What does your job entail?
I run Tesco.com's research function. I'm responsible for ensuring that our competitiveness is protected through continuous improvement to our systems and innovations that will help our customers and/or staff.

What was your first job?
My first proper job was programming IBM System/36 mini computers, which formed part of Tesco's in-store systems. But I was a bit of a rebel and told HR that I wanted to work on desktop applications or I would go elsewhere. Fortunately, I got my way and worked in Tesco's newly formed IT PC development team.

How often do you check your BlackBerry?
Being in R&D I like to be different, so I have an XDA Orbit 2 rather than a BlackBerry, and I am very good at ignoring it if I want to concentrate on something else.

How did you get into the IT profession?
By accident. I have been a radio ham since I was a teenager and wanted to have a career shinning up BBC aerial masts and fixing broadcast transmitters. But during a physics/engineering course in 1984 I was introduced to computers in order to perform simulations, and it was like, "Where have you been all my life? "

Which qualifications have proved most useful to you?
Having a degree in computing gave me the grounding required for a great life in IT. A degree in computing teaches you why you program in certain ways for performance and security, rather than just the how.

Who do you most admire in IT?
Nicholas Negroponte. His 1995 book Being Digital profoundly inspired my views about how computers and people could work well together. He continues to be a pathfinder in the digital world with his One Laptop Per Child project.