Digital Transformation. AI, IoT, Blockchain, Smart Contracts, Advanced Robotics, Virtual Reality are all converging to create a wave of change for consumers and businesses. John’s interview highlight how it works in laymans terms and the opportunities and disruption it will create:
John Straw – Technology Enterpreneur
John Straw is an Internet entrepreneur and an inspirational speaker. He specialises in digital marketing and has spent over three decades working with or starting up digital marketing companies. Able to share insights on AI, the Internet of Things, 3D printing and augmented reality, John Straw makes the complex simple, educating businesses on change and disruption.
John is a senior advisor to Mckinsey and Co, IBM Watson IoT and his own portfolio of investments. In 2017, he became a NED for FTSE100, Provident Financial plc. He is a blogger on disruptive technology and a contributor to The Economist on AI.John’s impact on the Interse Corporation in San Francisco, as VP of European Operations, was immense. Interse specialised in software products that measured a user’s path through a web site and was significantly ahead of its time. Interse was purchased by Microsoft in 1997 for $160m.
John subsequently moved on to Revnet Systems in Alabama, as co-founder, VP Marketing. Revnet produces email management software for marketeers. The company was purchased by MessageMedia in 2000 for $66m and was subsequently bought by Doubleclick and then Google.In 2006 John created two consumer facing websites – itsmymarket – a classified ad site and a price comparison engine savebuckets.
He founded and became CEO of Netrank, one of Europe’s first SEO agencies specialising in corporate clients, which was sold to LBi in 2008. The following year John raised $1.5m from London and Silicon Valley to found SEO platform Linkdex. The company was a game changer in SEO bringing integrated workflow, tasks and link building CRM into one platform with hugely competitive information.John pioneered a cultural change programme at Thomas Cook, which focussed on moving the business from analogue to digital. His unique initiatives included iClinics – a unique structure that helped the move towards a more agile IT development environment.
Further info:
Interview: Jessica Ceotto
Filming and Editing: Andrea Monticelli.
