Peter Cochrane

About Peter Cochrane

Peter Cochrane is one of the world’s most respected and sought-after futurists. He speaks on technology, change and the future effects of change on corporations, individuals and society. He is the former Head of Research at British Telecommunications plc, the UK’s largest telecommunications company. Peter is on the Board of TTI/Vanguard, a group of renowned innovators (including Nicholas Negroponte) based in Santa Monica, California, who continually scan the frontiers of technology and give early warnings about breakthrough and potentially disruptive technologies Renowned for his out of the box thinking, Peter produces a monthly blog for, TechRepublic.com, one of the leading information sites for the technology industry. Peter is the author of over 1000 blogs, articles and scientific papers, numerous books on the future, technology, business, management, and living with rapid change. He writes for publications such as the Economist, the Daily Telegraph, Wired, the Financial Times, Financial Director and the South China Morning Star. He examines subjects such as the future of communications technology, banking and payment systems, how our cities will develop, government, healthcare, manufacturing, the environment, nanotechnology and biotechnology. In 2013 Peter was appointed as a member of the scientific advisory committee at the Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI), established in 2010 by the Qatar Foundation (QF). QFs mission is to help build Qatars innovation and technology capacity by tackling large-scale computing challenges and support Qatars transformation from a carbon economy to a knowledge economy. His career in BT saw him progress to Head of Research and CTO with a 1000 strong team engaged in studies spanning optical fibre, fixed and mobile networks, terminals and interfaces, artificial life and healthcare, through to war-gaming, eCommerce, eRetail, eLogistics and business modelling. Since leaving BT in 2000 Peter Cochrane has been involved in the start-up sector as an Angel and Venture Capitalist with an involvement in setting up new companies in the Travel, Entertainment, Logistics, IT, Security, Education and Healthcare sectors. He was one of the founding directors of eBookers – a start-up that became the biggest eTravel business in Europe, reaching over $1Bn turnover in its fourth year of operation. He was the founding investor in Shazam, the mobile phone based music identification service. It is now one of the 10 most downloaded apps on the App Store. Peter has also spent time in academia as an educator. He was appointed as the UKs first Professor for the Public Understanding of Science & Technology in 1998. A graduate of Nottingham Trent and Essex Universities, Peter has received notable recognition with the Queen’s Award for Innovation & Export in 1990. His speaking topics include:- •Managing in a Chaotic World •The End of the Silicon Age •A Cloud of People and Things •Marketing for Future Business •Big Data •Why Strategic Decision-Making Goes Wrong