A FORMER Rugby Union star has joined a new York-based company aimed at helping accelerate businesses performance through better use of technology.

Mike Cawthorn has joined CatalystIT Solutions, a national consulting services and business solutions company based at the York Science Park in Heslington.

At Science Park's Catalyst, Mr Cawthorn is working alongside Mark Godliman, a business change and strategic planning expert, and consulting and Virtual Chief Information Officer (vCIO) specialist Richard Jones.

Mr Cawthorn, 42, a former England colt who played for Leeds during their rise through the leagues in the late 1990s, with spells at Wakefield and Hull Ionians, finished his playing career at York RUFC in 2010-12, and believes skills honed on the pitch have served him well.

He said: "In competitive sport the focus is all about performance improvement.

"In the same way, at Catalyst we’re looking to show business managers how they can use their own information technology to identify areas of growth – and see exactly how to achieve their vision efficiently.

“Managers should be able to access business intelligence information instantly, even while on the road and using a mobile device, without having to ask someone in IT to write a report. They should have the visibility on the business to make the right decisions at the right time.”

For four years until 2014, Mr Cawthorn was Business Intelligence Practice Lead for technology solutions provider Trustmarque, based at Monks Cross.