For a few days now I’ve been developing a mental image to help share what I’m currently preparing to do. I’ve been imagining that I’m base jumping with my career. You meticulously check everything, ensure your parachute is packed properly and that the landing area is clear, the wind is just right, then you pause, clear your mind and at some point you choose to jump, to step into the void.
Today I have resigned from IBM UK to begin an exciting new adventure. From early May I will be the Technology Director of Demand247 who are a young and vibrant provider of hosted and managed services.
Lotus and IBM has been my life for very nearly 13 years and I want to thank everyone that I have worked with, you are all remarkable people and I owe a lot to a great many friends, colleagues, mentors and managers. I’m nostalgic and dewy eyed with memories of projects (good, bad and ugly), business partners, sales gigs, events and social time together (especially the BOI ‘residency’ in Dublin in 2000/2001, Vegas, Barcelona and Lithuania).
I want to also thank my family for putting up with all the late nights, time away from home, early mornings, insistence on dabbling with a laptop or a Blackberry at any available opportunity and who are now putting up with me becoming all entrepreneurial.
Thankfully with increasing ubiquity of social software tools my departure from IBM should only be a small hurdle in the maintenance of communication, for those that want to stay in touch here are some means to do so:
Blog: http://www.paulmartinsmith.co.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/paulmartinsmith
Email: paul@paulmartinsmith.co.uk
As I seem to have a soundtrack for everything I do, so as ever, I have prepared a spotify playlist to say ‘Goodbye‘ with.
With Demand247 I’ll not be a million miles away and I’m looking forward to working with you on hosted solutions in the future.
Very best regards
Paul
A 'rather chipper' Paul Smith
Paul Smith's Blog 