Biography - Mark Wheeldin
I've had a lifelong interest in computers since getting a ZX Spectrum for Christmas in 1983! Even at this early age my fascination with them drove me to take the logical progression from simply playing games to attempting to program my own.

As computers advanced I got an Atari ST and became more familiar with programming techniques. I also developed a keen interest in music composition, using the Atari as a music sequencer.

It was around this time that I began to contemplate a career in the IT industry and decided to study the topic in more detail.

Educational Background
My educational background consists of the following computing related qualifications: -

• A-Level Computing
• HND Computing
• BSc(Hons) Computing

Since commencing full time employment I've also become a Microsoft Certified Professional.

Employment History
On leaving University in 1997 I began work at Riva Systems Ltd, developing software for an Electronic Point of Sales (EPOS) system for one of London's largest and most prestigious department stores.

As a first job, this was an excellent opportunity allowing me to quickly gain experience in developing high quality enterprise scale solutions.

Following this project I joined a small team at Riva working on an EPOS system for bookmakers. This system automated, or greatly simplified, much of their day to day processes including scanning an image of the betting slip, translation and validation of bets, retrieval of race details and results via a satellite feed, automatic calculation of winnings and much more.

In 1999 the project was bought by Alphameric Red Onion Ltd and I was offered a position with them to continue working on the system. During this time I worked extensively on the bet translation engine and also developed an Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) section allowing coupons with tick boxes to be automatically decoded by the software. This EPOS system is now used in many of the UK's bookmakers including Coral, Stanley, Done and William Hill.

In 2001 I joined a new company called Freglecom, part of a group of companies owned by Fraser Eagle - a large transport and travel based business. One of Fraser Eagle's main services is rail replacement - organising coach coverage when trains are not available. Initially this was essentially a manual process with only a spreadsheet detailing the jobs.

Over the course of two years I worked within a small team to develop a bespoke solution that could manage and automate as much of this process as possible. The solution consisted of a database of every train operator, train route and timetable in the country along with a list of most of the coach operators. The system could allocate coaches as and when needed and then track them along with their passengers and coordination staff. The software was later expanded to book taxis and make hotel reservations when required.

The solution was of enormous benefit to Fraser Eagle and allowed them to dominate the rail replacement market - the software allowing them to take on massive amounts of work that would have previously been unmanageable. Freglecom later acquired a web development company where I worked on several large web and Intranet sites.

Chestnut Cove Solutions Ltd.
In 2004 I decided to form my own company, Chestnut Cove Solutions Ltd.

My philosophy is to create solutions with less of the restrictions that large companies have to deal with, namely budget and time constraints, which almost always lead to a compromise of some sorts being made.

I have a passion for doing things correctly and without compromise.

This not only gives me greater job satisfaction, but also results in a higher quality end product.