Hamish Adourian

Technology, politics,
writing & other things.

Hamish Adourian

I work in financial technology, spent eight years as a councillor in Kensington & Chelsea, and write children's fiction and about working life.

I was born in Dundee and grew up mainly in Grangemouth, on the Firth of Forth, with spells in London, Oxford and Florence.

I have lived in London since my late teens. I studied Computer Science and Physics at Royal Holloway, where I wrote the first draft of Jennifer Brown and the Dagger, and have since worked in financial technology while spending eight years as a councillor in Kensington and Chelsea.

I have been a keen reader since buying a second-hand Famous Five book for 10p at a school book fair. Outside work I enjoy tango, baking, swimming, and travelling in Britain and Europe.

Work

I am Head of Sales and Marketing at Sinara, where I help brokers, exchanges and clearing houses deliver trading and market data systems.

I have worked in financial technology for nearly twenty years, first as a software engineer and later in sales and strategy. My background is in derivatives and commodities markets, particularly metals, covering trading, clearing, post-trade and market data.

At Sinara I focus on long-term client partnerships, shaping solutions around our trading and clearing framework and bespoke back-office and post-trade systems. I have worked with major institutions to modernise their platforms, strengthen resilience and meet the growing demands of regulation.

Sinara

Public life

I spent eight years as a councillor in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, representing Earl's Court.

As a ward councillor I supported residents on housing, planning, licensing and other community issues. I worked with council officers, the police, housing associations and resident groups on casework, anti-social behaviour, street improvements and local developments large and small.

I served on the Housing and Communities Select Committee and on the Family Services, Environment and Grenfell Recovery scrutiny committees, and contributed to borough-wide policy on housing, licensing, the environment and community safety. I stood down at the end of the 2022–26 term, after two full terms.

I was also a governor of a local primary school for eight years, four of them as chair.

What eight years as a Conservative councillor in Earl's Court taught me — ConservativeHome

Writing

Children's fiction, and writing about work.

Cover of Jennifer Brown and the Dagger

Jennifer Brown and the Dagger

A children's fantasy novel, the first book in the Fairyhand series, published under my own name. Jennifer struggles with reading, writing, telling the time and finding her way around, but discovers that she is the one needed to rescue the Fairy Queen.

Jennifer Brown and the Dagger

Cover of Dreaming of the Office: Time, Task and Email Management at Home and Away

Dreaming of the Office

A Substack about work, productivity, technology, hybrid working and the changing nature of working life, with an accompanying book, Dreaming of the Office: Time, Task and Email Management at Home and Away. I write both under the name William Spears.

Read the Substack The book on Amazon

Contact

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