About
Hi there! My name's Tom and I'm married to Jenna. We live in Southampton where our life revolves around our family, friends, work and church family.
I grew up over on the beautiful Isle of Wight before moving to Southampton in 2011 to study Electronic Engineering at the University of Southampton. Since then, I have been working within the technology industry, through technical writing, software development, cyber-security research and patent law.
In 2015, I agreed a deal with Imperial College Press to publish a book on programming for entrepreneurs. This was listed as one of ICPs ‘Notable Titles in Engineering’ in 2016 and has since helped hundreds of young entrepreneurs to develop their programming abilities.
In early 2017 I completed postgraduate studies in Intellectual Property law at Queen Mary, University of London and have spent several years helping innovative companies in the UK, Europe and worldwide make the most of their intellectual property assets.
As someone who believes in the importance of small business to the local economy, I have advised a range of tech start-ups based in Southampton and beyond. I have also authored articles and legal essays for a range of organisations, including Future Worlds, Inside Careers, Leonards Review, D Young & Co, Activate UK, Conservative Home and the CIPA Journal.
In 2018, I was privileged to be elected to Southampton City Council by my constituents in Peartree ward. It is a joy to spend time with people, understanding the issues they care about and working on their behalf to make Southampton an even more fantastic place for them to live. My particular interests are economic development, sustainable transport and digital transformation. I want to see Southampton become a vibrant hub for innovation. I also served as a Trustee Southampton Voluntary Services from 2019 until 2022.
My interest in solving technical problems lead me to join the brilliant and talented team at Roke Manor Research a few years ago. Here, I spend most of my time designing and implementing software, and consulting on cyber security, risk management and horizon scanning. I have also been privileged to be invited to speak on some of my most passionate topics, such as at Cyber UK.
Alongside my wife, we run a small family business in the property sector called Colebrook Homes. We invest in single-let properties in Hampshire and transform them into beautiful homes which enhance family and community life. We also advise and mentor other property investors who are seeking to contribute to the local rental market, and who want to receive a healthy and sustainable return.
Most recently, alongside my main work in engineering, I have been undertaking post-graduate research towards my PhD at the University of Southampton by considering the capacity for semantic modelling to be used to assist the analysis of the threat landscape for SMEs and to inform the use and development of the Cyber Essentials framework.
When I'm not working, we enjoy adventure. I love to be in the snow (preferably on a pair of skis), in the mountains or on a bike. I also enjoy gardening and reading anything non-fiction.
