Ian Goodall

I’m Ian Goodall. AKA The Gaffer, The Boss, the CEO of Aardvark Swift. I’ve been here 23 years now and counting….

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I’m a very ambitious, entrepreneurial chap who likes to come up with ideas and see if we can turn them into revenue!

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I love the games industry and all the people in it, it’s been a very nice place to build a career, then build a business over the last 20 odd years.

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Out of work I’m a Dad of 2 and a husband first and foremost. Then my main hobbies are running, cycling, swimming and I’m an occasional triathlete/iron man. I play a bit of golf and I’m also a season ticket holder at Rotherham United FC (Up the Millers!).

When did you start playing games?
I started on the Spectrum 48K with Horace goes Skiing, through the Speccy +3 with Target Renegade. Loved an arcade game back in the day (after many lost school lunchtimes I could complete Double Dragon on a single 10p) I carried on playing the early consoles and love the first Sonic game

What's your favourite game?
Hogs of War is my all-time favorite, and in more recent years, Lego Star Wars and It Takes Two and Monument Valley are a few that stand out.

What's your career background?
Graduated in Politics from LJMU and then stumbled into recruitment, landed a job at Aardvark, bought the business 5/6 few years after joining, built it from a handful of staff and half a mill turnover to its’ current form, 30 staff and a couple of mill turnover. I also bought and own the job board Games Jobs Direct and graduate initiative, Grads In Games

What was your first job?
McDonalds Crew Member

What was your favourite band 10 years ago?
Courteeners or Arctic Monkeys

Do you collect anything?
Trainers (According to my wife)

What job would you be terrible at?
Accountant/Lawyer

What's your earliest memory?
Scoring an own goal for the Cubs Football Team on debut