Team

 

Jim Kirkby

Jim Kirkby

With over 28 years experience in Telecommunications and IT industries, having spent his formative years in engineering roles in Mainframe, Server and network technologies working with large vendors like ICL, Digital Equipment Corporation and IBM, Jim focussed on Lan and WAN services.

Moving to Mercury Communications as a Technology Lead for data services, Jim quickly took on management and service roles in Cable & Wireless. Having responsibility for both the technical delivery and customer experience for the company, Jim spent a lot of time in the IT space supporting the architecture of OSS and BSS to improve the overall performance of the business from a delivery and customer experience point of view.

Having moved to Pipex and Tiscali to support business transition and IT services he later joined Telstra Corporation to lead several transition and customer projects in the EMEA business. Having meant to stay only two years, Jim worked as Telstra EMEA COO for seven years overseeing some of the most significant change in the EMEA region. Including the major investment in Telstra’s EMEA hosting assets.

With a fascination for electrical and electrical gadgetry, Jim has been playing in what we now call the Internet of Things for several years. Sadly this lead to him starring in SkyTV production of “The Secret Life of men in their sheds” something he is bound to regret for the rest of his natural life, possibly.

Hugh BuckleyHugh Buckley

Hugh is a founder member and Managing Director of Quortex. With a degree in Electronic Engineering, he progressed through hardware, software and systems engineering disciplines, ultimately running the development group with responsibility for collaborative ‘joint development’ projects, within a major telecoms equipment manufacturer.

He subsequently joined the UK’s second largest telecoms company, quickly rising to become Head of Network Programmes, with responsibility for both technology and business process re-engineering programmes.

Leaving to join Quortex, he has since helped clients set up and deliver major programmes of work, ranging from the restructuring of departments, through the development of supply / outsourcing contracts, to the setting up a £1 billion Global Transformation Programme.

He has a particular interest in the challenge of ‘integration’ across cultural, supplier, and functional boundaries, and has been called upon to help ‘trouble shoot’ such relationships. Besides his expertise in the practicalities of making projects and programmes ‘work’, he is also an accredited Mediator.

 

Rhys Sharp

Rhys Sharp

After working for SCH Group, Europe’s largest independent IT group with a turnover in excess of £3bn where Rhys was the Chief Technology Officer he co-founded start-up SaaS provider Fedr8.

Working closely with customers and partners to help develop technology strategies to align with business strategy Rhys helps organisations leverage maximum benefit from their investments in IT and people. Having spent many years at the leading edge of the IT industry he is able to bring a broad knowledge of technology solutions to bear on the business challenges organisations face in today’s dynamic business world.

Having over 20 years’ experience in the IT industry Rhys has worked with all of the major vendors, across all sectors, delivering IT solutions that meet the business needs of customers. At a time when the innovation and the pace of development is accelerating this is the most exciting time in his career, he is focused on delivering disruptive technology that will have a significant impact on the market.

As CTO for Fedr8 Rhys is constantly looking for new challenges and opportunities to solve customer problems and develop solutions that will make a difference.

Specialties: Solution Sales, Microsoft Solutions, Virtualisation, Hosting, Cloud Computing, Virtual Desktop, Open Source Solutions, PaaS, IaaS.