Steve is a founding Director and Shareholder of Alchemy Plus, a leading and well established Highland based IT services provider. A Microsoft Gold Partner and pioneer of utility and cloud computing solutions, Alchemy Plus is widely regarded as one of Scotland’s most progressive IT businesses.

 

Within the IT sphere he has been an evangelist of the benefits of utility computing since early 2005, when the concept was widely regarded with skepticism from many industry quarters. Today, that early belief is being vindicated as utility and cloud computing are fast becoming the most disruptive development in IT service provision in recent history and a key feature in a new Digital Britain.

 

In December 2008 Alchemy Plus announced plans to build Scotland’s most advanced shared services computing centre in the Highland capital. The centre will offer secure data centre services to both private and public sector clients enabling businesses of all sizes to benefit from sourcing all their IT services on a “pay as you go” basis. The move heralds a potential new industry for the Highlands, which is acknowledged as an ideal location for large computing facilities because of its climate, access to renewable energy sources and relative security.

 

Steve currently sits on sit on the current Microsoft Executive Partner Forum for Scotland, one of a small group of Scottish IT partners to do so. The remit of the group is to help shape the format of Microsoft’s engagement with its Scottish partner community.

 

He is a career Executive with over 20 year’s international experience, predominantly in oil and gas and latterly IT. He has held various Board level positions in both private and publicly quoted companies. Organisations he has managed have won awards for fast growth, exports and technical innovation.

 

In addition to his Directorship of Alchemy Plus he holds various Board positions in both business research and management consultancy companies as well as a number of not for profit / charitable organisations.