About me
Thirty years in IT, from the first lines of code to applied AI.
I’m Adam Mills, an IT and AI consultant based in Bournemouth and working with organisations across the UK.
I have been building software for more than thirty years. I started as a developer, spent a long time as the person called in when a system had to be designed, integrated or rescued, and today I split my week between independent consulting, hands-on delivery and writing about where AI genuinely fits.
Most of that work has been in places where systems are scrutinised by regulators, auditors and the public: finance, healthcare, local government and defence. It has shaped how I work. I start with the data architecture, because everything else rests on it. I keep evidence as I go, so an audit is a retrieval exercise rather than a reconstruction. And I say early when something will not work, because that is cheaper for everyone.
Integration is the thread that runs through all of it. Dynamics, ERP systems, a DB2 back end, on-site cameras and gates, a central policies database: the value has almost always come from connecting what was already there rather than replacing it. A deep understanding of ETL and APIs means you can use the data you already hold, wherever it happens to live.
The last few years have added AI to the toolkit. I came to it a sceptic and I remain sceptical of the hype, but I have shipped it in production for councils and insurers, reading documents that OCR could not and triaging reports no team had the hours to check. I am most useful when I can tell you plainly where AI earns its place and where it does not.
When a piece of work needs more than one pair of hands, I bring in people I have worked with for years and stay accountable for the whole thing. You will always know who is in charge of your project, because it is me.
Where I’ve worked
Sectors that don’t forgive shortcuts
Each of these environments has its own rules, its own buyers and its own idea of risk. I have delivered in all of them, and I still enjoy the ones that make me think hardest.
Regulated industries
Finance and insurance
Systems that satisfy auditors as well as users. I design for traceability, data governance and regulatory change from the first workshop, so compliance is built in rather than bolted on.
- Audit trails
- Data governance
- Regulatory reporting
Healthcare
NHS and health tech
Systems that handle patient and clinical data, built around information governance and the people who use them under pressure.
- Information governance
- Patient data
- Interoperability
Local government
Councils and public services
Integration across ageing council estates, resident-facing services and the back office behind them. I understand public procurement, tight budgets and the duty to be open with residents.
- Legacy integration
- Public procurement
- Accessibility
Defence
Defence and its supply chain
Secure delivery for critical systems. Security by design, controlled environments and a clear line of accountability from requirement to release, with the discretion the sector expects.
- Security by design
- Supply chain assurance
- Accountable delivery
How I work
The habits I bring to every engagement
They were learned in regulated delivery, and I apply them whether or not a regulator is watching, because they make projects go more smoothly for everyone.
Evidence by default
I record decisions, changes and test results as I go, so an audit is a retrieval exercise rather than a reconstruction.
Security by design
Least privilege, controlled environments and data residency are decided at design time, not patched in the week before go-live.
Procurement-ready
I am comfortable with public sector procurement, supplier onboarding, security questionnaires and data protection impact assessments.
Accountable delivery
One named person, me, from discovery to live service, with your vendors and any partners held to the same standard I hold myself to.
On-prem or cloud, data lakes or data silos, AI or low-code: I’ll help you make the right call, and then help you make it work.
Your environment
Working in a regulated, public sector or defence environment?
Tell me about it and I’ll tell you how I’d approach it. No brief needed.