Sir Ken Olisa OBE CITP FBCS
Sir Ken Olisa says "IT is a profession and yet most practitioners have no formal professional qualifications. We don’t accept that for Doctors or even Accountants and BCS is devoted to addressing it in IT."
Personal motto: Do well. Do good.
What did you want to be when you grew up and what was your first job?
I’m not sure that I was that strategic! From Saturday jobs I knew what I didn’t want to do. Then I interned at the local IBM office and I realised that whatever I was going to do - it would be in what was then known as Data Processing.
Who was the biggest influence in your career?
Probably Ian Diery serially head of Wang in the UK, Europe, USA and then the world. As an Australian he knocked my British pessimistic reserve out of me!
Who do you admire and why?
As Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London, this is easy - Her Majesty the Queen because she embodies what makes the UK strong - duty, humour and the deepest sense of ethical values.
What do you think are the best skills that you bring to your job?
- The art of compartmentalising - being able to concentrate on the subject in hand without letting my mind drift on to other topics.
- Public speaking - being able to communicate in a non-stuffy manner.
What do you value most about being a BCS member?
IT is a profession and yet most practitioners have no formal professional qualifications. We don’t accept that for Doctors or even Accountants and the BCS is devoted to addressing it in IT.
What are you happiest doing, when you're not working?
Sitting on the banks at the bottom of our cottage’s garden watching the River Piddle flowing past.
What would be your personal motto?
I am fortunate to have an official coat of arms and so my motto is not aspirational. And it’s "Do well. Do good."
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