Syd Stewart graduated in 1968 with an honours degree in chemicl engineering from Strathclyde University, Glasgow. For the next 12 years, he worked for ICI – the then-giant chemicals company – mainly as a production manager. During this time he became a Chartered Engineer and developed an interest in computer-supported performance-management systems, with an emphasis in trending techniques for the early detection of change.

 

During this time, he was also a tutor for the Open University in Systems Performance: Human Factors and System Failures. He concluded his time with ICI as part of a three-year joint study with IBM into how computing could improve the performance of a large chemical factory through better management information.

 

He joined a small planning consultancy, specialising in information, database and strategic data planning, and over four years was a consultant to companies such as Unilever, Shell, British Nuclear Fuels, Norsk Hydro and ICI Pharmaceuticals.

 

In 1984, he and his wife Sheena started a company specialising in database and information systems for many different many industries. In the last 20 years, it has specialised in healthcare decision support systems – for example, managing patients taking dangerous medications. This company has never made a loss, despite two recessions, and today is highly successful with 400 customers in 17 countries.

 

Recently, the company has begun to specialise in the deployment of rapid 'business intelligence' software: this helps managers to get a better understanding of what is really going on and to make evidence-based and data-driven decisions rather than intuitive ones.