Public Speaking

I am periodically asked to speak. I talk about ICT, IT Strategy in Business, and Customer Service. As a speaker I rarely speak about matters which would serve to bring me work, so I expect my travel and accommodation expenses to be paid. I usually decline speaking at conferences which imply lengthy travel simply because I cannot recover the time lost, so when I do speak at such conferences it is normally by the grace of a sponsor. Whether speaking for free or sponsored I always speak as me, an independent consultant.

Some recent talks:

Institute of Directors, Isle of Man December 2012: I gave a talk explaining "Why the Bankers aren't to blame" to the IoM branch of the IoD, explaining how and why the western financial crisis of the early 21st century was caused by events that happened on the other side of the world immediately following the second world war.

FG26/46 January 2012: I chaired a panel debate in the Isle of Man for the Farmers Guardian FG26/46 series - the panel included an agri-entrepreneur, an investment manager, the Minister for Environment , Food & Agriculture and the Editor of Farmers Guardian. The audience was c. 70 "younger farmers" in the Isle of Man and we discussed the future of Manx agriculture. Why? I live in the country and used to own a farm.

BCS ELITE September 2011: "Is IT Strategic?". I talked to and led a debate in London with leading CIOs and IT Directors questioning the common assumption that IT is strategic and discussing what IT must do in order to contribute to business strategy.

Aftermarket Europe December 2010: "Where next for Field Service IT?". To an audience of senior after-sales service managers from major corporations across Europe I spoke in Stockholm about the current and likely future support provided by ICT to provide better information to field-based service and repair technicians.

Service Management Europe September 2010: "Field Service IT, Is there any more to do?". At a conference seminar attached to SME 2010 in Birmingham I reviewed the current state of the art in Field Service ICT systems and identified the major opportunities for IT systems developers to add value over and above the current art.

BCS Isle of Man June 2010: "High Performance CRM". A talk about my experiences in delivering a complex and business-changing high-end CRM system with extensive customisation to provide several unique capabilities for JLA.

IoM International Business School January 2010: "Why (Your) IT is Broken". I gave this lecture at the IBS to senior business and IT executives addressing the common disconnect between business and IT people, why it occurs, and how to address it.

BCS Isle of Man April 2008: "Field Service Management Systems". A talk introducing the concept and capabilities of enterprise Field Service Management systems to an audience of IT professionals.