I originally studied chemistry at Nottingham, and then stayed
on there to do research in photo- and radiation chemistry. My
PhD thesis (1969) was entitled Excited State Behaviour of
Simple Aromatic Compounds. I then spent eighteen months
working at the Kernforschungszentrum, near Karlsruhe in Germany,
where I researched the photodecomposition of deep temperature
glasses.
I returned to the UK in 1971 to join the Institute of Oceanographic
Sciences (then the National Institute of Oceanography) to develop
sea-going computer systems. After some years I became responsible
for development of computer systems throughout the Institute,
and later throughout the Institute's parent body, the Natural
Environment Research Counsel.
In 1985 I left NERC to join Praxis, a leading software engineering
company. I worked for Praxis as a project manager and consultant,
and eventually became Quality Manager. At this time I was becoming
increasingly interested in the human aspects of work and interaction,
rather than the purely technical. I embarked upon training in
humanistic psychology, counselling and psychotherapy. This has
been an on-going process. I am still learning ten years later
and I guess I will always continue to do so.
In 1990 I left Praxis in order to have more time for these developments
and worked for a couple of years with the Oxford Research Group,
which researches the decision-making process in defence matters
with a view to contributing to an improved quality of decision-making
both in the UK and internationally. My own contribution concerned
the adjustments taking place in the defence industry following
the collapse of the Cold War, and I published Converting
the Defence Industry: Have we the Political Will?.
During this period I was also starting to practice as a counsellor,
as well as undertaking consultancy and giving training. I subsequently
completed my training as a Gestalt Psychotherapist..
So that's how I come to now have a fascinating mix of interests,
whereby I work with people in developing themselves personally
or in a work capacity (is a distinction appropriate here?), and
helping people make work become more enjoyable and fruitful.