The Ross County supporter who will be handing over World Snooker Championship trophy

Regardless of who wins the 2025 World Snooker Championship, a tech entrepreneur who used to be an IT specialist in Ross-shire will have a central role when the tournament reaches its climax at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

Paul Hamilton (44) is founder and CEO of software company Halo, title partner of the event for the first time, and he will be presenting the trophy to the champion after the final session on Monday with millions of viewers tuning in.

Paul attended Castletown Primary School in Caithness and spent a year at Thurso High before the family moved to England.

After university he lived in Easter Ross for a time while working as a freelance IT specialist covering the Highlands and Islands, and is a Ross County supporter.

Halo is a workflow automation platform. The business has a workforce of around 200, with 150 staff in Suffolk and 50 others in offices worldwide.

Paul admitted he would like to see seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan going all the way again.

“I’ll be presenting the trophy to the winner,” Paul said. “I hope it’s Ronnie – he brings a lot of media exposure to snooker.

“We weren’t sure if he was going to attend. But it has brought us hundreds of thousands of pounds’ worth of media exposure just by him being there.

“It’s good for the game, his style is the most entertaining of everyone, so from my point of view I’d like to see him win it.”

Paul was born in Dunfermline but moved to Caithness at an early age. His parents ran a B&B in Castletown until 1992 when the family moved to Essex.

His father, Gordon Hamilton, who came from Dingwall, died in 2017. Paul’s mother, Catherine Markey, lives in Bonar Bridge.

“We identify as Highlanders, for sure,” Paul said. “In my formative years I was brought up in Caithness.”

He has been a snooker fan since childhood.

“My brother and I were brought up playing snooker,” Paul said. “My idol was Stephen Hendry, being Scottish, and he became very successful in the 1990s obviously. I was a massive Stephen Hendry fan.”

He remembers going to Victoria Park to see the Staggies when they were still in the Highland League.

Halo also partners Premier League football club Ipswich Town and the McLaren Formula 1 team. On a recent Sunday (April 20) Halo branding was prominent at three major sporting events taking place more or less simultaneously.

“Within a couple of hours we had Halo at the snooker, Halo at the Ipswich/Arsenal game and Halo at the Saudi Grand Prix,” Paul said. “I had messages from people saying Halo is just everywhere!”

He added: “It has been an organic growth journey. We’re now the second largest software company in the UK – a real UK tech success story.

“Our slogan is ‘change the way the world works’. We’re very different as a business.”

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.