Peter Cochrane OBE

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. He is the author of over 1000 blogs, articles and scientific papers, numerous books on the future, technology, business, management, and living with rapid change. Peter is a seasoned professional with over 40 years of hands-on technology and operational experience. He has been involved in the creation and deployment of new technologies, the transformation of corporations, and the starting of many new businesses.

Peter currently serves on the board of companies in the EU & USA. His career in BT saw him progress to Head of Research and CTO with a 1000 strong team engaged in studies spanning optical fiber, fixed and mobile networks, terminals and interfaces, artificial life and healthcare, through to wargaming, eCommerce, eRetail, eLogistics and business modelling. Peter’s PhD was pivotal in helping BT to decide to go all-digital and all-optical in the 1970’s, and he played a key technology role in a downsizing of BT from 242,000 to 110,000 people in the 1990s.

Peter has also been employed in the defence, logistics, travel, retail, energy, healthcare, transport, pharma, and consulting sectors as an advisor, board member, and manager with responsibilities for strategy and operations with budget responsibilities up to 1 billion pounds. As an investor and entrepreneur, Peter has also engaged in the founding of new companies, investment and the management of growth leading to market success.

He was appointed as the UK’s first Professor for the Public Understanding of Science & Technology at Bristol 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 and Honorary Doctorates from Essex, Robert Gordon, Stafford, Nottingham Trent and Brunel Universities. He was awarded an OBE in 1999 for contributions to international communications.