In memory of James Knowles

It is with great sadness to share the news that our longstanding AMCO team mate James Knowles has passed - having fought a battle with brain cancer.

James was part of the furniture at AMCO; a team member who I'd imagined would out-live the rest of us AMCO-ers, and whose time at AMCO and in the world was cruelly cut short.

James joined us in 2008 as a trainee manager straight from York University with an MSc in mathematics. He then worked through several departments learning all about business, especially the business of looking after customers. James progressed rapidly and ultimately focused his talents on technical sales. A job in which he excelled.

As an employer, James was everything you'd want from an employee: hard-working, loyal, whip-smart & game for anything.

And it's James' 'game for anything' attitude that I remember him most for - first off, with his gamely involvement in an early 'viral video' we made at AMCO called the 'Ultimate Alarm Project' - where James featured as a crazed scientist, designing the wackiest security systems known to man - including the VuvuTech 5000 (in homage to the South African football world cup at the time).

James also wasn't adverse to getting his hands dirty - and getting out into the field. One of my abiding memories of this was our adventures in Wales, installing CCTV systems across 100's of acres of solar farm.

This Welsh Solar Project was 100% out of our comfort zone as a company, but James confidently took control of it. I'd only recently started working at AMCO, and James and I did what was necessary to make the project happen - which involved a mix of riding in 4x4's across muddy fields; cajooling a team of Bulgarians to pull 100's of metres of cable across said fields; and then (fingers firmly crossed) trying to make CCTV cameras remotely viewable (as per the following photos).

James - you are sadly missed by the AMCO team but will never be forgotten. Thank you for your hard work and loyalty, and I daresay you're making the most of your time in heaven, indulging in as much am-dram as possible - which you deserve.