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After working for several newspapers and freelance agencies which provide news and sport for various media outlets I joined Radio Trent as a sports reporter in 1978. It was a marvellous time to cover sport in Nottingham and I enjoyed watching Forest play some of their greatest football on their way to First Division and European Cup glory.

I spent eight years reading the breakfast show news on Trent, getting up between 3am and 4am which has turned me into a permanent early riser – even now I'm usually at my desk before 7.30am. After a spell as news editor and director of news and sport at Trent I become station director of RAM FM in Derby in 1995 before moving on to become managing director of Leicester Sound four years later.

In 2001 I joined Saga Radio as deputy director, working for my old Trent boss Ron Coles. We won the licence to operate an East Midlands station broadcasting to two million people. I became MD, we launched in February 2003 and six months later I also took on responsibility for our sister station in the West Midlands.

Earlier this year Saga sold the stations to the Guardian Media Group and we re-branded as Smooth Radio, targeting a 40-plus audience.

My career in the media has been colourful and I've learned to take advantage of situations as and when they arise. I have to admit to getting on with not an ounce of talent – it's all been down to hard work.

One of my first mentors was a school PE teacher who taught me never to give up and if you fall you get up, dust yourself off and get on with life.

Having responsibility for, and dealing with, people can sometimes be difficult but I've always been determined to be honest in awkward situations and to put myself in their place.

Another policy of mine is to under promise and over deliver.

It's also important to remember that if you have a dream nothing should get in your way.

If I had listened to my careers teacher my life would have taken a different course and it wouldn't have been as rich, varied and colourful.

Published with thanks to the Nottingham Evening Post