Founding Jelida
After I exited SealSkinz, I was asked by the then owner of the KL Technologies Group, to take a look at a division they’d set-up making domestic water filters. “We've seen what you’ve you done at SealSkinz; we’ve starterd making filters and encountered some problems. We haven't really got the resources to focus on them, and don't want to hire an expensive fulltime employee to look, but I think there might be something there. Treat it is a 3-month consulting project, and let's see what you think”.
So, with that brief, and after creating an anagram from our family initials, Jelida Consulting was born, and I got started.
There was plenty to think about but we soon recognised that with investment to redesign the product, commercialise the novel manufacturing technology and create a strong consumer brand then we could manufacture superior branded water filters in the UK very cost effectively.
I continued to work with the business until a new fulltime Managing Director was hired and, 10 years later, the Coldstream filters brand is successfully providing clean, safe, affordable drinking solutions to many parts of the globe.
Before Jelida
Having left Birmingham University with a degree in Chemical Engineering, I joined global glassmaker Pilkington PLC, becoming a chartered engineer after holding various design and operational roles there.
Moving to London I joined UOP, a world leading oil industy technology licensor and, after a year’s in Chicago, worked across EMEA and Former Soviet Union (FSU), becoming Regional Business Development Director for the Caspian region.
At this time, I graduated from London Business School’s Executive MBA program with distinction, having completed assignments whilst in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Siberia, Moscow and St. Petersburg.
I then honed my financial modelling skills to develop investment and restructuring strategies for upstream and downstream oil companies and investment banks at a specialist energy market consultancy.
Keen to pursue a more entrepreneurial career, I moved away from London, becoming Sales and Marketing Director at Porvair Ceramics and helping double revenue through sales of new products and technologies to customers on all continents.
The big turning point was leading the venture capital backed MBO of SealSkinz, making water proof socks, gloves and hats for outdoors, cycling, industrial and military. As Managing Director, I firmly established the brand in the UK and Europe; we launched entire new ranges; built new manufacturing facilities and sourced products from the Far East. I was named a British Venture Capital Association Top 101 Entrepreneur.
On successfully exiting I went on to set up Jelida Consulting and you can see more in the case studies on this website.
I’m fascinated by new technology and innovation completing an Undergraduate Certificate in Genetics from Cambridge University beween projects.
In my spare time I’m a regular for Bury St. Edmunds Hockey Club where I’m Men’s club captain and Deputy Chairman and occasionally playing with my twin daughters. But perhaps my greatest relaxation is getting out in the Suffolk countryside with our dogs.
If you’ve got a big idea or a problem to solve.