Michael M.

Michael has worked since 1994 on strategy, technology, finance, and business development. He began his career as a research scientist in aerospace (rocket science) and computer graphics, which led to him starting companies in seismology, cartography, and energy information for a Swiss publishing firm.

In the early 1980s, Michael created a multi-million dollar oil industry consortium, which culminated in the development of a complete digital map of the world, MundoCart, along the way having to build laser line-following digitisers. He spent several years as a partner and board member of one of the leading accountancy firms, directing consultancy work in the UK and overseas.

He has worked in the public sector on privatisations and strategy; in the private sector in a variety of industries (banking, insurance, manufacturing, media, retail, utilities, television, distribution) on problems ranging from strategy through information systems, quality, human resources, environmental systems, and R&D; and in the voluntary sector on a number of assignments to improve performance.

Michael's acclaimed humorous risk/reward management novel was published in 2000. He is Professor of Commerce at Gresham College, Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics Department of Management Information Systems & Innovation Group, a non-executive Director of the United Kingdom Accreditation Service - the UK's sole accreditation body for certification, testing, inspection, and calibration services, a non-executive Director of Sirius Exploration Plc - a mining company, a Trustee of Ocean Alliance & The Whale Conservation Institute in Massachusetts & The International Fund For Animal Welfare, on the editorial board of the Journal of Strategic Change as well as the Journal of Business Strategy, and on the advisory boards of the Centre for the Study of Financial Innovation and Alchemie Technology.

Michael is a qualified accountant, computer specialist, and management consultant with a degree from Harvard, as well as mathematics and engineering at Trinity College Dublin. His PhD from the London School of Economics was in the application of risk/reward methodologies involving chaotic systems and strategic planning quality. Michael was on the board of a major commercial outsourcing organisation for two years, for three years Vice-Chairman of The Strategic Planning Society, a registered charity, and on City University's School of Informatics advisory board for four years.

As a founding director of a UK-based company, Michael has worked on many assignments, particularly in finance, technology, and the voluntary sector. For instance, Michael led a study of global investment banks' operations & IT strategy, worked as Chief Technology Officer for a cancer detection technology firm, built a global website to aid young people's understanding of financial markets through an innovative game, and helped the UK Cabinet Office Strategy Unit on sustainable fishing.

Michael has contributed to many innovative projects, such as the Global Financial Centres Index, the Global Intellectual Property Index, and the London Accord. On an interim management assignment as Corporate Development Director from 1995 to 1997, Michael completed a fundamental review of Europe's largest R&D organisation, the UK Ministry of Defence's £1 billion Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, and the £150 million privatisation of its support services. His role as Chief Scientist of the Financial £aboratory won a DTI Foresight Challenge award in 1996 for visualising financial risk, and Michael led Z/Yen's DTI Smart Award 2003 winning PropheZy project, building the world's leading risk/reward prediction engine.

Michael is a Freeman of the City of London and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of World Traders. He was awarded Director of the Year by the British Computer Society for 2004/2005. Michael's interests include writing, skiing, travel, and sailing, in particular racing on modern boats and Sailing Barge Lady Daphne.

A small selection of clients includes:

• ABN Amro
• ADP Wilco
• Allied Irish Banks
• Bank of America
• Barclays Capital
• BNP Paribas
• BZW
• Citigroup
• City Practitioners Ltd
• Commerzbank
• Credit Suisse
• Deutsche Bank
• Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein
• General Atlantic Partners
• Goldman Sachs International
• HBoS
• HSBC
• ING Group
• LCH Clearnet
• London Stock Exchange
• Lehman Brothers
• Merrill Lynch
• Mitsubishi UFJ Securities International Plc
• Mizuho Corporate Bank
• Morgan Stanley
• Nomura International
• Oesterreichische Nationalbank
• OMGEO
• Rabobank
• Reuters Limited
• The Royal Bank of Scotland
• Scotia Bank
• SEB
• Societe Generale
• Thomas Miller & Co
• UBS
• Westdeutsche Landesbank
• Girozentrale
• 3Com
• Access 24
• ACI Worldwide
• Agresso
• Alchemie Technology
• Appsense
• Appsolut
• BioIndustry Association
• Blaze Software
• Bradford Particle Design
• Braindoc
• British Telecom
• Business Objects
• Cable & Wireless
• Cast
• Cnet
• CERT Group of companies
• CIGNA
• Cisco
• Clarify
• Comensus
• Commuting