Island Influencers

David Doricott grew up in Blackburn with a great love of the outdoors. In 1976 David read Forestry at Bangor University and during his degree course, he discovered an unexpected understanding and interest in computing. This led (after about seven years in Forestry and Horticultural management) to David in the early 80s, starting a computer business in Scotland called AFD Software Ltd.   Then, in 1...

Chris Quine set the Isle of Man 1500m record at the age of 20 and has been able to take part in nine Island Games. Prior to retiring in April this year, Chris Quine was Sports Performance Coordinator at Isle of Man Sport Aid. Prior to that he worked for Zurich International (formerly Eagle Star) for 10 years. The Isle of Man Sport provides the Island's high performing athletes with the support, tr...

My guest this week, Laura Cretney, has pursued an academic and professional career specialising in Middle East politics and culture. She has lived, studied and worked in the Arabian Gulf and speaks Arabic, Spanish and French. Laura is the Director and MENA Consultant at Al Ishara Consulting, an Isle of Man-based consultancy offering insight and expertise for organisations working in the Middle Eas...

Dr Chloë Woolley was brought up in Maughold and attended the Dhoon School and Ramsey Grammar School. She studied piano, singing and played violin in the Manx Youth Orchestra.  Chloë has a BMus in Composition and Performance from the University of Huddersfield and an MMus in Composition and Ethnomusicology from the University of Edinburgh. Chloe went on to study for a PhD at the School of Scottish...

This week's Island influencer Katie Nicholson (MBA), Director and Co-Founder of Founded Limited, was born on the island but then spent her early childhood in Cyprus. Her family circumstances changed, so she returned to the Isle of Man when she was nine years old. Katie has over 12 years of professional business development, marketing, and management experience, gained from working in digital and e...

Have you ever wondered if you'd be happier and healthier eating more plants? Josh and Ali owners of Veg and Vitality did too!  After taking the leap and realising you could lose weight, feel more energised and help save the planet all at once, they set out on a journey to share this great feeling. They've teamed up to bring the Isle of Man community the flavours they want and the convenience they...

To celebrate the Island Influencers podcast first birthday and the 50th episode, the spotlight has changed this week. Adam Owen, Curriculum and Training Director at NextGen Planners in the UK, agreed to interview Sharon Sutton, the host of Island Influencers.  For those who don't know Sharon, here is a chance to get to know her a little bit, and for those that do know Sharon, here is an opportunit...

Nick has over 30 years of experience in the Isle of Man Financial Services industry, with more than 16 years at the senior management level. In his last six years, before taking up his appointment with the Isle of Man Government, Nick served as the Chief Executive Officer of a regulated Trust Service Provider. During his time on the island, his roles have included Banking, International Treasury M...

Nicola has lived and practiced on the Isle of Man since 2001 and runs a successful boutique firm of Chartered Accountants in Laxey, serving local businesses and individuals. Along with her small and loyal team , Nicola offers a realistically priced personal service to each client. Nicola also acts as a director for a few select clients who need a closer relationship and more guidance for the board...

This week's guest is Sue Cook, Chief Executive of Junior Achievement. JA, as it's known, is a Manx registered charity helping the Island's young people gain the essential skills they need when they leave full-time education. Sue has lived and worked in the Isle of Man since 1997, holding senior posts on the Island and the UK. She has previously worked for more than 20 years in the recruitment indu...

This week's guest on Island influencers is Paul Craine, currently the Data Manager at Ballakermeen High School. He is currently working in his 6th decade of education, but he is on the cusp of retiring for the 2nd time!   Paul was born and raised on the Isle of Man. He left the island to study Geography at Liverpool University, where he met his wife and then returned to raise his own family.    Pa...

Sharon's guest this week on Island influencers is Manx Credit Union, Chairman/Treasurer David Talbot.  Together with his wife Ravina of 50 years, David has been a leading light in the Manx community, from his business involvement in Manx and Overseas to his third sector leadership in the church. Plus the Patrick Commissioners and, most recently, the successful launch and running of the Manx Credit...

Today's Island Influencer is Stefanie Kerwin, a Naturopath, Medical Herbalist and Homoeopath. Stefanie has over 14 years of experience as a Naturopathic Clinician both in Australia (Brisbane) and Great Britain (Isle of Man); she has attracted many clients worldwide. Stefanie has lived with significant health issues since birth. She is a living example of her work. With a particular interest in men...

My Island Influencer this week is Will Draper , a professional middle distance Triathlete living and training on the Isle of Man. Will started out as a cyclist winning the British National Championship when he was 12 and then the British National Madison championship on the velodrome when he was 16. For many years Will loved racing his bike. However, Will started to feel like he never felt like he...

My Island Influencer this week is Roy Moore from Manx Radio TT fame, star of the Mountain Memories series and Isle of Man Golf Champion. Starting out with ambitions to be a gardener, Roy's life along with the race track has taken many twists and turns. Along with his wife of 46 years, he has raised two boys and his love of the Isle of Man is obvious.  Roy shares some fabulous memories from across...

Carol Glover in her own words is a Manx born, ginger, punk-inspired, Disruptive Leader, Speaker, Coach, Mentor, Podcaster and Edutainer. Carol is passionate about helping leaders and founders live their best lives, she co-creates with them, to build confidence to set free the talents, superpowers, and potential they were born with. Via her Maverick Maker business she Coaches and Mentors, Founders,...

Laura McCoy is a Curator of Natural History at Manx National Heritage, Isle of Man. After acquiring a Bachelors and Masters in biological and ecological sciences at university and working in field ecology, Laura McCoy retrained in museum conservation, specialising in natural science collections. Laura shares her fascinating life story with Sharon. She started her career at The Natural History Muse...

My guest this week is Ealish Greggor, an independent specialist speech and language therapist working with both children and adults on the Isle of Man.  Having grown up taking a caring role within the family for her brother, Ealish has always been driven to provide a service that brings best practice and provides a compassionate and listening ear to families and carers without judgment.  Whilst sh...

This week's Island Influencer is Debbie Scrimshaw, a Director/Owner of Paragon Recruitment and Workology.im - Employment, Careers & Outplacement Specialists. Debbie and her family moved to join her grandparents on the Isle of Man when she was five years old. Having left school at the age of 15 and told that you have to work in a bank to succeed in life, so kitted out in her two Etam suits, that is...

Simon Collister is entrepreneurially spirited, an accomplished marketing and communications strategy consultant for high-profile global businesses and organisations. He is a trusted advisor, commercially minded, with expertise informed through long-term client engagements delivering high impact work – from energy to logistics; aviation to HNWI; counter-extremism to humanitarian aid. Simon has publ...

This week's guest is Neil Taggart, the co-owner and director of one of the Isle of Man's most iconic and long-established estate agents, Chrystals. Manx man Neil grew up on a dairy farm moving off the island for a few years to study Rural Estate Management at University and then gaining a wealth of experience including his Chartered Surveyor qualifications working for an industry-leading national...

Kevin Furlong, co-owner of Elite Fitness' passion has always been athletics. Since joining a local athletics team as a teenager, he represented the Isle of Man in the Commonwealth Games, UK Nationals and Island Games.  Kevin's story starts growing up on a farm in Ireland and then in 1989 he visited the Isle of Man for a holiday and decided to stay! His engineering and gym machine maintenance backg...

Another lockdown, another new season of Island Influencers! This week's guest is Neil Morris, Managing Director of Manx Birdlife. In his spare time, Neil also continues to act as Secretary of the Qatar and Manx Bird Records Committees. Neil graduated from Bristol University with BSc (Joint Hons) Botany and Zoology, after which he pursued a marketing career with the National Trust, the Royal Societ...

I wanted to take this opportunity – eight months on from launch, the end of a monumental year – to share some insightful moments from my Island Influencers stories. I wasn't too sure what to expect when I set out on this podcast journey. I knew I would be aiming to talk to lots of people about all aspects of their life and how great it is living on the IOM!  It's certainly true that I have chatted...

What a year 2020 has been! On top of the day job, I've had 33 conversations in 8 months for my podcast Island Influencers. As December is here and we wave goodbye to 2020. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to look at all the conversations I've had and share with you some highlights. Several themes pop up that are central to many of my conversations. In this week's episode, we talk abou...