ROGER CAMRASS, A CONCISE BIOGRAPHY

Over a forty year career with start-up companies; mid sized firms and Fortune 1000 Corporations Roger has gained unique experience and insight into the emerging ‘Digital’ world.

Participating in successive waves of change

Roger has worked with leading corporations worldwide to pioneer new methods and techniques in the vanguard of their market adoption.

SOME OF HIS MOST PRESTIGIOUS
ACHIEVEMENTS INCLUDE:

• Designing the Internet whilst a research fellow at MIT in the seventies. Roger was a pioneer of the IP network architecture that supports the global world wide web today (his work was published in the IEEE transactions)

• Worldwide market-launch manager of a digital switching system that became the platform for the electronic office of the eighties. Roger published books on PABX and Wiring issues that helped large organisations plan out new office complexes such as Broad Gate and Canary Wharf in London

• Pioneer of Business Re-engineering techniques in Europe, working closely with Michael Hammer, Peter Keen, John Thompson and Jim Champey during his career at CSC Index and Arthur D Little.

• Deal shaper for outsourcing and off shoring contracts that have helped to transform many IT and business organisations into slimmer, more virtual structures. His initial work began with the EDS/ Unilever deal as far back as 1981 and gained momentum through Fujitsu and Wipro in recent years.

• Lead Partner at Ernst & Young UK’s e-commerce practice in 1998 through which multiple dot.com businesses were designed and launched such as More Than at RSA. He also advised on e-market formations and published a book entitled ‘Atomic: Reshaping the Business Landscape into the New Structures of Tomorrow’

• Responsible for introducing Lean operating practices into service organisations during the recent decade based on Toyota production principles whilst head of business transformation at Fujitsu Services in Europe.

• Most recently involved in establishing Cloud Computing strategies for large corporations such as Shell whilst responsible for business transformation at Wipro Technologies (see article published by Roger in CIO Insight magazine).

Leading adviser and business executive
Leading adviser and business executive
In addition to shaping and influencing external change, Roger has excelled as a business leader and entrepreneur, and has played an influential role in several major organisations. Specific industry experience includes:
• Group Director of an IT firm, Butler Cox plc that achieved a full FTSE listing in just twelve years. The company combined syndicated research services with consulting to build a client base of over 500 CIOs across Europe.
• Managing Director of SRI International (Stanford Research Institute) in Europe for five years and Vice President of Global Operations. During this period Roger oversaw the restructuring of the European subsidiary into a profitable unit.
• Group director and head of Business Transformation at Fujitsu Services in Europe for six years, helping to achieve a dramatic turnaround in sales performance and client engagement post the acquisition of ICL.
• Senior Practice Partner at leading consulting firms, including Ernst & Young (e-commerce), Arthur D Little (Business Reengineering) and Wipro Consulting (Cloud Computing).

 

Research and Innovation Champion
Research and Innovation Champion
Roger’s lifetime professional interest lies in ‘Innovation’. This has inspired several key commercial and thought leadership programmes throughout his career. These include:
• Advisor to governments on the strategic impact of technology on national economic performance, working with Professor Michael Porter of Harvard. One such study was presented to the Dutch parliament in the early nineties
• Leader of a global multi-client programme entitled ‘Business in the Third Millennium’ whilst at SRI International. The programme succeeded MIT’s ‘Management in the Nineties’ study and involved many of the same sponsors such as Amex, BP, ICL and Fujitsu.
• Research director of the Judge Business School survey into Corporate Innovation. This study involved twelve Chairs and CEOs of FTSE 100 companies such as Astra Zeneca, BAA, BT and Legal & General and concluded in a paper on Innovation
• Lead consultant for several new business opportunities that have ranged from the formation of the first public call centre in the UK (and related start up, Share Link) and fibre based networks, to the business case for 3G mobile and the creation of global cloud applications
• Helped to create ‘innovation communities’ within large corporations such as Barclays and RSA that included mid level executives. These communities were established to challenge conventional ideas and to identify and lead new initiatives. They included ‘hot housing’ and ‘scenario planning’ techniques.
• Set up the Fujitsu Executive Institute (FEI) and engaged Sir Brian Pitman to host its activities over a five year period. The FEI focused on Asia as a Board level issue and attracted many Chairs and CEOs of FTSE 100 companies to quarterly dinner events with prominent speakers including the Chinese, Japanese and Russian Ambassadors.
Academic qualifications and personal interests

Roger acquired his Bachelor’s degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and his Masters degree in Electrical Sciences and Business Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, USA.

He has held part time academic posts at several universities and business schools including Senior Associate at Judge Business School at Cambridge University; Visiting Fellow at the Engineering Faculty of Bristol University and the Strategic Management Centre at Ashridge School of Management; and most recently a visiting professorship at ESADE Business School in Spain.

Roger is active in charitable causes and sits on the Corporate Development Board of the NSPCC where he has been involved in increasing commercial sponsorship. He is married with three children and lives in Highgate, North London.

CoDE (surreycode.org ) – department of University of Surrey’s Business School focused exclusively on digital business and associated skilling and research capabilities.
MAXOS Group (maxos.ai ) – USA based consultancy specialising in new operating models and techniques for the digital economy.
Founders Group (foundersgroup.co.uk ) – a senior advisory team of ex-consulting partners and CXOs from Global 1000 companies.
Mozaic Services (mozaic.net ) – UK consultancy and design agency able to offer complete service integration and management capabilities for large organisations.