I’m Stuart Johnson and I was born in Dudley, West Midlands, in 1975.

I spent most of my younger life growing up in Oldbury, West Midlands, and have been living in Birmingham since 2008.

Although I will always be a ‘Black Country Boy’ at heart, having lived in Birmingham for nearly 15 years now, I do consider myself to be an ‘honorary Brummie’!

Education

  • Rood End Junior & Infant School
  • Langley High School
  • Rowley Regis Sixth Form College

Despite passing an entrance exam and interview for Oxford University, I decided not to pursue this.

Employment

I have had quite a chequered employment past! Although my first love was computers and IT, I spent many years working in the automotive aftermarket parts industry. I did get to work in the IT industry for a few years, which I did enjoy, first building, assembling and testing PC systems, then repairing printers, before returning to automotive parts.

After being recruited to join a motor factor looking to expand into ecommerce, I now find myself working for a small company specialising in online retail, which has itself expanded beyond automotive components retail into other sectors.

While automotive parts is still a core part of our business, being involved with IT at the same time means I have finally found myself a job that is both exciting and interesting.

Not bad for someone who:

  • Has never owned a driving licence or motor vehicle
  • Has no formal IT qualifications or certifcations