International consultant with 15 years experience in industry and 20 years experience with the public sector, including posts as Technical Director of an SME engineering company and managing director of a software and consulting company, followed by 17 years of consulting to central, local and international government in a variety of roles.
Specialist in project management, systems development, information architecture, requirements capture and business change; long-standing proponent of human-centred computing, Open Systems, the Internet and the Web.
EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS
- Eastbourne College (1964-69) and King’s College, London (1969-1972)
- B.Sc.(Hons), European Engineer (Eur Ing), Chartered Engineer (C.Eng), Chartered IT professional (CITP)
- Chartered Fellow BCS, Fellow IMIS, Member IEEE, Member Sigma Xi.
CAREER SUMMARY 1990 – 2007 CONSULTANT
| Dates | Client | Role (de facto) | Project/contract |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Digitake | System Designer | High-availability multi-site real-time replicator system for digital audio recording of the Irish Parliament |
| 2009 - 2010 | Project Manager | Web-based workflow and book publishing system for Pambazuka News & Pambazuka Press | Web-based workflow and book publishing system for Pambazuka News & Pambazuka Press |
| 2005 – 2008 | Time International Media & Events Services | System Designer | Specialist Web portal & database |
| 2003 – 2004 | Council of Europe Parliament, Strasbourg | Project Manager | Web workflow & publishing system for Parliamentary Assembly |
| 2003 | UK Parliament (Lords and Commons) | Strategic Consultant | Information strategy review |
| 2003 | The Icelandic Parliament (Alþingi) | Mentor Strategic advice on use of XML | |
| 2002 | The Swedish Parliament (Sveriges Riksdag) | Team Mentor | Strategic advice on IS futures |
| 2000 – 2001 | Council of Europe parliament, Strasbourg | Analyst & Consultant | IS development strategy |
| 2000 | Northern Ireland Assembly, Belfast | Strategic consultant | Strategic advice on use of XML |
| 1999 – 2000 | Northern Ireland Assembly, Belfast | Systems Developer | Web-enabled intranet/extranet workflow system; debate & PQs |
| 1998 | The Irish Parliament (Dáil Éireann) | Consultant | Advice on public access websites |
| 1997 – 1999 | House of Commons | Program Manager | Workflow system for handling Parliamentary Questions |
| 1996 – 1997 | Leicester City Council | Change Manager | Email systems integration for merger of City & District Councils |
| 1995 – 1997 | Labour Party Leader’s Office (Tony Blair) | Head of IT | Systems for Tony Blair’s office before & during 1997 election campaign |
| 1994 – 1995 | House of Commons | Security Consultant | Database access & security review |
| 1993 – 1994 | Council of Europe Parliament, Strasbourg | Systems Integrator | Multilingual debate reporting system and database |
| 1993 – 1994 | House of Commons | Project Manager | Parliamentary intranet Web servers, content gateways and indexer |
| 1993 | Foreign and Commonwealth Office | Security Consultant | Secure comms consultancy |
| 1990 – 1994 | Department of Trade & Industry (UK) | Business Analyst | Financial tracking systems, e-mail gateways and tele-working |
| 1992 | Royal Household (Buckingham Palace) | Auditor | Network audit |
| 1992 | Department of Health Private Office | Business Analyst | Consultancy study on Bill tracking, secondary legislation, Parliamentary relations & Ministerial Support |
| 1990 – 1993 | House of Commons | Head of IT | Design & program management of workflow system for the production of Hansard (parliamentary debates) |
CAREER SUMMARY 1974 – 1990 INDUSTRY
| Dates | Company | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 – 1990 | Wordcom Limited | Managing Director (Software development and consulting to central Govt) |
| 1986 – 1990 | Oval Automation Limited | Technical Sales Director (Govt and Military systems) |
| 1984 – 1986 | Oval Automation Limited | Research Director (& QA procedures) |
| 1977 – 1984 | Oval Automation Limited | Chief Design Engineer |
| 1974 – 1977 | Oval Automation Limited | Industrial Instrument Designer |
PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS & ACTIVITIES
- Member, Parliamentary Information Technology Committee (PITCOM)
- Member, EURIM Public Service Delivery (formerly Transformational Government), e-Crime and Information Governance (formerly Data Sharing & Personal Identity) Working Groups
- Member AFCEA
- Member AOC
SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
- Roles in industry career as managing director, technical director, department head and manager.
- Roles in consulting career as program manager, project manager, change manager, team leader, designer, strategy consultant, developer, systems integrator, analyst, reviewer, auditor, procurement manager, mentor.
- Specialist in Web applications, Web 2.0, convergence, mobile applications, information architecture, requirements capture and IT-enabled business change projects.
- Specialist in portals, collaborative workflow systems, online communities and social networking.
- Specialist in software ergonomics, ease of use and the interaction between users and IT systems.
- Long-standing promoter of human-centred computing, flexible project management, evolutionary systems development, Open Source Software, Open Systems, Internet and the Web.
- Proponent of complexity, emergence, non-linear systems and associated risks, especially as they affect ICT system design, development, deployment and ongoing usage.
- Active in civil society development, e-government and e-democracy, both in the UK and central and eastern Europe.
- Active in public policy and strategy, especially at the interface between technology and legislation (including parliamentary technology assessment and briefings for parliamentarians).
- Expert witness to two House of Commons Select Committee enquiries.
- Guest lecturer on ICT and Legislation at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London
- Director of The Democratic Society (an NGO promoting democratic re-engagement in the UK)
- Frequent mentor to entrepreneurs.
- Regular conference speaker, presenter and author.
- Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
- Computer programming since 1969, Internet engineer since 1984, Web developer since 1993.
- Technical skills: Linux/Unix, Perl, PHP, CGI, Apache, Drupal, HTML, XML, AJAX, SQL, Shell.
(Updated 2008-01-07)