Getting to know... John Dunnill

In the latest instalment of Bdaily’s Getting to know... feature, which looks at the person behind the business profile, John Dunnill, chief technology officer at Sunderland-based Workprove.com, talks about his geeky side, his passion for software and getting a taste of US life while working at the Statue of Liberty...

We know you as the chief technology officer and co-founder of Workprove.com, but who is the person behind the title? Tell us a little about what makes you tick…

In a nutshell, I’m a geeky, vegan, musical botanist.

I’ve always been a massive geek. 

As a kid, I loved dismantling toys to see how they worked, although I couldn’t always rebuild them successfully. 

I tend to get fascinated by things and go down deep rabbit holes to understand them, whether it is software, a process, a scientific theory, a species of plant, a guitar solo or the history of something obscure.

Music is a big part of my life.

I grew up around chorister and classical music, probably thanks to a Catholic upbringing, and I still love it today. 

These days I’ll listen to anything from metal and rock to trip hop and rap, although electronic music is probably my biggest love.

I’m also the frontman, singer and guitarist in a garage and rockabilly band, and I play guitar and bass in a surf rock band.

And I have around 300 houseplants and love propagating them.

Did you always want to work in software?

Yes. Ever since I wrote my first programmes on a Commodore 64 at the age of seven, I’ve been hooked.

When we first got access to the web in 1995, when I was 13, I started building websites and knew I wanted to be involved in web development in some way. 

It has been part of my life ever since.

I followed that passion through A-Level computing and then a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering at the University of Sunderland.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

The past 12 months at Workprove.com stand out. 

Alongside my co-founders Gordon and Alison, we’ve grown our start-up to the point where we’ve been able to raise significant investment and start hiring amazing people to help us scale.

It has always been a dream of mine to be at the helm of a big tech company, and now I’m about 15 years into that journey, having owned two tech companies – although neither of them is 'big' – yet!

How do you relax outside of work?

I need my weekly fix of the countryside. 

Hadrian’s Wall is my favourite place on earth. The history and the views are spectacular.

Walking through the hills of Northumberland is my number one way to switch off. 

After that, it’s tending to my ever-expanding jungle of houseplants, working on new songs, video games, documentaries and, of course, the pub.

I also need to get my fitness back up, so a return to climbing, especially bouldering and running, is essential.

What makes the North East such a great place to live and work?

I love the North East and feel incredibly lucky to have been born, live and work here. 

We have great cities with everything you need, and the countryside is only a stone’s throw away.

People here don’t take themselves too seriously either and, quite frankly, we have the best pubs and beer.

There’s also a real buzz around the tech scene right now. 

People like Carl at Silicon Mingle; Jo at Ignite; Paul at Platform; Nickie at the NatWest Accelerator and the many other hubs and incubators are giving people the confidence to start businesses.

Tell us something about you we didn’t know…

During my second year at university, I lived in New York City for four months in 2002.

I worked at the Statue of Liberty in the food concourse selling burgers and hot dogs to tourists visiting Liberty Island. 

I lived in Brooklyn Heights, where the Beckhams had a residence at the time, and loved every second of it. 

I worked alongside Poles, Russians, Belarusians, Bulgarians, New Yorkers, Scots and other English people. 

It gave me a real appreciation for different cultures and countries.

It also confirmed that Americans will put cheese sauce on absolutely anything!

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