Andy Valdar has had over 40 years experience in the telecommunications industry – 30 years with BT and the last 10 years or so with UCL. Highlights from his CV, while at BT, include:

• Undertaking the initial planning studies into converting BT’s network from analogue to digital switching and transmission.
• Developing international standards for the ISDN
• Product management for digital private circuits and networked centrex
• Advising on the technical network implications of proposed regulation
• 3-year secondment as switching expert to the ITU team in India working on a UN development programme

Andy rose to become general manger of network, then technical strategy, advising the Operations Management Board of the company, covering the introduction of new technology and network investment.

On leaving BT Andy joined UCL in 1999 as a visiting professor in Telecommunication Strategy, first taking the role of director of studies for the MSc Telecommunications Business Programme and more recently the MSc Telecommunications Engineering Programme both run for BT.

Andy is currently an active participant in international conferences, chairman of the board of Editors on the Journal of the Institute of Telecommunications Professionals (ITP), and is the author of a recently published best selling text book explaining telecommunications networks (IET Telecoms series No 52).

Andy’s main strengths are his ability to establish a strategic view and to be able to explain complex technical issues in an easily understood systematic manner, making him a successful teacher and presenter.

Ian’s background includes 35 years in the industry, working for BT. Having joined the company from university he retired as Managing Director of Strategy and Business Development for BT Wholesale. Highlights of a varied cv would include:

• A period in finance as a qualified commercial accountant
• A period as Operational Manager responsible for over 1m customer (residential; small business; major corporations; and Government). Responsibilities covered the whole customer value chain from sales, to installation, repair, customer service, and billing etc.
• Lead commercial analysis for BT
• A period in business transformation including process reengineering and Activity Based Management
• Regulation and Public Policy management
• Finally Ian set-up BT’s commercial Wholesale business as the MD of Strategy and Business Development

Following his time in BT Ian had a period on secondment to The Cabinet Office, helping to rationalise and reduce the burden of regulation, as it affects UK businesses.

Today, as well as being a Teaching Fellow at UCL, Ian is also a non-executive director on his local NHS Hospital Trust and Chairman of two small companies - one responsible for developing sailing projects; and another providing safely consultancy to the rail industry.

Ian’s approach to teaching is to understand the key principles of management and business and to apply them to real life business situations.

Ian has a degree in Economics and is a Fellow of the Institute of Commercial and Management Accountants

Izzat Darwazeh obtained his first degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Jordan in 1984. He obtained the MSc and PhD degrees, from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), in 1986 and 1991, respectively. He worked as a postdoctoral research Fellow at the University of Wales - Bangor -UK from 1990 till 1993, researching very high speed optical systems and advanced MMICs for optical communications applications. He was a Senior Lecturer in Optoelectronic Circuits and Systems in the Department at Electrical Engineering and Electronics at UMIST. He moved to University College London in October 2001.

His teaching covers aspects of optical fibre communications, telecommunication networks and high speed integrated circuits and MMICs. His research interests are mainly in the areas of high speed optical communication systems and networks, microwave circuits and MMICs for optical fibre applications and in mobile communication circuits and systems. He has authored/co-authored more than 120 papers in the areas of optical and wireless (cellular) communications and MMICs and high speed/frequency circuits. He is the co-editor of the IEE book on "Analogue Optical Communications" and the co-author (with Luis Moura) of "Linear Circuit Analysis and Modelling: From DC to RF". He acts as a consultant to several UK and international organisations and commercial bodies and he serves on a wide range of professional committees.

Since 2001 he has been with the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, UCL, becoming a Professor of Telecommunications Engineering in 2006.

Cliff Bowman is Professor of Strategic Management at Cranfield School of Management, UK.

His research interests focus on the creation and capture of value, dynamic capabilities, strategy processes and the development and leveraging of strategic assets. He has undertaken consulting assignments for a wide range of organizations and is the author of eight books and sixty articles. Cliff is a past Chairman of the European Case Clearing House, was Faculty Dean of Cranfield School of Management from 1998 to 2006, and holds two non-executive director positions.

Professor of International Management Economics, Director of Policy, Strategy & Performance Community

Joe joined the Cranfield School of Management in 1984 and contributes to the full range of the School's postgraduate and post-experience management programmes. He was formerly Academic Dean of the Faculty of Management (2003-05) and Pro-Vice Chancellor of Cranfield University (2005-08). He is currently Director of the Policy, Strategy & Performance Academic Community within the School and sits on the School's Executive Board.

Prior to life at Cranfield, Joe studied at the Universities of Ulster and Warwick and was on the staff of the Universities of Loughborough and Keele. He has spent two years as a teacher on Voluntary Service Overseas in Ghana. He makes regular return visits to Ghana.

He has held Visiting Professorships at the Krannert School of Management, Purdue, Indiana, USA; Central European University (CEU), Budapest; Tias Business School, Tilburg University, The Netherlands; Management Center Innsbruck, Austria; GISMA in Hannover, Germany, the Ghanaian Institute of Management and Public Administration and the University of Ghana Business School. He is a member of The Association of MBA's International Accreditation Advisory Board. In 2000, he received an 'Outstanding Professor' award in Hungary for his contribution to curriculum development, funded by the TEMPUS Programme of the European Union. He is recipient of the '2005 Distinguished Graduate Award' from the University of Ulster, and in 2008 and 2009 he received the 'Best Professor Award' from GISMA/Purdue University.

Joe has published 18 books and over 200 academic and practitioner journal articles. His research encompasses analysis of business developments in a changing world in terms of the macroeconomy, the role of government, the impact of technology, societal and demographic trends.

Joe is a frequent contributor to a wide range of international conferences and is a consultant to a number of UK and international companies in the areas of strategy and business environmental analysis, strategy formulation and management development. He has also acted as a consultant to several central government departments and public sector organisations.

Senior Lecturer in Finance and Accounting: Director, Marketing Accounting Research Centre

Sri is a Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Finance, and Director of the Marketing Accounting Research Centre (MARC). He was Director of the Executive MBA (part-time) Programme from 2000 - 2005. He is a management accountant with many years experience in industry, prior to obtaining an MBA from Cranfield in 1984. Sri has wide industrial experience with manufacturing and service companies. He is currently consultant to a wide range of companies, and has worked with leading organisations and conducted workshops in the UK, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Africa. He is co-author of a book entitled "Management Accounting for Financial Decisions". He has also published a number of articles and reports on Brand Accounting, Segment Profitability Analysis and Life Cycle Evaluation, based on his interest in the management information needs of Strategic Decision Makers, particularly from the marketing area and in Corporate Finance. He was a non Executive Director of Air Partner plc from 2002-2008.