn’t.
from the writing archive
“Gift cards are not just for Christmas. They can make people feel warm and fuzzy all year round.”
on gift cards · read the post
07 / contact