CIO and Strategic Consultant
Can you please provide a little introduction about yourself
I am a CIO who has worked across a number of industries and arenas. I am part- academic, part financial and very much technical. A frequent speaker at seminars and conferences, where I typically specialise in tech strategy, I have lived and worked in Silicon Valley and have successfully run two tech startups.
I am based in Oxford and am a member of the University of Oxford, where I have taught technology, business strategy and finance.
After some recent illness, from which I have thankfully recovered, I am now looking for my next role.
What path have you taken to your current position? (Eg. Where did you start and any key milestones on your journey)
My career began in the military where I was taught engineering and became a weapons engineer. People tend to think of this in terms of guns and bombs but actually, for me, it was far more about information systems, laser and electromagnetic spectrum technologies, such as radar and radio.
I developed a real thirst to understand how things worked and, though military technology was very much in its infancy, I quickly became involved in digital technology, a subject which I studied at university in the very early days of computer science as a standalone subject.
This led to positions in investment banking where I became the Global VP of Infrastructure for a large and well-known banking group, teaching me a lot about finance. Spending some time in California, I met and befriended a number of entrepreneurs, some who became well-known and most who didn't. I joined the tech startup boom at the end of the last millennium and helped grow a company that successfully gained investment and very nearly made me rich.
Working in a startup led to a fascination with business strategy. I studied the topic and moved into academia, where I both led technology within a university and lectured. After many years in that area, I have retained my Oxford connection but largely work in university spinoffs and value-driven organisations.
Has it always been your vision to reach the position you’re at? Was your current role part of your vision to become a tech leader?
No, I have just followed my interests. I have never truly been worried about status, title or even salary. The biggest driver for me is the interesting technologies within a role, the legacy I can leave through driving an organisation to change or the positive impact that I can have.
Have you had a role model or mentor that has helped you on your journey?
Not really but one of my first directors, Ed Miller, inspired me to be curious and follow my passions. He advised me to always work for someone (person or company) who can take you somewhere.
Change is accelerating. How do you see the role of the technology leader evolving over the next 5 years?
It will become more advisory and strategic.
Visiting India some years ago, I had lunch with the then Minister for Education who explained the strategy of making India the back office of the world. I was staggered by the size of ambition and the volume of people in the programme. I am not sure that this particular vision will ever be fully realised but technology delivery now sits atop a global supply chain that will only strengthen. I also see that technology platforms will become more self-configuring, utilising intelligence tools and leaving far less room for technical consultants. The role of technology leader will further develop, as it has over the last twenty years, to be far more about connecting business than technology.
What skills do you think leaders of the future will need in order to thrive?
A better understanding of business, strategy and future planning. Solving technical problems or challenges will reduce and largely disappear. Large IT teams will fade away and most functions will be outsourced, automated or built with little technical knowledge using low-code and AI. The advent of AI will produce an enormous number of alternative solutions to business challenges and the future technology leader will be more invested in business than ever before.
Is there anything in particular that you would still like to achieve in your career or what is the next step on your journey?
I would like to find my next role, one where I can lead an organisation through the AI and cyber security journey.
What advice would you give to aspiring technology leaders who are just starting their careers?
Be curious. Really understand the fundamentals of technology - all of those technology models driving today's digital systems keep repeating themselves in new technology. Grasp the absolute basics of technology and the rest makes more sense.
Also, be able to understand and judge the value that you deliver. In more junior roles it is easy to feel that IT is there only to solve issues and to rate overall performance reflectively from users who give feedback. Evaluate and judge yourself openly, honestly and fairly.
"Grasp the absolute basics of technology and the rest makes more sense."
What has been the biggest challenge you've faced in your career so far, and how did you overcome it?
Adapting to the politics played in senior management teams. I am an engineer at heart with an ability to understand how technology affects business. I can't play any political game but to arrive at senior roles in larger companies takes the ability to be political.
What role do you see emerging technologies (e.g., AI, machine learning, blockchain) playing in your industry, and how are you preparing for them?
The AI we see today is only the spinning jenny of the Industrial Revolution. There is more hype than intelligence. But that will change really quickly and there will be three classifications of organisation: 1) those that burn investment buying into the hype with little value, 2) those that ignore the adoption of AI and turn around to discover that they are too far behind their market rivals to compete, 3) and those that monitor development and find the sweet spot to invest in intelligent technology.
How do you measure and communicate the value and impact of technology initiatives to other business leaders and stakeholders?
What has been your most significant achievement or proudest moment as a technology leader?
A big thank you to Steve Coppin for sharing his journey to date.
If you would like to gain more perspective from Tech Leaders and CIOs you can read some of our other interviews here.
