It may have been a while since I have written about the great people I have met. Not because I have stopped meeting them, but because I am meeting so many great people, it is hard to find the time to put pen to paper (or should that be fingers to keyboard).
I have met many Tech London Advocates, and, by extension, people they think I should meet as well. It is hard to know where to start, but start I shall, with Jeff Wellstead of Big Bear Partners.
I met Jeff Wellstead at the ITN offices in London, shared by some other companies. He is a positive and bubbly gentleman who is friendly and kind. He helps companies grow from an established start up to a growing company. He helps them build some structure and process so that they are able to realise their potential, hire and retain the great teams they deserve. On a cold December afternoon, it was lovely to relax and spend time chatting about Jeff’s experiences and his generosity of spirit took pride of place. Don’t underestimate it, he is obviously a talented businessman, but doesn’t let negativity taint his wisdom. It is great to see some correlation between the Tech London Advocates and be able to introduce some of them to each other. Considering what Russ Shaw set out to achieve, this is exactly what we all want to do.
Talking of television, I was invited to the Channel 4 offices, where I met Sanjeevan Bala. He has a very interesting role using big data to analyse where Channel 4 should best utilise its resources. If you weren’t aware Channel 4 don’t have studios or produce content. They commission all of it. This means that collaboration and partnership are at the heart of its business dealings. This also keeps them on the cutting edge of technology as they are constantly in the ‘marketplace’ of new ideas.
Not in TV, but working for a famous name I met Samad Masood, it was a very enjoyable conversation. Samad is a pragmatic straight talking gentleman who has his place firmly in the innovation space of the UK and Ireland. One of his responsibilities at Accenture is an accelerator that helps 7 FinTech companies on a 3 month program that gives them direct exposure to their future customers, mostly, the main banks. This benefit cannot be understated in an industry where change takes time and risks need to be carefully calculated. Accenture don’t take any equity for this investment of time and resources, a real benefit to all involved. It was a great conversation and I am so glad that I met have met Samad, a circumspect voice in a hyped industry. He also introduced me to The House of Genius, it may well be worth a look?
As I mentioned above, I continue to meet great people and I am making a conscious effort to let you know who they are and what great things they are doing. I hope you enjoy reading about it as much as I have enjoyed meeting and chatting with them!
Ghilaine
@LadyGhilaine
Tech Talkfest 