Working at Red Gate

Colin Millerchip
Head of Product Management

When did you join Red Gate?

July 2007

What was your first ever job?

How 'first' do you want to get? My very first job was clearing the lawn of dog poop, to earn about 10p a week in pocket money! I guess you're not thinking that far back. My first proper job was with Logica, on secret stuff I can't tell you about.

Before you arrived at Red Gate what did you do?

I was Product Manager at Convergys, and before that, various roles including Product Manager at Cambridge Animation Systems.

What does your job involve on a day-to-day basis?

Product Management is both a commercial and technical role, and covers a wide range of activities from the strategic to the very tactical. One of the key things we do is bring inside the company a view of the market; we do this by visiting and talking to customers and prospects, to understand how they work and what their problems are. Without trying to list all the activities that we might do day-to-day, one of the most visible is supporting a project team in defining and refining a product release plan. For instance, the product manager 'owns' the contents of a release, although at Red Gate what goes into a product release is defined by the whole project team in collaboration. And one of the less visible activities is the research ahead of the project starting, to understand what we should be building, and why (ie, the business justification). Such justifications are built on a mix of evidence such as market research data, and beliefs that can't necessarily be proven but need to be credible and persuasive. I think it's the best job in software development!

What do you like about working in product management at Red Gate?

Lots of things; but two words keep coming to mind, especially when I reflect on past employment experiences: no politics.

Complete the following sentence: I know everything there is to know about...

... changing nappies on a toddler in motion.

What's your favourite book?

Hard to pick a single one, but I love "Tortilla Flat" by John Steinbeck, and "The Sirens of Titan" by Kurt Vonnegut is a favourite too.

What super power do you wish you had (or have but aren't telling anyone because that's the point of being super)?

Teleportation.

Why did you choose Red Gate?

It was a chance to do 'real' market-focussed product management, rather than being a PowerPoint jockey for senior execs, or spending my life in tactical sales activities.

What are your favourite Red Gate perks?

Free post-it notes (what, you mean they're not free?!). Seriously, probably the infinite supply of cool t-shirts, plus the SQL Servery (aka the canteen).

What's your most memorable Red Gate experience so far?

The trip to the Apple store with a voucher that I could only spend on Apple stuff (ie, not just cash that I could 'blow' on paying the gas bill).

What's your stance on Marmite?

What's not to like? But don't touch the Ozzie versions of Marmite (a brand with curious ownership...), Vegemite, or Promite (the pits!).

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