Investors
Firdaus Ruttonshaw - non-executive chairman
Firdaus read law at Jesus College, Cambridge, between 1968 and 1972. He became a qualified accountant with Price Waterhouse and worked with them in the Middle East from 1972 until 1979.
In practice in the Middle East in the latter years he became a partner with Coopers & Lybrand from 1980 to 1997.
In 1997 Firdaus became the Managing Director of Flightbookers plc in London, out of which ebookers plc was born and listed on NASDAQ and LSE.
Mary Clarke - chief executive
Mary J Clarke has served as Chief Executive of Cognisco since January 2004. Under her leadership the company has achieved sustained profitability and implemented a new operating model, developed a more customer and market driven culture and expanded the role and reach of Cognisco.
Mary brings a wealth of business experience to Cognisco. She has worked for a number of technology based companies including start-ups and high growth businesses. She has held UK, European and Worldwide roles for small, medium and large businesses. Her knowledge of Sales and Marketing together with experience in software and services organisations forms a basis of experience to guide Cognisco as it grows both nationally and into other geographical markets.
Before joining Cognisco Mrs Clarke spent over twenty years in the IT and Telecommunications industry. She has developed a number of businesses from start-up in the UK and Far-East, served as Vice President for Lucent Technologies, formerly AT&T Network Systems and as Director of Network Services, Digital Equipment Company Limited.
Mary is a mathematics graduate from Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh.
Paul Davis - non-executive director
Having qualified with Ernst and Young in London in 1979, Paul joined Keens Shay Keens, a regional firm of chartered accountants, as a manager in 1981. He was instrumental in establishing the Milton Keynes office of the firm in 1986, and subsequently, in arranging the buy-out of the Milton Keynes operation in 1997.
Paul is now senior partner of Keens Shay Keens MK, which deals with all aspects of general practice, but focussing on growing and dynamic privately owned businesses. Paul was involved with Cognisco at its inception, including initial fund raising, and was Cognisco’s audit partner from that date until 2007.