About this site

Me in the alps. My happy place

Hello! I’m Tom. This is my corner of the internet — a place to share my writing, my work, and the things that catch my eye.

I’m an advisor, technologist and builder working at the intersection of data, AI and social impact. I’m based in the North East of England and I run The Good Ship — a consultancy helping purpose-led organisations navigate technology, data and strategy.

Previously I co-founded Data for Action, where we spent three years building open tools and exploring what good data infrastructure looks like for charities and social purpose organisations. That adventure wrapped up in early 2026, but the tools we built live on.

What you’ll find here

Weeknotes — Regular reflections on what I’m working on, thinking about and finding interesting
Longer posts — Deep dives on data, AI, open infrastructure, strategy and the social sector
Interesting things — A running collection of links and resources I think are worth sharing
Work — What I do, what I’ve built, and who I’ve worked with

A bit more about me

I’ve spent over 25 years working in and around social purpose organisations. Along the way I’ve started social enterprises, worked for national infrastucture, advised on AI and data for the Longitude Prize on Dementia, built data infrastructure with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, developed insight systems for the Lloyds Bank Foundation, and worked with organisations like ClientEarth.

I’m a passionate advocate for open infrastructure — I think the social sector deserves shared tools and open data, not just proprietary platforms. I believe in starting with questions, not answers. And I believe principles should guide organisations more than process does.

Outside of work, I run (a lot) spending as much of my time as I can on the trails or in the mountains where I'm happiest, try to bake decent sourdough (ongoing) and pizza, play several musical instruments, drink coffee, and try to get a cold water dip somewhere new every month

If any of this is interesting to you and you’d like to chat, you can find me on LinkedIn, email me at hello@good-ship.co.uk, or book a call.