When I heard about the Innovation Platforms, a new concept in Government in how to approach innovation; a lot of things from my past seemed to hang together. From university, I spent seven years on the Ministry of Defence’s science and engineering fast stream where I guess the common theme was that I went around trying to change things for the better. There are huge elements of “change management” in setting up the pilot Innovation Platforms. At the top of that scheme, I actively joined QinetiQ as it was going on a privatisation journey. I picked up a lot of experience on innovation, admittedly technology-based innovation. I ended up leading a business group called Telematic Solutions, although it was really a GPS business; which gave me some ideal domain experience and some recently healed scars from leading QinetiQ’s bid into the ill-fated Lorry Road User Charging programme. Hence, the opportunity to manage the one of Government two pilot Innovation Platforms on Intelligent Transport Systems and Services (ITSS) seemed like too good an opportunity to miss.
Now it is 18-months on, and I’m on my way out of Government and heading back into the commercial world - what was it really like ? That is what this blog is all about.
The original stimulus for writing the blog was to provide a more interactive form of hand-over document to my successors within the Intelligent Transport Systems and Services (ITSS) Innovation Platform. It used to be part of the old DTI, but is now within a Non-Departmental Public Body, called the Technology Strategy Board. By gradually updating elements, it will help to keep the hand-over process live and hopefully will allow a few more people to get involved in the process. Also, hopefully it will provide a more interactive on-line resource for other people as well about the ITSS Innovation Platform. However, time has rather moved on and now it more about topics that interest me and making that transition out into the commercial transport market-place.
Oh, yes and my name is Jon Maybury.
1 response so far ↓
Emma Wallace // May 23, 2008 at 8:25 am
Hi Jon, Thanks for the comment on my blog. Your name is familiar and reading you bio above Im sure our paths have crossed before. My contact details are on my blog. Id love to have a chat sometime.
Em