Profile

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Steve Bowes-Phipps

    • About Me:

      I’m a computer person who has worked with engineers all my life and love to bring the two together. I’m also a dad to three young children

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      I got into computers when no-one understood them and have had to balance being a very social person with my love of games and technology ever since! I am married with three young children (12, 10 and 8) and they are always stealing my laptop and phones to play games and I think I’d have done the same thing if I could at their age!

      I am passionate about how engineering and computers work together to keep the internet running and I want more young people to help me because we’re all a bit old now 🙂

      I love tennis, football (ask me who I support) and I’ve been known to dance like I’m on Strictly!

    • My Work:

      I’m a Data Centre expert helping a major international bank run all of its digital services and allow its customers to connect across the internet.

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      As a senior expert in Digital Infrastructures, I look at technology at a holistic level. I think about the IT, the network, and the ‘factories’ of the internet that allow our systems to run without interruptions.

      My job is very diverse, variable and rewarding – I use my skills to make my company deliver services to clients, faster, cheaper and more sustainably – so using less greenhouse gases.  I also sit on the Sustainability Committee at work and present at major international conferences and my old university, on Green IT.

      Unfortunately, because I am so  involved with technology, it gives me very strong opinions when I see it portrayed in films and on TV, because they always get everything wrong!

      I am passionate about technology being used to improve society and the environment – if we get it right (we don’t always) but I’ll always fight my corner for what I believe in

    • My Typical Day:

      I wake up at the crack of dawn and (two days out of five) I get on my bike and cycle 2.5 miles to the station. I catch the train from Bedfordshire to London Farringdon and cycle 5.5 miles along the Cycle Superhighway 3 to my office in Canary Wharf.

      Fuelled on great coffee and tea all day, I go through emails, call people up either by phone or video conference, arrange site visits (usually in Germany and Ireland), write presentations, articles, blog posts, guest lecture for a University, speak to colleagues giving advice, running meetings…etc., etc., etc… A vary varied workload as you can see!

      I go home around 5pm the same way in reverse. When I get home, I bathe the kids, put them to bed with a story and then slump in front of streamed TV that I have helped to deliver across the internet in some small way

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      Use it for resources for a local school – perhaps a 3D printer to get kids excited about how new technologies can be used for creativity as well as engineering and science – apparently there’s a long queue to get stuff printed off at my children’s school, so another 3D printer would be very helpful

    CV

    • Education:

      I went to Southgate Secondary School in Cockfosters, Herts, then the University of Hertfordshire. Because I was bright but rubbish at exams, my A levels were not good enough to get me into my first choice Uni, so I stayed on an extra year in Sixth Form and retook them. I managed to get on an HND in Computer Studies and then after being at work two years full time, I left to go back to Uni to get a degree in Business and Computing.

       

      I have continued to learn ever since – never stop!

    • Qualifications:

      ‘O’ levels in Maths, Physics, Chemistry, English Language, Metalwork, Technical Drawing, French, Computing; ‘AS level’ in Maths and Stats, ‘A’ levels in Maths with Statistics, and Chemistry (I failed my Physics), HND Computer Studies, BSC (Hons) Business and Computing, Post-grad Cert in Management and Coaching, GCSE French.  I am now also taking a PhD (part-time)

    • Work History:

      IT Support engineer, Software analyst, Distributed Operations Manager, IT Operations Manager, Associate Director of Data Centre Operations, Director of Strategy, Unemployed for two years and worked in WH Smith as a part time job, technical project manager, Data Centre Manager, Data Centre Consultant, Vice President Data Centres

    • Current Job:

      VP EMEA Data Centres and Cloud

    • Employer:

      State Street Bank and Trust

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        Dancing Tennis-playing Technologist

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        It changed a few times, I thought I'd be a scientist, then a computer programmer (coder) but ended up a computer scientist instead!

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        Occasionally - I was quick to learn but then got bored easily and would muck around

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        I would have been an actual engineer or maybe an actor (if anyone would pay me!)

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        I pretty much like everything, but Indie rock is probably my favourite - I've seen Stereophonics many times in concert

        What's your favourite food?

        Ooo..difficult, maybe Greek food (in Greece!) but I enjoy a curry (Thai or Indian) too

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        Be financially independent to the point where money is not even a concern. Be more than just an OK tennis player. Star on Strictly Come Dancing

        Tell us a joke.

        There was a famous TV comedian and game show host, Bob Monkhouse who once quipped: "When I was at school, I told everyone I wanted to be a comedian and they all laughed at me - well, they're not laughing now!"

        How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        Friendly, passionate and fair

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