Having set up the forum.... I get to post the first intro :)
My name is Lawrence and I am based in Melbourne, Australia. Which means that I qualify as an APAC member!
I started working in digital in 1998, after I finished uni. I was around before Google, Facebook and WordPress.
The first CMS I used was built by a dev using Microsoft Access. It was for a directory website and worked well, spitting out HTML that I would have to then upload via FTP.
I then used a number of propriety system and was also involved in building one in .NET.
I came across WordPress around 2006 or 2007 but didn't like it. As a non-dev, I fouund it hard to do what I wanted. So I worked with Textpattern for a few years.
I finally started working with WordPress when I joined an advertising agency. The dev was building client sites with it... and it started to make sense. That was 2010.
I became a proper WordPress geek in 2017 when I joined a web hosting provider called Network Dynamics here in Melbourne. They had a brand - WP Hosting - which had bee around years. Sadly, they recently consolidated brands and WP Hosting is no more. I got to know WP in detail but I fell in love with the community more than the platform. I was lucky enough to attend and sponsor a couple of WordCamps.
Since then, I've worked for Convesio, WPBakery, and a few other WordPress product businesses as a freelance consultant.
I also write about growing WordPress businesses at WP BizDev.