HELLLLOOOOO!!!

I'm Johnny, founder of Greyskull Analytics.

I live in Preston, Lancashire UK with my wife, two teenagers and furry friends Woody (the dog) and Monty (the cat).

I've been working in data foreeeeeeever. Well, since 2007 anyways when my place of work sent me on a course to learn Crystal Reports.

I was a university drop out who found themselves doing an admin job in a finance office and I ended up being a bit nifty with Excel. And it all snowballed from there. Before I knew it, I was a reporting analyst learning SQL, and then I moved on to designing and building data warehouses. Originally, that was using the old school Microsoft Business Intelligence stack using SQL Server, SQL Server Integration Services, SQL Server Analysis Services and SQL Server Reporting Services. I was also an early adopter of Power BI, starting to experiment with it when it was very first released back in 2015 (remember when it had a green logo?!?).

In more recent years I've graduated to cloud based platforms using tools such as Microsoft Fabric, Databricks, Azure Data Factory and Azure SQL Database amongst others, though I truly believe that being a good data professional isn't really about the tech, it's more about a solid understanding of the theories and concepts as well as making sure you're building with a purpose that's solving a real problem - data for data's sake is poor approach!

My data career has seen me grace a variety of industries including defence, manufacturing, travel, online retail and financial services. My most recent roles have been working for consultancy firms. In fact if you want a more detailed walk through my career, I have an interactive online CV that you can check out here.

I love working in data. For me it's not just a job, it's a vocation (urgh, that sounds sooooo cheesy but it's true). I'm a natural problem solver and data work absolutely scratches that itch, as well as giving opportunity to showcase my creativity as well.

I enjoy getting involved with  the data community and am one of the co-organisers of the Manchester Power BI and Fabric User Group. I'm also a regular speaker at events and have been fortunate to travel internationally to present at conferences.

In 2024 I had my first book published as co-author of Implementing Analytics Solutions using Microsoft Fabric.

I started Greyskull Analytics back in 2021, originally just as a blog and YouTube channel to help me share my expertise. But in 2025 I decided to launch as my own business, an independent data consultancy that allows me to do data my way and to help businesses use data to achieve their business goals.

Outside of work I'm a fan of alternative music and you'll often see me at gigs. I'm a recovering cricketer who still occasionally gets sucked in to helping out my local team at the weekend. I love getting away with my wife and the dog in our campervan. And I've also recently been bullied into becoming a season ticket holder for Preston North End, so you might see me accompanying my son in the Town End at Deepdale.

The easiest way to sum me up though? Husband. Father. Data Nerd.

I look forward to working with you!