Smartspeed was formed in 2005 by Giles Johnston. Giles' background is from the manufacturing sector and as a Chartered Engineer he has found that the methods for improving factories apply to every other type of business. 

Whilst working in industry Giles worked in the automotive, power generation and rubber industries gaining practical experience. During this time his areas of expertise developed within planning systems and operations improvement.

After leaving industry Giles was then employed at Durham University as a Senior Consultant. After this position a new direction was sought and Smartspeed was born. The name Smartspeed comes from the need for businesses to get control within their functions and processes, and so doing things the fastest way is not always the best place to start.