Neil Thompson

Current

General Manager at 2LS
CEO at Ammat Consulting
CTO at Responsinet

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Past

Projects Director at ndl-metascybe
CEO at AppSwing Limited
Head of IT at Gladstone

Project Leader at Admiral
Developer at Yellow Pages
Developer at Sema Group

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3 more...

Education

University of Portsmouth

Recommended

7 people have recommended Neil

Connections

298 connections

Industry

Information Technology and Services

Websites

Neil Thompson’s Summary

Neil founded mobility specialist AppSwing in 2003 and was Managing Director until the business was acquired by ndl-metascybe in 2008. He has worked in the IT industry since 1988, with some of the country's leading organisations including IBM, Yellow Pages, Sema Group, and Admiral. Initially a software developer, he has also worked as project manager, delivering large-scale projects for these groups. This combination of technology skills with practical commercial expertise makes him uniquely equipped for his role.

Neil Thompson’s Specialties:

IT Leadership and Management * Mobile and Wireless Computing * Business Development * Operations Management * Outsource vendor selection and management * Project Management * Marketing * CEO * CIO

Neil Thompson’s Experience

General Manager

2LS

(Information Technology and Services industry)

April 2009 — Present (4 months)

2LS is the developer of the General Rapid Integrated Placement System (GRIP), an innovative software solution aimed at recruitment agencies.

GRIP has been designed by recruiters for recruiters and this approach has led to a system that is easy to use by the recruiter allowing them to concentrate on their job rather than the software.
CEO

Ammat Consulting

(Information Technology and Services industry)

March 2009 — Present (5 months)

Ammat Consulting delivers strategic consultancy and tactical support to software companies of all sizes.

Drawing on in-depth personal experience in setting up, growing and managing companies with great technology ideas, Ammat can work with you at any stage in your company’s evolution.

We can mentor you during start-up, provide technology due diligence, work on your business plan or help to find funding. We can use our experience to support you as you grow the business. And, when the time is right, we can help to set up the right team to take you to the next stage.

Whether it’s as an interim CEO or CTO, or on a consultancy basis, we deliver professional, practical and cost-effective advice and support.
CTO

Responsinet

(Information Technology and Services industry)

June 2008 — Present (1 year 2 months)

Responsinet helps staff to understand and take a responsible approach to their internet use without businesses having to take more intrusive blocking or monitoring measures. Responsinet can pay for itself in a few weeks – an ROI you are unlikely to achieve elsewhere – without harming staff relations.
Projects Director

ndl-metascybe

(Privately Held; Computer Software industry)

June 2008 — February 2009 (9 months)
CEO

AppSwing Limited

(Computer Software industry)

May 2003 — May 2008 (5 years 1 month)

Responsible for the day-to-day running of AppSwing along with working with customers, suppliers, the AppSwing board and investors. Highlights included:

• Managing all Sales, Marketing, Finance, Technical and Administration staff.
• Setting the technical direction of the business and overseeing the successful delivery of several new releases of versions and product lines.
• Raising additional finance for the business. Writing the business plan and making several pitches to VCs both in private and in open sessions, such as at Library House.
• Managing the process of searching for and selection of outsource development providers. Subsequently managing this relationship.
• Building AppSwing brand and raising profile through PR, such as coverage in the FT, Director magazine, regional titles and the Thames Valley Business Magazine and National Council for Work Experience awards.
• Successfully taking the business to Investor in People status.
Head of IT

Gladstone

(Information Technology and Services industry)

2001 — 2003 (2 years)

Responsible for the Development, Quality Assurance and Conversion teams. Achievements included:

• Joined during the development of a significant release of the companies main product which was running behind schedule. Re-planned project and brought it in on-time and to budget.
• Successfully integrated a number of development teams, which had joined the company through acquisition, into a single development department.
• Introduced new working and quality practices, such as peer-reviews and specifications, which led to a reduction in the number of errors that were found during quality assurance.
• Oversaw the introduction of outsourcing to an offshore development team, including negotiation of the contracts and the ongoing management of the relationship.
• Planning the future direction of the department and setting budgets.
• Managing a team of 20 including mentoring of two new team leaders.
• Reporting to the board on a regular basis.
Project Leader

Admiral

(Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees; Information Technology and Services industry)

1996 — 1998 (2 years)

Managed a number of fixed priced IT development projects, principally in the finance sector, from initiation to implementation. Each project spanned a duration of about a year and had teams of up to 25. Major achievements included:

• Building strong working relationships with all clients, from business users to board level, ensuring that confidence was retained throughout the life span of the projects.
• Management of a project involving a client from both the UK and The Netherlands and a team made up of members from across Europe.
• Taking over the management of the development of a factoring system that was running behind schedule and successfully delivering it and subsequent phases to schedule.
• Working with a customer to successfully plan and deliver the conversion from a legacy system to a new development. Involved working with and planning for all business areas.
Developer

Yellow Pages

(Public Company; Information Technology and Services industry)

1990 — 1995 (5 years)

Work included leading the teams carrying out development for projects such as National Code Change and the introduction of a call handling system.
Developer

Sema Group

(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; Information Technology and Services industry)

1988 — 1990 (2 years)

Undertook programming and design work on a variety of IT projects.

Neil Thompson’s Education

University of Portsmouth

B.Sc. , Computer Science , 1984 — 1998

Included a one year industrial placement with IBM at their Havant, UK disk manufacturing facility.