I’m not a big fan of writing in the 3rd person, so here goes:
The less formal version:
I’m a web professional enjoying the famously sunny climes of London (if there was cheaper, more reliable and faster bandwidth in South Africa, then you might also find me in Cape Town or Johannesburg and occasionally in Johannesburg and Cape Town). I’m from a new media, digital and enterprise software background, having done pretty much everything from web design back in ‘99, through to software business development, running a web app business in London, and now working on a family focussed global web application called Kindo MyHeritage. I’m also getting better at getting more sleep and doing more exercise.
I get a thrill out of finding and creating new things, evangelising blogs, Wordpress, Wiki’s, Ubuntu, RSS, Jedi-like productivity, GTD, Africa, biltong, BBQ’s, taking photographs, good design and usable software, wherever possible, but quite surprisingly don’t own a Mac. You could also track down my meanderings on the internet through a neat utility called FriendFeed, or stay in touch via this little big thing called Twitter 
I used to write for .Net magazine, e-Consultancy and Lemon Foundation, ran a business group of 5 entrepreneurial business owners in London, have kept a blog here at http://www.oneafrikan.com/ since 2001 but now barely manage a decent blog post a week ‘cos there is a baby teenager on the loose. I love to talk about ecosystems, megaherbivores and sustainability, letting the zoologist in me out. Sometimes too much “computer computer” is enough
I’m a fun lovin’ personable guy, so feel free to contact me if you’d like to chat.
The more formal version:
Educated as a zoologist and interested in the importance of sustainability, I’ve worked in the technology industry since late 1999. I’m fundamentally a resourceful problem solver, with highly developed skills in strategy, communication and analysis; skills which have helped me successfully build a business from one to ten people in 1.5 years, and then land seed funding to co-found Kindo from London’s top early stage investors. I bring a creative, holistic sense of thinking to issues I tackle, and thrive on working with passionate and smart people in a progressive and fast moving environment.
MyHeritage
August 2008 to present
Director of Product Management
Kindo was acquired by MyHeritage, so working for MyHeritage now
Kindo
April 2007 to present
Co-founder, Director, Product Manager
Closed seed funding from London’s top early stage investors to launch Kindo, a modern take on the traditional family tree, on October 22nd 2007. Kindo has grown into a global, localised web application with users in 180+ countries, in 17 langauges, with a multi-national team around the world. Kindo was voted one of top 3 Most Promising Internet Companies in the UK, for 2008.
Technovated
Sept 2005 to Apr 2007
Founder, Managing Director
Started Technovate on my own offering agile web 2.0 application development in the London market. Started off from my bedroom, freelance coding for clients; progressed to new business, account management, financial. Grew from one to ten people in 1.5 years. Last client project was www.babyfy.com
Open Box Software
Mar 2004 – Aug 2005
New business, pre-sales, account management
Worked with founder to land new business with Microsoft .Net bespoke software development offshore positioning in London/UK; managed qualification and sales process; led marketing activities for business; assisted in pre-sales activity for new clients and neTechnical stuff I’ve worked with (in no particular order) :w projects; managed some accounts.
Joined as employee no. 14, company was in 40s when I left; is now around 70/80 people. Business re-focussed on US market, so made redundant. Still maintain good relationship with founder.
State of Emergence
Jul 2003 – Feb 2004
Co-Founder
Project and account lead for creative studio specialising in producing communication solutions in new and conventional media. Integrated services include strategy consulting, design, website development and interactive marketing. Clients included: Sunday Times, Eurostar, Prudential, Virgin, Siemens, Nescafe, Infocus, Unit9, Anvil and Dolly Films.
Key responsibilities included client and account management, managing multiple projects and clients concurrently; managing technical needs for client and internal projects; new business development, creating synergies with complimentary companies such as unit9; business administration and management.
Orangemarketing
Jul 2002 – Jun 2003
Analyst Developer
Responsibility for analytical and technical aspects of boutique online marketing firm, specialising in online entertainment industry. Key responsibility was www.diamondcasino.com and associated data; technical development and management of projects; development of SQL tools to aid business processes and data analysis. Business was closed by owner.
Getting to grips with London
Jan – Jun 2002
Worked my way from Johannesburg to London, spent a lot of time in an internet cafe.
Before London
June 2000 – Jan 2002
Responsibility for consulting and procuring venture capital for Monolith Media, an e-business and multimedia consultancy, specialising in bespoke software development and digital media solutions.
Key responsibilities included managing project tenders, client accounts and 3rd parties; interactive needs analysis, project scoping, problem solving and producing documentation; development of client relationships and identification of new business opportunities; member of strategy team which delivered corporate e-business portal strategy for Sasol and subsidiary companies in preparation for de-regulation of oil market and re-launch of corporate brand identity.
Technical stuff I’ve worked with (in no particular order) :
PHP, MySQL, Apache, IIS, MS SQL Server, XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, ASP/VB, XML, XSL, MS Project, MS Visio, Windows Networking, Windows Terminal Server, MS Access, Photoshop, Imageready, Fireworks, Freehand, Illustrator, Linux (Ubuntu, Red Hat, Fedora, CentOS), Dreamweaver, Homesite, Windows: 9.x / Me / NT / 2000 / 2000 Server / XP, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Acrobat.
Qualifications:
BSc (Zoology). University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Interests:
Playing hockey, running, gym, photography, reading, visual design and experiencing cultures. There’s also this new thing called the internet…
