John, a Catalyst founder, has been involved in the information technology industry throughout his professional career and has taken technical, managerial, marketing, and financial roles in markets that include computational physics, defense and aerospace, commercial information systems, and software engineering. He has lived and worked both in Europe and in the USA.

Before the founding of Catalyst in 1996, he established the US operations of a UK-based company specializing in IT mergers and acquisitions, and was responsible for many of the company's transatlantic and North American advisory assignments and transactions. He began his professional career at Rolls-Royce in computational physics. At London-based Scicon Ltd. (now EDS), John then played roles ranging from project and financial management, to international marketing, including leading the company's expansion into the US defense market. John subsequently launched the US operations for Jackson Systems, a major CASE tools development firm.

John is the non-executive chairman of AIM listed Universe Group PLC.

E-mail address: jscholes@IT-catalyst.com