Meet John Smithe
Meet John — The Digital Transformation Consultant Helping Small Businesses Make Technology Work for Them
John Smithe is the Managing Director of In The Sky IT, a digital transformation consultancy dedicated to helping small businesses and non-profit organisations embrace technology with confidence. Having worked with everyone from ambitious start-ups to global brands, John specialises in turning technology from a barrier into an enabler, helping organisations build practical digital solutions that support long-term growth.
John’s career has been anything but conventional. His first ambition was to become a professional musician, earning a place at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Surrey to study performing arts. But after years of chasing that dream while working a succession of jobs to make ends meet, he recognised it was time to take a different path.
At the heart of John’s journey is a willingness to embrace change and keep learning.
After working as a teaching assistant in an SEN school supporting children with dyslexia and associated learning difficulties, he returned to education and completed a degree in Aerospace Design Engineering at the University of the West of England. Although neither teaching nor aerospace ultimately became his destination, the experience helped him recognise where his real strengths lay: solving problems through technology.
That realisation led him into web development before opportunities in SharePoint consultancy opened the door to larger transformation projects. Working with organisations including Surrey Police, he developed expertise in information architecture, collaboration platforms, and digital workplaces before establishing himself as an independent consultant during the rapid growth of Microsoft 365 and Azure.
Over the following decade, John helped organisations of every size navigate digital transformation, working with clients ranging from bedroom start-ups to household names including Vodafone, Tesco, Jet2 Holidays, and Games Workshop. Despite that breadth of experience, his passion has always remained with smaller organisations, where the right technology can make the biggest difference.
Driven by the belief that technology should remove obstacles rather than create them, John founded In The Sky IT to support businesses and charities that have the expertise to deliver their services but need practical guidance to unlock the potential of modern technology.
Inspired by the visionary thinking of Douglas Adams, John admires those who see possibilities long before they become reality. Adams’ ability to imagine the future of technology while remaining deeply human in his storytelling continues to influence John’s own approach to innovation, combining technical thinking with creativity, curiosity, and perspective.
But John’s ambitions extend beyond delivering digital projects. He wants to help organisations feel confident using technology, ensuring it empowers people, simplifies complexity, and enables businesses to focus on what they do best.
His mindset is simple but powerful: technology should work for people, never the other way around.
Three Words To Describe John: Socially Competent. Geek.
John joins The Legacy Bench ready to share his unconventional journey into technology, connect with fellow innovators, and help more organisations harness digital transformation as a catalyst for growth rather than a source of complexity.
