Matt Shore

Source Code

From IT apprentice to founder of Alt Horizon — an engineering-first AI consultancy built on two decades of hands-on systems work.

A Different Way of Thinking

My career didn't start in a lecture hall. It started on the ground, as an IT apprentice with a technical brain and a drive to learn by doing. That order matters. Every architecture decision I make today sits on two decades of hands-on systems work before it sits on a strategy slide.

I'm dyslexic, and I treat it as an operating advantage: pattern recognition across systems, holistic framing of complex trade-offs, and an instinctive preference for concrete constraints over abstract plans. Research backs the same — dyslexic cognition over-indexes on big-picture reasoning. In AI strategy work, that's the job.

Now: Alt Horizon

I'm the founder of Alt Horizon — an engineering-first, evidence-led AI consultancy. Alt Horizon exists because most AI advice sits too close to the hype cycle and too far from the infrastructure. We're built to close that gap.

We work to three principles we don't negotiate: measurable outcomes (every engagement ends with a number we agreed at the start), predictable costs (token-based pricing isn't a forecast — we model the ranges before implementation), and data sovereignty (cloud, self-hosted, or hybrid is an engineering decision dressed as a commercial one).

If that sounds like the conversation your organisation needs, head over to althorizon.co.uk.

Career Trajectory

Alt Horizon Ltd 2026 – Present

Founder

Feb 2026 – Present

Founded Alt Horizon to bring engineering-first, evidence-led AI consultancy to organisations navigating the gap between AI ambition and AI infrastructure. Helping clients model the economics before the tooling, price all three deployment options (cloud, self-hosted, hybrid), and ship outcomes that pay for themselves.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise 2019 – 2026

AI & HPC Solutions Business Manager (UKIMEA)

Nov 2023 – Jan 2026

Leading AI and HPC go-to-market strategy across the UK, Ireland, Middle East, and Africa. Driving HPE AI Factory messaging strategy in collaboration with NVIDIA, making complex AI concepts accessible to wide audiences from C-suite executives to developers and IT professionals. Building and scaling a customer community of over 600 members through regular in-person events.

Storage Business Development Lead (UKIMEA)

Nov 2022 – Nov 2023

Led a team of 8 Business Development Managers, overseeing storage portfolio strategy and sales funnel ownership. Spearheaded multi-million dollar campaigns and played a pivotal role in shaping and delivering HPE's 'As a Service' messaging, contributing to a record-breaking fiscal year.

HCI Business Development Manager (UKIMEA)

Jan 2019 – Dec 2021

Led go-to-market strategies for HCI and data storage solutions across multiple regions. Enabled over 1,000 sellers across regions, establishing a sustainable and predictable channel run rate. Instrumental in planning and executing "HCI 2.0" campaign, achieving significant growth across UKIMEA. Campaign adopted globally as best practice, influencing worldwide go-to-market strategies.

Fujitsu UK 2016 – 2018

Storage Product Offering Manager

Apr 2016 – Dec 2018

Managed the go-to-market strategy for the Fujitsu ETERNUS storage portfolio, achieving 130% YoY growth in FY17.

AAG Systems Ltd 2010 – 2016

Technical Director / Engineering Manager

Jan 2010 – Mar 2016

Transformed the business from a break-fix provider to a fully managed IT service and solutions company. Led transition from IT Reseller to Managed Service Provider, driving increased recurring revenue and market share. Progressed from IT engineer to Technical Director, establishing AAG Systems as a major accredited reseller of Fujitsu virtualisation products. Featured in Fujitsu case study (2014) for leading virtualisation transformation with vShape solution, operational in 2 hours. Acted as key spokesperson at major events including IPExpo Manchester and Fujitsu Forum Munich.

Handsworth Grange Community College 2008 – 2009

Senior ICT Technician

Nov 2008 – Dec 2009

Provided senior-level IT support and infrastructure management, laying the groundwork for a deep technical understanding.

Birley Community College 2003 – 2008

Senior ICT Technician

Sep 2004 – Oct 2008

Promoted to a senior role, where I managed the college's IT infrastructure and provided advanced technical support.

IT Apprentice

Sep 2003 – Aug 2004

Started my career with a hands-on apprenticeship, learning the fundamentals of IT infrastructure and support by doing.

From Hands-On to High-Level

My deep, hands-on background is the key to my strategic approach. I don't just talk about high-level AI strategy; I understand the intricate details of the infrastructure, the data, and the workflows required to make it successful. This allows me to craft outcome-focused, commercially rounded, and technically superior solutions that disrupt the status quo and deliver real-world value. For organizations navigating the complexities of AI, this means a partner who can bridge the gap between the big picture and the practical realities of implementation.

Core Competencies

AI & Automation

Self-Hosted AI Solutions: Building sovereign AI stacks that provide data sovereignty and cost predictability. Specialization in practical, cost-effective solutions for SMBs that avoid exorbitant cloud costs while maintaining control over data and infrastructure.

Workflow Orchestration & Automation: Designing systems that connect disparate services, automate complex processes, and create human-in-the-loop AI workflows.

Business Process Analysis: Analyzing workflows and determining when to use AI vs traditional automation. Critical for helping clients make informed automation decisions and identifying opportunities for improvement.

Cost Analysis & Financial Modeling: Analyzing costs, calculating TCO/ROI, and creating financial models for technology decisions. Expertise in understanding hidden costs, token-based pricing models, and long-term financial implications.

Infrastructure & Engineering

Full-Stack Infrastructure Engineering: Understanding the underlying technology across the entire stack to help businesses make informed infrastructure decisions. I know enough about many technologies to steer organizations in the right direction—the technical intricacies can be researched when needed.

Docker & Container Orchestration: Building complete self-hosted infrastructure projects that deliver sovereign solutions. The focus is on outcomes: giving businesses control over their data, predictable costs, and independence from vendor lock-in. Foundation for "Sovereign AI Stack" deployments.

Infrastructure Monitoring & Logging: Designing observability solutions that enable proactive problem detection and resolution. The outcome: businesses can identify and fix issues before they impact operations, reducing downtime costs and improving reliability.

Security & Threat Intelligence: Building security systems that turn threats into intelligence. Experience creating solutions that not only detect attacks but enrich data with threat intelligence to provide actionable insights, helping organizations understand their threat landscape.

Data Center & Infrastructure Design: Understanding data center design principles, energy efficiency, and sustainability to guide infrastructure decisions for on-premise deployments. Helping businesses understand the implications of infrastructure choices—from energy costs to sustainability.

Development & Integration

Polyglot Development: Proficiency in both traditional and modern development stacks (PHP, React, TypeScript, Python, Node.js). Ability to work across different technology generations and choose the right tool for the job.

API Development & Integration: Building connected systems through custom APIs and third-party integrations. Essential for creating integrated automation systems and workflow orchestration that connects disparate services.

Python Development: Creating Python applications for infrastructure automation, API development, and system integration. Enables rapid prototyping and automation tooling.

Business & Strategy

Leadership & Strategic Planning: Proven ability to lead teams, develop go-to-market strategies, and drive business results. Led multi-million dollar campaigns, built communities of 600+ members, and enabled over 1,000 sellers.

Go-to-Market Expertise: Deep experience in developing and executing go-to-market strategies, campaign development, and sales enablement. Proven track record of driving revenue growth (130% YoY growth) and establishing predictable channel run rates. Experience with both enterprise and SMB markets.

Content Creation & Technical Writing: Articulating complex technical topics through blog posts, knowledge bases, and documentation. Created mattshore.co.uk blog, KB4AI knowledge base, and technical guides.

Let's Connect

For commercial enquiries — AI strategy, sovereign infrastructure, cost modelling — speak to me through Alt Horizon. For everything else, LinkedIn is the fastest way to reach me.