THE FORMER chief executive of a multi-million pound IT company, ICM Computer Group, is expanding his York-based business.

Steve Wainwright, who set up Profiled.com last year to help business people manage their online reputation, has developed a Reputation Toolkit.

It offers a personal PR platform designed to allow business professionals the opportunity to manage their internet presence themselves.

Mr Wainwright said he developed the package after first-hand experience of the juggling act that many senior professionals live with balancing their time and business priorities.

“Business professionals often become anonymous because they leave their online reputation to chance, yet the internet is the first place their contacts will look when deciding whether to do business with them.

“We’ve created a simple platform which allows users to control their online reputation with no more difficulty than writing an email.

“Our Reputation Toolkit watches your back and allows busy professionals to devote their time to other pressing priorities – namely, running their business.”

The process starts with a personal web address linked to a promoted profile, which act as the definitive source of information about the individual on the web and offer an antidote to the common problem of wading through a multitude of incorrect and often bizarre results on search engines when searching for an individual.

Mr Wainwright said: “Used in conjunction with other business collateral such as business cards and email signatures, users can create their own space on the internet.”

Users can then use media monitoring tools to alert them to their every mention on the internet. They can also choose which of the results to display against their profile so that their contacts can read third-party articles about them.

Another tool provides a simple platform to blog against your profile and to tweet the result automatically.

“Businessmen like Sir Richard Branson and Peter Jones both have exceptional online presences and will bring in business to their companies through their reputation.

“Profiled.com offers other senior business professionals the chance to develop their own online brand without the cost and precious time commitment,” he said.