Dr.Sinclair Stockman, currently president of technology and operations at BT Global, knows what it's like to be on the fast track in a high-performance culture. Seven months after joining BT UK, he went from director of information services engineering to chief information officer, with responsibility for 9,000 employees. He transformed BT's legacy infrastructure into an e-business environment capable of delivering a range of broadband services, at a time when BT's networks were some of the worst in Europe.

According to Dr. Stockman, a high-pressure environment can still be a good place to work, as long as leaders set clear goals and expectations. Employees often become overwhelmed by pressure because they push themselves to do everything they have been asked to do. But the CIO's role is to make decisions about complex tasks, says Stockman; if the CIO constantly makes wrong decisions, then you're working in the wrong place. And, if the CIO doesn't make decisions, then consider yourself a slave.

For those IT professionals who are eager to progress in their careers, Dr. Stockman offers some sound advice about the ride of your life: you have to make sure the roller coaster you've chosen is one you like. You must never lose touch with the essentials of your discipline (you’ve still got to understand code, and how machines work). And, if you want your ideas to be a commercial success, you need to make things easy for the end user.

Dr. Stockman is currently taking on new challenges at BT Global Services, which provides networking services to BT Group organizations and their customers. His team of 9,500 IT professionals recently replaced a TDM legacy network with a MPLS-based network across more than 30 countries. This network connects to the company's data sites, where applications such as CRM and network monitoring reside. Such applications can be made available to BT employees and customers over the MPLS network, regardless of what type of device they're using.

Dr. Stockman's view of network convergence is more about people than technology. You can find your first lesson in convergence, says Stockman, in The Lord of the Rings: You have to get yourself out of the world of the ox, and into the world of the Hobbits and the elves. That said, one of the greatest opportunities of wireless technology is advancing to the point at which any "ordinary mortal" can use it.

Bio

Dr. Sinclair Stockman joined British Telecom (BT) in 1981, after receiving a doctorate in applied mathematics and theoretical physics. In 2000, Stockman became CIO, responsible for the company's e-business transformation and information systems strategy. From 2000 to 2004, he spearheaded many technological changes, including the delivery of BT's broadband systems. Stockman currently is president of technology and operations at BT Global Services. He has responsibility for BT's process and technology platform, which underpins BT's global capability and its digital networked economy activity.

Resources

BT  Global Services

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