About me
I'm Greg, the person behind Marathon. I've spent more than 15 years in IT service delivery and ITSM leadership, and I now work with organisations as a fractional or interim leader when a service desk needs stabilising, a leadership seat needs covering or a supplier is changing.
Where I've come from
I've been leading service desks since 2006, and I've run service desks and operational teams across a variety of industries including software houses, managed service providers, hospitality and travel. I've held senior roles as Head of Modern Workplace and IT End User Services Manager, so I know what it's like to sit in a place of accountability, designing and delivering services, integrating suppliers, managing cross-functional teams and reporting to senior leadership.
Across those roles the work has followed a pattern: taking on functions that were underperforming, leading teams through change and putting process discipline in place that still holds up after I've moved on.
A few things from those years:
- 01Led technical teams of up to 24 people, spread across international locations.
- 02Supported user bases in the thousands, based all over the globe.
- 03Raised first-contact resolution on one service desk from 20% to an average of 60%.
- 04Built the KPIs behind monthly board reporting on another, with customer satisfaction consistently at 98%.
- 05Restructured service desk teams to provide clear progression paths, leading to a higher retention rate.
- 06Designed and implemented ITSM processes including change, problem and knowledge management.
- 07Ran multiple RFPs for ITSM platforms and service desk suppliers.
- 08Exited failing partners to bring services back in-house, for the business and for its customers.
What Marathon stands for
Throughout my career I've seen too many people, teams and businesses stuck in the daily detail, firefighting without the data to make good decisions. Whether it was building the KPIs that gave a board real visibility or restructuring a team so people could progress, I've always been driven by helping people succeed. Marathon lets me bring that experience to organisations in a way that lasts.
With Marathon, I'm with you for the long run, and we'll do the hard miles together.
To build, lead and evolve IT service delivery, meeting today's needs while preparing organisations for what comes next.
A future where IT teams are resilient by design, equipped to meet whatever comes next, not just what's in front of them today.
How I like to work
I start with what's actually happening.
Every engagement opens with an assessment of people, process and tooling, so decisions are based on evidence rather than assumptions.
I size the process to the team.
I'm ITIL 4 certified and use it as a guide. A small in-house service desk doesn't need the same process set as a global one, and forcing it usually makes things worse.
I coach as I go.
Team leads learn by doing the work with me, which is why the improvement lasts after I leave.
I report in business language.
Senior stakeholders get a clear picture of how the service is performing and what's being done about it, without a wall of ticket metrics.
I plan my exit from day one.
Documentation, dashboards and a maturity roadmap are handed over to a permanent leader or your existing management, so nobody is left depending on me.
That approach has a name, The Marathon Way, and it runs through five phases: Assess, Shape, Deliver, Embed and Refine.
Credentials and training
- ITIL 4 Managing Professional
- Foundation; Specialist: Create, Deliver and Support; Specialist: Drive Stakeholder Value; Specialist: High Velocity IT; Strategist: Direct, Plan and Improve
- ITIL v3
- Foundation, plus Intermediate certificates in Operational Support and Analysis, Service Offerings and Agreements, and Continual Service Improvement
- BCS
- Specialist Certificate in Problem Management; Foundation Certificate in SIAM
- ISO/IEC 27001
- Lead Implementer
- ILM
- Coaching and Mentoring
Also: Mental Health First Aid England; BSc (Hons) Computing: Systems Analysis and Design
What people say about working with me
Greg is a highly focused individual who delivers with passion and pride. Greg is ready to challenge the status quo in order to achieve better ways of working, and is willing to share his ideas and strategies to ensure that the wider business benefits from his expertise and experience.
Greg is down to earth, approachable and easy to work with. He challenges not only his team but his peers to be better at what they do.
Greg is a consummate professional and excellent communicator, highly motivated.
What I can help with
I focus on three types of work:
- 01IT Service Desk & Operational Team Rescue for desks that are disengaged with the business, missing SLAs, losing people or under review. Service desk rescue
- 02Interim & Fractional ITSM Leader providing cover when a leadership role can't sit empty while you recruit, or senior leadership for set days each week. Interim and fractional ITSM leader
- 03Supplier Manager support for safe, structured transitions in and out of IT suppliers. IT supplier management
I also take on coaching for team and operational leads, and future roadmaps, as pieces of work on their own. ITSM consultancy services
I'm based in the North West and work onsite or hybrid depending on the engagement.
Let's talk
If your service desk, your ITSM leadership or a supplier change isn't where it needs to be, tell me about it. The first call is a straightforward conversation about where things stand and whether I'm the right fit.
Book a consultation call