Join us for our annual Barney Gibbens Memorial Lecture in commemoration of our founding Master. The virtual event will begin with a welcome from the Master Kerri Mansfield JP before she introduces our guest speaker Past Master John Carrington.
John Carrington
John was educated at LSE, Edinburgh University and the London Business School. He worked at BT for over 20 years, and spent almost 10 years working in international telecommunications with senior roles in finance, strategy and new business development. John was the founding CEO of Cellnet – now O2.
He was an initial signatory in 1987 of the agreement that established the digital international cellular standard, GSM. After BT John worked in Cable and Wireless developing cellular businesses in the UK and worldwide before becoming responsible for operations in 34 countries.
From 1995 John worked with a number of emerging companies as Chair or CEO, most notably Mobile Systems International plc. John was Chair of the Council of Gresham College from 2014 – 2019 and currently chairs the Woodbridge Tide Mill Charitable Trust and Archives of IT. John was a founder member of the WCIT and was Master in 2001 – 2002 and Chair of the Charity from 2006 - 2012.
He is a Liveryman of the Clockmakers’ Company, a Fellow of the British Computer Society and Hon Fellow of Gresham College.
IT is a vital ingredient to the UK’s economic growth and wellbeing. There is shortage of people entering the IT sector in the UK. One source of the shortage is the fall in the numbers of students pursuing computing in schools. The decline is more marked for females. John will examine the evidence for the shortage, problems in primary schools, especially in exciting interest in computing/IT as a potential career, and what the WCIT, the wider Livery and charities are doing to help. Finally, he will suggest ways in which schools might be helped to navigate the support available.
You'll receive your Zoom link closer to the event date, and it will automatically go live on your account when you log in 30 minutes before the event starts.
