Derek arrived and settled in Dubai in late 1985; working in various IT fields, until his retirement in mid 2018. Having been raised in Alexandria, Egypt, in his early years, he is an Arabic speaker. In fact Derek has spent more than half of his life in the middle east, which has helped him build a wide network of contacts, in many walks of life.
He has undertaken several challenges with Gulf for Good, over the years, starting with Kilimanjaro in 2003, and more recently volunteering in Malawi, at the Sparkle Foundation. In addition, Derek has trekked in Bhutan, Vietnam, Patagonia, Cambodia, Kazakhstan and India. Like many Gulf for Goodies, he is an avid traveller, having visited 67 countries and lived in 8 of them. His current bucket list includes Iceland, Namibia, Cuba, and Tajikistan.