Sean

I was born a while back in Johannesburg South Africa. After moving around extensively during my first seven years of school we finally settled down in Randfontein, a small town out west of Johannesburg, it was here where I spent my youth. Nothing to exciting about that and not to many complaints either.

I finished school and started work immediately, allowing me to study while also obtaining a salary. It is always handy being a student and having money …. Laugh. I joined Telkom South Africa, obtaining a diploma in Telecommunications. After a couple of years I decided to join a small computer company, Electronic Laboratory Services, but had to do a short stint in the South African Army as National Service was compulsory until 1991. After this I returned to ELAB for a period of three years. It was here where I really got interested in computers and learned the basics and a great deal about PCs, LAN’s, “E-mail” and loads of other things related to computers. In 1991 I left ELAB and joined IBM. This had a huge impact on my career as well as my life. I started out as a PSR (Program Support Representative) supporting customers using mainframe operating systems. IBM allowed me the opportunity to see a number of foreign countries as most of the training took place abroad. I visited London, Germany, Spain, and the USA regularly over the following eight years . As IBM is such a large company I had the opportunity to move within the company and over a period of six years worked in most areas pertaining to PCs, from hardware support to help desk work eventually specializing on the Lotus Notes/Domino platform and ended up in Technical Software Sales. In 1999 after eight years with IBM I resigned and with my recently acquired wife Nicolette, relocated to the UK as the opportunity seemed right going into the millennium.

In the UK I was approached by Lotus Development UK, an IBM company and was offered a job. I was very interested in Lotus and the products they offered, and took this opportunity to join them as a Systems Engineer working in Corporate Sales. My career continued as if I had never left IBM. After sixteen months with Lotus UK, I was offered a job with a “Knowledge Management” company Hyperwave. I took this opportunity and ended a ten year career with IBM. Very hard to do, but if opportunity knocks..?

I spent two years at Hyperwave as a Technical Account Manager. We then had the opportunity to relocate to Melbourne due to Nicolette and her career. The IT market was really flat when we arrived in Australia and I became a house Dad for about nine months. I did not really mind this as it gave me an opportunity to spend a lot of time with Stuart and we have an incredible bond as father and son due to this time together. I would recommend this to any father.

I then joined Research In Motion, probably better known as the inventors of the famous BlackBerry, a company that specialises in mobile wireless communications based in Canada. After four years with RIM, I am a Senior Technical Manager in the Asia Pacific region responsible for multiple carriers and their technical BlackBerry Solutions. I cover carriers in Hong Kong, Philippines, Singapore, New Zealand and of course Australia where I am still based.

I am very sport oriented and enjoy most sports. I play competitive Squash and have represented numerous provinces in South Africa at a provincial (county) level. I enjoy running and have completed five marathons as well as numerous 1/2’s. I support Arsenal football club the “Gunners ”. Of course true to my South African nature I support the Springboks, no matter what the sport!! (It is a “Bok” thing!!!) An interesting STAT is that since the re-entry into International rugby by South Africa my wife and I have been living in the country where the world cup has taken place. SA, England and Australia, but I doubt we will keep up the tradition as it means that we should be in France this year, I don’t think so…….?

Now that we have been in Melbourne for a couple of year you get to be part of the crazy AFL “Footy” frenzy that takes place here for a couple of months every year. It us worse than a religion in Victoria country when it comes to the footy. So Nicolette has joined a fantasy league (uncharacteristic of her) and barracks for St Kilda and I support the Richmond Tigers. When in Rome…. Go figure…

Check back for more later………………….