Mike enlisted as a soldier in the Army at the age of sixteen as a Junior Leader, he has enjoyed a full career in the Army Air Corps, serving as a soldier, and as an officer for more than thirty years.

Training has been a constant throughout Mike's time in the Army, he has qualified as an instructor in almost every core military skill, technical discipline and career stream in which he has been employed. He has specialised in the delivery of junior and middle management and leadership training for the Army Air Corps. Mentoring and coaching students during realistic, high pressure, exercise scenarios both in the air and on the ground were at the core of his instructional duties. It was in this role that Mike gained extensive experience in Course Design and Validation, Safety Management systems and the practicalities of managing risk during high-intensity groundcrew and aircrew training.

Training and robust validation of standards are daily business in the aviation world. Decades of working with military helicopters has given Mike an understanding of the need to support personnel carrying out any operational activity with a sound training culture. This was especially evident when Mike was involved in designing a multi-discipline training syllabus, and writing the training policy for the Army's Air Door Gunner and Air Crewman training course. In addition to his knowledge of training, he has recent experience of change management and the realities of re-structuring well established organisations and their existing training regime to meet change.  

In parallel to his Army career Mike has worked in the travel industry as a Battlefield Guide. Initially, he indulged his appetite for travel and interest in military history by taking fellow officers and soldiers on battlefield tours and studies across Europe. What had started out as a history hobby, soon developed into a second profession. Since 2004, Mike has worked in the commercial tour industry, Initially for Anglia Tours in the schools travel sector. He also has experience of working in the mainstream tourist industry as a tour manager, regularly working on battlefield and history tours for Albatross Travel UK, and other Australian and US travel companies.

Mike has combined all of his military and commercial experience to establish Travel Guide Training + Validation as a unique and innovative training company. A company that offers the travel operator a common-sense, and affordable solution to training and validation that will enhance performance and output.