VSJ – October 2003 – Members’ News

New Fellows

We are pleased to welcome two new Fellows, who were recently admitted to the Institution.

Iain Buchanan

Now nearing retirement and an exemplary professional in his field, Iain Buchanan’s career in computing goes back further than most. Trained as a programmer by the Fich Institute in 1967, he has spent his life since then bringing the benefits of computing to the business machines industry.  Initially with Sumlock Comptometer and Nixdorf, in 1975 he moved to Holland Automation in Dordrecht, where he remained for the next ten years as Technical Director, developing a high-level user programming language for intelligent cash registers.

In 1985 he decided to pursue an independent technical career and set up Oval Software to market further developments of the approach first conceived at Holland Automation, for whom he continued to work as an independent consultant.  In 1993 Iain contracted to Seagull Business Software of Dordrecht, where he led a team whose products helped Seagull to become the fastest growing company in Holland.  The work essentially continues to this day; Iain moved his home to the Netherlands in 2000.

Hugh Kearns  BSc MSc

A specialist in analysing the IT requirements of business, Hugh Kearns was IT Director of Datastream for ten years to 1984.  During this period he implemented the first interactive financial time-sharing system in the City of London.  In the following eight years, as Director of IT Operations – Datastream Group – Dun and Bradstreet Europe, he was responsible for the worldwide rollout of this groundbreaking financial information service.

In 1992 Hugh became Information Technology Director of the Primark Corporation of America, where he remained for five years, working to co-ordinate and streamline IT projects across a worldwide portfolio of corporate entities.  Currently, as Managing Director of the Carpathia Group and of his own consulting company, Hugh still manages to find time to fulfil a demanding role in public life.  He is a seasoned public speaker whose opinion on current IT matters is valued by industry and government bodies alike.

[Don’t forget to email eo@iap.org.uk with items of news about you or your company.]

Comments are closed.