IT Week's IT leader profile

What does your role entail?
I’m responsible for all the technology at the BBC – the overall architecture and making sure the BBC has the right infrastructure. I’m also in charge of strategy, from network strategy to camera roadmaps and everything in between. Every technology that goes into the making of radio and TV programmes is my responsibility, making it a very challenging role.

How did you get into the profession?
I have been interested in computing for years. I did a computer science degree, so I’m a trained software engineer, and then started at Shell. Nothing else really appealed to me. I’m a CIO who is a technologist but the job is really focused on business change and transformation. I like seeing the value of IT in change and how it can drive the business – not much of the role is about technology, but there are a lot of frustrated IT directors who don’t understand the difference between being an IT director and a CIO.

Which IT qualifications or courses have proved most useful to you?
I have a computer science degree and a research degree in compression testing, as well as early accreditations in Microsoft platforms, and these are great because they give you insight. But it’s important to have experience of strategic and operational planning. Business experience is also important. If you’ve got an MBA then great, but it’s not compulsory – it’s the experience that’s important.

Is now a good time to join the industry?
I’d obviously recommend it. What other industry changes so frequently and enables you to work in so many sectors? I’ve been in oil, engineering, gambling and now the media industry.

Which web sites do you have bookmarked at work?
I obviously check the BBC, and I subscribe to various blogs and read CIO-type sources. Because of the time constraints and the wealth of information out there, I find aggregators of content really useful.

Which technology has had the biggest impact on your working life?
From an enterprise perspective it’s Moore’s Law and how storage is not constrained as it once was. Processing power has largely gone away as an issue. And going back to my research roots, compression technology is a core enabler in the media space.