Many thanks for the warm welcome from fellow Lions and I am very pleased to be the latest member.
I am a Guildfordian and have thoroughly enjoyed a privileged life of international travel and have visited over 90 countries for either business, pleasure or both during my career! Favourite countries outside UK are South Africa and Australia, although I found travel around the Former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe to be fascinating at times! As a Business Consultant I am currently Chairman and Commercial Director of a Med-tech SME based in Austria but also provide services as a senior business consultant within the built environment with BECG and I am a Councillor at Guildford BC having been Leader of the Council from 2015 to 2019.
Family: My wife Sveta was a graduate Pharmacologist when we met whilst I was resident in Moscow but after moving to the UK in 1993 took a further degree in Fashion and has established herself as a specialist in Garment Technology and Tailoring. We have two grown up sons, both are still local with Alex living in central Guildford as a Commercial Project Manager and Ivan currently back home (along with his girlfriend) after he graduated from the University of Surrey. Ivan is following my footsteps in Sales Management. My father passed away in March this year but his claim to fame was that he was one of the Electronic Engineers who invented and patented the Integrated circuit (Silicon chip).  As a failed Electronic Engineer I escaped into sales, marketing and PR/Comms after Schlumberger sponsored me through further and higher education and were repaid by two years of my Technical Author ‘skills’
I enjoy many sports but pretended I could play football for decades after realising rugby was painful, finally hanging up my boots three years ago. I have recently stepped down from over 20 years in football management at club, district association and county association level. I Chaired the biggest youth league in the South for many years until 2019. I love tennis, horse racing, equestrian events, motor sport and skiing. I also enjoy gardening and have been Chairman of Guildford in Bloom for 7 years.
I hope to contribute and learn from fellow Lions.