MISFORTUNE IN THE 1980s
0108 Short CV 1987
[This short CV comes from the period when, after the failure of Computerland, my career took a new turn. The CV, however, summarizes my previous career; as I then saw it]
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
1) GENERAL BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
a) GROUP MANAGEMENT
I set up and ran, for 6 years, IBM's first Independent Business Unit (IBU) in the UK. This small group was unusual in IBM in that, as the first of that companv's ventures in 'intrapreneurship', it handled all its own business operations. With a turnover approaching £1 million per annum, it eventually became the most successful such IBU in the whole of IBM.
b) BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
I recently set up and ran, for the first year, a Computerland franchise. This personal computer dealership, capitalised at £500,000 was backed by 3i. As joint managing director I was responsible for setting up, and running, the sales/marketing, admin and technical support functions.
c) GENERAL MANAGEMENT
Before joining IBM I ran a major business group, within BTR, including a manufacturing plant employing 700 personnel - as well as two sales forces and administration; the turnover was £8 million per annum. As part of this I set up the marketing/management structures, and recruited the key management, that contributed to BTR's later success.
2) MARKETING/STAFF EXPERIENCE
a)MARKETING PLANNING
Latterly, I coordinated the key elements of IBM UK's overall annual plan (covering sales of £3 billion per annum), as well as being involved in long term strategy.
b)NEW PRODUCTS
As an 'Announcement' (ie new product) Manager I was responsible for the launch of the IBM 5110 computer.
c) EXHIBIT
I ran the UK venue of IBM's computing exhibition. With 70 staff (and a budget of £1.5 million for 6 weeks) it successfully attracted nearly 100,000 visitors. I received the prestigious IBM Exceptional Achievement Award for this work.
d)BRAND/ MARKETING MANAGEMENT
For the first 8 years of my career I was employed in brand and then marketing management by some of the most sophisticated multinationals. As one example of this work, based on the use of sophisticated market research I increased Gallaher's tobacco profits b" £1 million per annum; by starting the well known advertising campaign that made Condor the brand leader in the pipe tobacco market.
3)TRAINING EXPERIENCE
a)BUSINESS TRAINING
I spent 5 years in IBM's highly regarded education department; which is the only company educational establishment to be able to offer degree level courses (in association with Portsmouth Polytechnic). In addition to lecturing on a range of technical topics (from basic computing skills through to advanced installation management) I was also one of IBM's Sales School managers. For three years I also set up and ran, in conjunction with the Professors and Lecturers at the London Business School, one of IBM's most successful programmes (through which more than 200 of its managers and senior field staff passed); Business School - on which I personally taught the core of the first year MBA curriculum, and the 20 first year case studies were then run by the whole team during a 2 week residential course at the London Business School itself.
b)COMPUTER TRAINING
The Computerland support team that I managed ran a range of personal computer training courses, on most of the main products. I was personally involved in these; teaching, for example, the introduction to computing course myself.
4)TECHNICAL-EXPERIENCE,
a)PERSONAL COMPUTER EXPERIENCE
At Computerland I was responsible for technical support as well as sales. The support team specialised in installing and supporting the increasingly complex personal computer networks.
b)IT PROJECT MANAGEMENT
I was coordinator for a major element of IBM's Basingstoke relocation project which involved the fitting out and commissioning of 300,000 sq ft of new space; and the accompanying move of 1500 personnel from other locations. It also involved the expansion of IBM's wide area network to cover an additional 2300 terminals.
5) COMMUNICATION SKILLS
a)WRITTEN SKILLS
My written communications skills are best evidenced by my recent book,
"IBM: How the World's Most Successful Corporation is Managed". This has been published in the UK by Kogan Page; where it has been chosen as one of the featured books in the WH Smith "Executive World" book club. It is also to be published in the US (by Dodd Mead), Japan, India and Australia. It was described by the CBI News as "a worthwhile read which is much more than just the selling technique elaborated in The IBM Way" and by the Guardian as "a believable and gritty picture of today's IBM…and (he) is fascinating on the interaction with Armonk and the rest of the Big Blue bureaucracy".
b)VERBAL SKILLS
For a number of years I was one of IBM's top salesmen, with 7 IBM Hundred Per Cent Clubs.
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