Having worked in both enterprise and SME businesses at all levels, including co-owning, building and running a successful IT business until it was acquired, Leon is proud to be involved with Atom from the outset. He has worked in highly technical environments from finance to legal, education to construction and excels at finding solutions to complex problems.

So, what else does he get up to when he is not technical tinkering I hear you say?

In his spare time Leon produces music for well-known artists and works with the team of a certain North Shields based Brit Awards winner, if you get who we mean!

He also loves Caravans, but that’s enough said about that!

With 15 years of IT and relationship management experience in the bag, Mark was drawn to Atom to be part of a fun and fast-moving work culture… as well as a view of the Newcastle Quayside.

An avid Formula 1 fan and a supporter of Liverpool Football Club, Mark loves his sport almost as much as he dislikes dodgy sales techniques.

When he’s not working hard for clients, he can be found spending his weekend driving dad’s taxi around the North East in support of his daughter’s burgeoning netball career.

Every good office needs an in-house DJ. And Business Development Manager, Chris, is the man with the eclectic taste to keep the vibe right in the Atom office.

When he’s not at the gym working on himself, Chris can be found on the Coast with a coffee and doughnut in hand or in the kitchen creating gourmet dishes and sauces for his friends and family!

Previous sales roles in IT, car dealerships and coffee mean that Chris is as comfortable talking to you about cruise control and Capriccios (a mid-strength espresso, for reference) as he is cloud environments.

Over more than 10 years in sales and BD roles, Chris knows only too well that building long-term relationships is always better in business than quick wins and hard sells. So, email him; call him; connect on LinkedIn; or send a carrier pigeon and he’ll be happy to start a conversation.

In her role as Head of Service Delivery at Atom, Shannon is at the heart of everything the business does operationally. Shannon’s expertise lies in ensuring that our teams continue to deliver the seamless service that our reputation is built on.

As a member of the North East Advisory Board, she is also at the forefront of championing both women in tech and those entering the industry without a higher-education background. Having first joined the world of IT as an apprentice, this is a topic she is particularly passionate about.

Outside of work, Shannon is a keen photographer, gymgoer and avid Sunderland fan. But perhaps her most interesting personal fact is that she was once a semi-professional footballer – a pacey winger who has not only played in the UK but also in the German women’s league.

True to our commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity at Atom, we are pleased to announce that we have broken the mould by finding the rarest of things… a technology professional who likes neither coffee nor tea!

That’s right, Head of Cyber Security, Matt Dunn, stays clear of hot drinks full of caffeine in favour of the purest of water… and perhaps the odd glass of squash when he’s feeling adventurous.

Matt brings 23 years of experience to his role, fighting the good fight against cybercriminals. Armed with his trusty arsenal of Check Point firewalls and threat prevention solutions, Matt’s expertise lies in working with clients to reinforce their digital defences and make them hard targets for hackers.

Over more than two decades, he’s seen his fair share of misdemeanours from threat actors, nefarious characters, and digital supervillains. So, it’s no surprise that he likes to wind down away from his computer screen at the weekend with hikes in the hills or a trip to see his beloved Billingham Stars ice hockey team.

A man who’s as at home talking perimeter security as he is Fantasy Football and his love of Hondas, Glen Shotton brings buckets of experience to his role as Atom Cyber Security Consultant.

After an early career getting up close and personal with the Challenger 2 tank at Vickers Defence Systems (now part of BAE Systems), Glen has since spent many years working within technology businesses, protecting clients from cybercriminals and improving their risk posture.

One half of our dynamic cyber duo, Glen has worked with Head of Cyber Security Matt, for over two decades and together they share unrivalled expertise in security solutions. He is, in fact, a Check Point Certified Security Master.

Whisper it quietly but he also doesn’t think that Star Wars is very good (Star Trek: The Next Generation being his Sci-Fi franchise of choice)!

As a young footballer on the books at Middlesbrough Academy, Lewis modelled himself on Yaya Toure – the box-to-box midfielder. And, as a Senior Technical Consultant at Atom, there are parallels in his role: as comfortable intercepting Service Desk enquiries as he is getting on the front foot with IT projects that require pace, creativity, and agility.

When he’s not unpicking tech problems for Atom clients, Lewis can be found spending time with his family, watching all-time classic movies like The Godfather or on the terraces at the Stadium of Light (that’s right, he’s a Sunderland fan) with a cup of hot Bovril in hand.

Callum brings Voice expertise to the Atom team – but we wouldn’t recommend asking him to sing you a song or deliver elocution lessons. Instead, you might be better quizzing him on the inner workings of unified communications and phone systems to provide seamless connectivity and operational efficiency.

With more than a decade’s experience in IT and communications, Callum has worked with a broad range of organisations – from start-ups to enterprise customers and contact centres.

A self-proclaimed “nerd” (which is always reassuring to hear from a technology professional), Callum’s extra-curricular activities outside of work include Dungeons & Dragons, gold and a healthy dose of gaming.

BUT don’t ask him to play any competitive video games! Having once been a highly ranked Counter-Strike player, he now prefers to stick to more relaxed indie games and attend music gigs… his eclectic taste stretches from metal core to country to rap, in case you were wondering.

Our resident gravy lover, Ryan can often be found on-site with a client supporting on system maintenance, project delivery and generally ensuring that things run like a well-oiled machine.

Having been wooed by Atom’s directors to join the team in September 2023, Ryan has quickly become a vital cog in the Atom machine. A man who loves variety, it’s the prospect of providing customers with exceptional service that gets him up in the morning – well, that and the drinks and snacks on offer at Atom HQ.

When he’s not beavering away on the latest client project, Ryan loves to spend his free time wild camping – because sanitation and toilet facilities are overrated anyway!

And what about other vital info?

Ryan’s favourite holiday destination is Australia; his favourite film is Dune (1&2); and his favourite food is, erm, anything with gravy on it!

Bingo player. Unofficial taxi driver. Cocktail connoisseur. Creator of slogans. There’s lots to learn about Atom’s Customer Success Manager, Nicola Richards.

With 12 years’ experience in telecommunications across a range of customer service roles, Nicola is a safe pair of hands and a trusted point of contact for Atom clients with mobile accounts. Such is her dedication to her work, she’s even developed a slogan that she promises to live and breathe in her professional life:

“If it’s an issue for you, it matters to me.”

When she isn’t manning the phones and smoothing out the customer experience for Atom clients, Nicola loves nothing better than a good game of bingo with her mum and (wholesome content alert) spending quality time with her family. Like many parents, much of her spare time is spent taxiing her kids about. But given some time off duty she loves a quiet evening in on the sofa watching the finest British TV, including Coronation Street, Eastenders, I’m a Celeb and BGT.

And like most of us she loves nothing better than a holiday abroad, soaking up the sun with a Pornstar Martini and a crime novel in hand. Bliss.

Everybody knows that projects don’t just magically happen by themselves (as much as we’d like them to). There’s a lot of moving parts involved and only someone with extensive background and knowledge can fill the shoes of a project manager. This is where the newest addition to the Atom team, Connor Walker, comes in.

A lover of the classic Ringtons tea and the great Asian cuisine, Connor is not someone who likes to spend his free time indoors. Hiking, football and festivals are more his cup of (Ringtons) tea. 

But when he’s at work – Connor is a big believer that for a project to be successful, three key elements should align in perfect harmony – people, processes and technology. Having spent much of his professional career in client-facing roles, Connor has a meticulous eye for creating better ways of working, improving visibility and putting frameworks in place that make life easier for everyone at Atom. 

With more than a decade’s experience working within Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Kieran brings shedloads of knowledge and expertise to the Atom team. Joining us in January 2026, Kieran is passionate about being part of a fast-growing business with a culture – and a coffee machine – that an IT hero can get on board with.

When he’s not sharpshooting technical issues or delivering projects, Kieran can be found on a rugby pitch or cricket square somewhere in the North East… or else out walking with his family and his two spaniels, Rolo and Lucy.

With nearly 20 years’ experience in IT roles, Karl has worked extensively in both support desk and field engineer positions. In that time he has solved both hardware and software issues for commercial organisations and public sector organisations, including NHS trusts, schools and even the military.

Having first been drawn to Atom by our swanky Quayside offices and incredible team culture, he’s committed to helping our business grow and develop its offerings across both IT support and security solutions.

Away from work, Karl can be found cheering on his beloved Liverpool FC or plotting his next big adventure with his wife. And what would be his number one bucket list holiday? 

“It would have to be going on Safari in Africa.”

Thomas may be one of Atom’s newer recruits but he’s already proven himself to be an experienced and knowledgeable helpdesk analyst to our clients.

Thomas began his career as an IT Infrastructure Technician, undertaking a Level 3 apprenticeship to hone his skills and give him solid foundations for a future career in information technology. Since then, he’s gone on to add several Microsoft certifications to his CV, developing a deep understanding of cloud infrastructure, business processes, networking and mobile devices.

When he’s not resolving the day-to-day concerns of our clients, Thomas loves to go to the cinema, spend time with his miniature labradoodle, Ruby, or get his game-face on with World of Warcraft or Halo.

What do pulling pints and solving IT issues have in common? Well, not a lot. But a friendly manner, prompt service and commitment to keeping the customer happy is essential in both lines of work.

Although Josh Wardle’s early days working in Newcastle pubs are long behind him, he credits that early experience as one of the reasons he finds himself comfortable in communicating with professionals from across all industries and sectors on the Atom support desk.

When he’s not tackling VPN issues, resetting passwords and handling printer malfunctions, Josh can be found in the gym six days a week, cooking up his famous Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta or watching Mobland (which sounds cooler than his actual favourite… Love Island).

Asked what’s impressed him most since joining Atom, Josh says,

“It’s a business that is growing rapidly with lots of opportunity for the future. The team are brilliant to work with and have been really welcoming – where else would you play games of FIFA with your Managing Director on your first day at work?*”

“The location of the office is amazing, too. On a sunny day, there’s no better place to go for a walk during your lunch hour than the Newcastle Quayside.”

* Note to future applicants: the trick is to let Dean beat you more than you beat him! 

A former interior designer with an eye for detail and experience in project delivery, Livi recently joined the business as a Project Co-ordinator. As a member of the Project Management team, her focus is on ensuring that Atom projects run efficiently on budget and with all teams aligned. (Unofficially, she’ll probably also need to ensure that the new office finds the right balance between geek and chic!).

The Northumbria University graduate confesses to be a lover of sci-fi, running and spicy food. She’s also a mum of two, speaks three languages and is a proud left hander.

Oh, and she’s a killer badminton player.

Despite being the youngest member of Team Atom, Humphrey’s pedigree makes him perfectly qualified for the newly created position of CWO. One of our hybreed workers, you can find him in the office four days a week… usually sniffing around the kitchen or strategising from the comfort of his basket.

As a key member of our wellbeing and office culture team, Humphrey prides himself on being a great communicator, excellent judge of character and able to chew his own tail.

When he’s not hard a work, you can find him taking strolls along the North East coastline, chasing balls and bringing joy to all those who meet him.