About Gary

I had several jobs before leaving school including a paper boy and helping the milkman at weekends. I worked on a book stall in Exmouth Market and I set up a car cleaning service in a local car park at 14, which lasted just long enough to save money to buy a present for my mum; about 3 weeks.

My first adult job was working in Smithfield market, then for the Guardian newspaper and for London Underground on the Metropolitan Line.

For much of my career I have worked in professional sales and management. My first management role was in 1985, when I managed a team of Financial Advisors providing guidance to people who wanted to save for their children's future and education, saving towards getting a mortgage, and saving for retirement.

After being made redundant at the age of 41, in 2003, which was a huge shock, and the second time I have been made redundant, I was extremely angry at the people who did that to me.

My anger was a bad thing but my determination to 'show the b*****ds (which was how I felt at the time and for about a year), drove me to open my own business.

I began my own business in 2003, advising companies on how to meet business compliance requirements. I still run the same business today.

I can say with hand on heart that running my own business and employing people is much harder than running someone else's business and managing people. I have never worked harder with longer hours than I have ever worked before, but I also have never had so much satisfaction seeing an idea grow into something that is respected by our clients, by our employees and by other stakeholders too.

Gary is a member of Bright Blue which is a not-for-profit, wholly independent movement passionately committed to promoting a fairer, more socially just Britain in the next Parliament and beyond. Bright Blue is sponsored by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust Ltd.