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Latest - Decades: 1990s

Vin Murria OBE

Vin Murria is an outstandingly successful serial creator of  ‘Tech Unicorns’, businesses that grow to be valued at over $1Bn.  A key mentor gave her the chance, straight out of university, to run a company and she learned from him the trade of management, acquisition, turnaround and then start-up of her own new businesses.  In conversation with Jane Bird for Archives of IT she talked about how her early life and upbringing equipped her for a career as a Tech Entrepreneur and gave us some insights into how successful companies work and how to build them.  In an industry that struggles to attract its fair share of women, she tells how she achieved her success in spite of (or maybe with the benefit of) the triple challenge of being young, Asian and female, observing that diversity brings many benefits to business.

Dr Keith Burgess OBE

Dr Keith Burgess OBE was born in Merthyr Tydfil, where education was the way to escape the waiting shovel and the route out of the valleys. 

Arthur Andersen, and their subsequent brands, revolutionised the industry approach to IT-based change and, in 30 years with the consultants Keith developed their approach to “business integration.”  He became responsible for Andersen’s outsourcing and other offerings worldwide and observes that a key to a successful consultancy business is the culture.

He helped to implement public-and private-sector IT systems and has clear views about what drives success and failure.  He is concerned that the UK may not have the IT integration skills it needs for the future. 

Richard Jeffery

Richard Jeffery grew up on a farm, but broke with family tradition when he chose to work in software and services. Nevertheless, family discussions around the kitchen table about the farm’s business challenges and opportunities, set him up well for entrepreneurship.

After studying “dull and formulaic” ‘A’ levels in maths, physics and chemistry, Richard loved the economics, philosophy, computing and general systems theory of his degree in systems and management degree.

Since then he has spent his career helping organisations improve operational efficiency while providing the best possible support for their staff. He worked for PA Consulting and Coopers & Lybrand, before joining Organisational Consulting Partnership, a small breakaway team from PAC.

In 2005, Richard co-found ActiveOps, a company focused on Software As A Service and Management Process Automation. Earlier this year, ActiveOps launched on the London Stock  Exchange in an IPO valuing it at almost £120m.

The original flotation, scheduled for February 2020, was called off in the face of Covid-19. But by September of that year, it was apparent that the business was thriving. SaaS revenues were strong — turnover was £20m in 2020 — and the pandemic had focused minds on the importance of management information on operational activities. “It created a pain point and meant our products were hugely appreciated,” says Richard, who is still CEO.

The fact that the IPO proved so popular with investors was a huge vote of confidence in the business, Richard says. Its software is well placed to help organisations cope with the challenges of flexible working.

“The biggest cause of stress is uncertainty. You need to create environment where people feel safe, and know what’s expected of them and when they’ve done a good job.” His mission is to provide a coherent and consistent framework for this to happen.

Pamela Cook

The youngest of six children, Pamela Cook was born in a Birmingham slum with no electricity or indoor sanitation. But the family was re-housed when she was three and she describes her childhood as very happy.

Her lack of enjoyment at school and the need to earn money from her early teens, gave her an understanding of the working world and a will to survive. But she also inherited her parents’ strong sense of moral ethics, making her determined to try to do good in the world.

Pamela has achieved that goal as CEO of Infoshare, a data technology company which creates accurate single views, for example, of people, places, addresses and objects. When she took the helm in 2010 she re-mortgaged her house to fund a major company restructure. Since then, she has tried to re-shape the business to use its technology and position to benefit vulnerable people, from children at risk and victims of crime to those likely to be most badly affected by Covid-19.

“What I have discovered is being able to make a real impact on people’s lives,” she says, whether they are at risk, need early intervention or are trying to disguise their true identities.

Pamela is also a magistrate in Thames Valley, and sits on the Cabinet Office SME Panel, fighting for the rights and fair treatment of small businesses in the UK. She is a popular speaker on successful information sharing, protecting citizens and the implication of legislation on data sharing and analysis.

She was named the Female Entrepreneur of the Year in the 2019 Enterprise Awards, and listed on the 2020 DataIQ 100 people in data, and on the 2020 Global Top 100 Data Visionaries.

A man with white hair wearing a shirt, jacket and tie

Richard Hooper

Richard Hooper studied Russian and German at Oxford and then joined the BBC. His passion for media technology was inspired when, as a Harkness scholar, he spent 21 months in the US looking at innovative educational technology projects.

“I learnt in America,” he says, such wonderful quips as: “Technology is the answer – but…what was the question?  That still resonates firmly today.” He also likes to quote the axiom coined by Marshall McLuhan, one of his heroes: “The medium is the message”.

Richard took on his first senior role in the UK IT industry in 1973 as Director of the National Development Programme in Computer Assisted Learning.

At BT during the early 1980s, he helped pioneer Prestel, the first version of the internet.  He also ran Yellow Pages when it was a FTSE100 company, and oversaw start-ups such as Telecom Gold, the UK’s first public email service.

In 1987, as managing director of Super Channel, the ITV- and BBC-backed pan-European satellite channel, Margaret Thatcher asked him to give the introductory presentation at a Downing St seminar on broadcasting policy.

His wide-ranging career in communications also includes being founding deputy chairman of Ofcom, chairman of the Broadband Stakeholder Group and numerous advisory and consultancy roles. He has just published a book on the art of chairing called Making Meetings Work.

John Higgins CBE

John Higgins CBE is well known as the leader of influential industry trade associations and advisory bodies in the UK and Europe, which give him a unique perspective of IT in the last 45 years. Currently John is President of the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.

He first worked on computer applications at London Brick, writing payroll and other applications for a Univac mainframe and progressed to Silicon Valley DotCom CEO in the 90’s, before moving into industry advisory roles. In this interview he shares insights into wide ranging issues, including why Europe struggles to compete with the USA building Tech companies and the challenges of public sector IT projects.

Mandy Chessell CBE

Mandy Chessell CBE  is a software engineer, who is recognised with multiple honours for her key role in the technology which is at the heart of business critical operations around the world. She was awarded a CBE for services to engineering and was the first woman to be awarded the Silver Medal of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Mandy was influenced to be an engineer by her father, a naval architect, and was inspired to join IBM by a speaker outlining the excitement of technology visiting her school when she was 14: she has been at IBM for 35 years.

Mandy encourages the entry of other women to IT and, while reluctant to demand special treatment, she does observe and oppose attitudes that still limit their advancement in a male dominated industry.