Exercise your right to vote in the UKOUG Director elections

The candidates >>

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As UKOUG is a membership organisation, all main contacts are entitled to shape the board, and the future of UKOUG.

It is vital that you do vote. By doing so, you are being part of the process of ensuring that UKOUG represents your needs to Oracle and that the products and services are the ones you require.

What do the Directors do?

The Board of Directors are legally responsible for the correct running of UKOUG. As representatives of the membership, they define the strategy for UKOUG and are responsible for the performance and operation of the services that fulfil the needs of you, our members. We strive to attract a balanced board with a mixture of skills and disciplines.  There are 12 Directors and each is elected to serve a 2-year term. This year 6 places are up for election.

When considering your vote, please do consider who will best be able to discharge these responsibilities. Knowledge of the Oracle community is equally as important as is the ability to direct and manage a complex organisation which supports the many varied needs of the Oracle community  and engages with a significant number of stakeholders.

Why are the elections important?

Your choice of Directors will shape the future of the User Group, how it represents your communities and how the UKOUG successfully engages with  the Oracle Corporation, the Oracle community world wide and to the Oracle eco-system in the UK.

Each membership has a vote, and as the main contact for your organisation’s membership you can vote for each of the nominees, but if you have a colleague who is better placed to make that judgement, perhaps an active SIG member, then please ask them for their recommendation or pass them the vote.

By voting you are…

-          expressing your opinion as to the fitness of the elected leaders and their policies

-          ensuring that the people in charge reflect your views and champion the issues that are important to you

-          helping to shape what UKOUG does and how it does it

-          having a say in who steers your user group

By not voting you are…

 -          abdicating your right to influence

 -          allowing the will of others, whose opinions maybe contrary to your own, to prevail

 -          accepting that the future of the UKOUG is what it is without you being a part of that 

Please use your vote

UKOUG needs a board that speaks for the whole membership and not just a small part of it. We want to know that we have a real mandate for what we do and that requires a good voting turnout.

Please do think about what you need from the Board. UKOUG is a company in its own right that needs skills to direct it. Additionally, it needs to understand the whole Oracle community and ensure that all parties are fairly represented and how the constitution of the board makes that possible. Think about what skills the candidates would bring to the board and what their contribution will be. Please balance past success with future energy and vote for the right people to represent you.

To view the existing board >>

Candidate:   Roger Bentley    
Manager - Field Services    Data Systems International

Experience using Oracle products:
Implementation Manager for Enterprise One (XE) in 3PL company 
Manager of Client Services for Data Capture Solution companies integrating to World, Enterprise One (up to and including ERP9), and Oracle EBS (11.5.8-10, 12)

My involvement with the Oracle community:
In my current role I visit a range of Oracle customers, and through consultancy services will advise on best practice in many different industries. Having worked with a wide range of Oracle customers in many different industries and situations, I am able to advise on solutions that have worked elsewhere in order to help those customers successfully extend the use of their current Oracle implementations.

I am a :
 End User  
Supplier of 3rd party products  

Community representation:
EBusiness Suite
JD Edwards

Board skills:
Having spent 20 years working in shop floor, logistics and supply chain management before moving into IT consultancy, I can offer a breadth of management experience to deliver on a practical level on behalf of OUG whilst also bringing an understanding of members’ issues and aspirations. In addition, since DSI operates on World and as an integrator to a range of ERP systems, I am uniquely placed to offer the dual perspective of end user and business partner to Oracle.

Improvements I would make to UKOUG:
It would be presumptuous and unfair to the existing team to suggest I could do things better, but I would hope to make my company’s links to Oracle themselves available in order to co-ordinate activities more closely, and to assist members to contact each other, and perhaps set up working groups to discuss best practice across Oracle users in similar fields.

Candidate:   Peter Dunn    
Senior Manager    Patech Solutions Limited

Experience using Oracle products:
V9 Financials, Order Management, Purchasing  V10.7 Financials Order Management, Procurement, Inventory and Service  V11.5.1-10 Financials HRMs Payroll  Order Management, Procurement, Inventory and Service  V12 Financials Projects Procurement HRMS and payroll

My involvement with the Oracle community:
Member of OUG groups, provided insights into partnering and the value add that partners bring to customers to OUG presentations.

I am a :
 Consultant  
IT Management

Community representation:
EBusiness Suite

Board skills:
Good communicator - Team player -  knowledge of a large number of clients and OUG members. Have both the partner and end user perspective, in addition to working for Oracle for over 9 years I have a deep applications knowledge, a network of Oracle contacts to help the OUG and its members gain more from Oracle as it continues to become a more complex organisation to work with.

Improvements I would make to UKOUG:
More transparency, openness with regard to the way it conducts itself and more publicity about the role of the OUG in terms of supporting Oracle with its extended knowledge management ...... and making the software a working successful strategy for those companies that adopt oracle applications and oracle technology

Candidate:   David Kurtz    
Independent Consultant    Go-Faster Consultancy LTd.

Experience using Oracle products:
Oracle 11g, PeopleSoft 9, PeopleTools 8.49, Tuxedo 9, Weblogic 9

My involvement with the Oracle community:
Chair of UKOUG Unix SIG 2000-2007,   UKOUG Director 2006-2008,   Regular speaker at UKOUG conference and SIGs  Active in PeopleSoft community since 1998  Author of 'PeopleSoft for the Oracle DBA'  PeopleSoft DBA Blog  Moderator of PSFTDBA forum  Oracle ACE

I am a :
Independent Consultant

Community representation:
Oracle Technology
Oracle Middleware (inc BEA)
PeopleSoft

Board skills:
I can represent two significant areas of the wider Oracle community  * Database Server Technology – I have worked with the Oracle database for over 20 years as a developer and DBA, and with many different companies.  * PeopleSoft – I worked with PeopleSoft since 1996, and was regular presenter at their UK RUG meetings, and European user conferences.  * BEA Tuxedo and Weblogic are used by PeopleSoft applications, and hence I am familiar with them too, and they are now Oracle products.  I have extensive experience of the UKOUG. I was chair of the Unix SIG for 6 years, and am a member of PeopleSoft SIGs committee.  I have previously been a director of UKOUG.  I have first hand knowledge of what a user community needs from its user group.  Although I come from a technology background, my performance consultancy work shows me range of the needs that user companies have from their Oracle systems at all levels of a business from end users, though developer and DBAs to managerial and executive.

Improvements I would make to UKOUG:
The database server technology SIGs have traditionally been the core of the user group.  The way they are sub-divided and named owes more to the history of the user group responding to the evolution of Oracle, and the demands of the community.  We have DBMS, Unix, Windows, RAC/HA SIG, as well as a Northern Server Tech Day.  There is considerable overlap, and some confusion.  Working with the existing SIG committees, I would like to see them reorganised to reflect the modern demands of working with the database.

Candidate:   Debra Lilley    
Principal Consultant    Fujitsu

Experience using Oracle products:
15 years of EBS from 9.4.1 to current releases, Hyperion, OBIEE and OBIA

My involvement with the Oracle community:
I have served on the UKOUG board for 8 years including 6 as Deputy Chair. I speak regularly and currently focus on fusion technology and applications. I write a column in Oracle Scene and have both a blog and tweet. I am recognised as an ACE Director for Applications. I head the IOUC PDC

I am a :
Trainer
End User
Consultant  
IT Management

Community representation:
Oracle Middleware (inc BEA)
EBusiness Suite
Hyperion
IT Management
Fusion

Board skills:
Understanding of Oracle Products  Current relationship with Oracle as User, Partner and User Group leader  Chartered Director, Corporate Governance  Speaker so understand their needs as well

Improvements I would make to UKOUG:
Continue to introduce innovative products and services that add to the member value whilst keeping the organisation financially stable.

Manifesto:
I have 15 years experience with Oracle Applications, within the Fujitsu Services Oracle Practice, where my roles have included responsibility for Fujitsu’s own EMEA implementation, as well as working with external customers, mainly public sector.    

 I was support manager for Fujitsu Oracle customers, then a Financials and Reporting Consultant, widening my expertise into Projects, Contracts and HR. I started as a COBOL developer in the Civil Service, Analyst with MOD in Berlin and then with Gloucester County Council. I moved to Fujitsu when IT was transferred under a FM deal.   

I hold an OCP in Oracle EBS, an Oracle Masters, and annually take Partner competency exams.  

 I am an Oracle ACE Director one of only 4 for applications. In the past I have undergone Director Training with the IOD and in turn have provided training for new directors. I am a chartered Director and Chartered IT Professional.    I have been a director for eight years and Deputy Chair for six. I have been instrumental in encouraging greater representation of our smaller groups, product, industry and regions.   

I have worked since the first announcement of Fusion Applications to ensure that UKOUG have had their input into this exciting change in application design. To ensure this I have represented YOU through the UKOUG, EOUC and IOUC levels and I work directly with Steve Miranda who heads Fusion Applications development. This culminated in the Fusion Program at the TEBS conference in December.    

I believe Fusion is also about the integration of the users and have embraced all the new communities that have come through Oracle acquisition and who are now all part of the Oracle Community. But I am also an EBS user and consultant and work closely with Cliff Godwin their General Manager. My role within Fujitsu has moved into Business Intelligence and Strategy Planning and again I can bring these skills to the board.  

 I am a prolific speaker and am honoured to be asked to speak around the world at various user groups and thank the Oracle ACE Director program that makes this possible.   

I firmly believe that every member, however small, needs the contact with Oracle that larger organisations and partners have. This can only be done by working together, to form a big enough voice. I also believe that together we can help each other. As a user and partner and having worked in technology and application areas I am able to appreciate the needs of the entire Oracle community.   

In 2008 I was named the Oracle Magazine User Group Evangelist of the Year.   

Candidate:   Alan Marshall    
Technical Project Manager    Wesleyan Assurance Society

Experience using Oracle products:
I have a very in-depth experience of using and implementing all of the vast array of Oracles software.  This includes everything from Oracle database 7 to 11G and Oracle application server 9 to the latest BEA 10. These naturally included the development and implementation of many oracle applications like Workflow, Discoverer, CMSDK, both OSB and ESB and finaly Forms and reports.

My involvement with the Oracle community:
My Career has been built around Oracles technology offerings and as an extremely passionate person, I see it as my responsibility to enable and push improvements through any organisation I am at and this nearly always involves using technology provided by Oracle.  For this reason I always act as an ambassador the Oracle technology offerings and remain as up to date as possible with the technology that they provide and the services that it can deliver. Although as you can accept this is often a full time job in itself.  To this extent I am currently the technical Head of my organisations Internet strategy and my enthusiasm and knowledge off the oracle technology stack has aided and confirmed the decision for us to use the  11g Fusion middleware, as early adopters, to deliver the complete solution.  This will see us utilising all of the stack from OIM for user management, UCM for document management to SOA11g for orchestration and the workflow including both OSB and ESB.

I am a :
 IT Management

Community representation:
Oracle Technology
Oracle Middleware (inc BEA)
IT Management

Board skills:
Easy to approach, with very good communication and team building skills, I am an extremely focused and determined individual that thrives on challenges and improving business processes.    It is a certainty that I will bring enthusiasm and passion to the team, with a desire to learn what I may not know and always help wherever I can.

Improvements I would make to UKOUG:
Mainly to continue the promotional work around the UKOUG that improved massively over the last 12 months and increase the level of interaction we have around Oracle's main organisational changes.  The twitter pages on changes to Oracle support have been a big hit and I would ideally try to improve on that level of interaction.

 

Candidate:   Ronan Miles    
Director ICT Collaboration Platform BTID    BT

Experience using Oracle products:
I am primarily a manager but have strong technical abilities and an understanding of a broad range of Oracle technologies and product.

My involvement with the Oracle community:
Acted as Chairman of the UKOUG for the past 12 year. Currently have roles in the EMEA Oracle User Group Council and the Global 'International Oracle User Group Council'. Historically - held Financial Directorship of the EOUG and owned Pricing & Licensing for the IOUC.  During my tenure as Chair, the number of events has grown circa 5 fold. Number of delegates has grown commensuratly. A significant number of new communities have been welcomed into the UKOUG. UKOUG is now recognised as a world player into Oracle and UKOUG input has been seen to have direct effect upon Oracle action and policy.

I am a :
 End User   
IT Management

Community representation:
Oracle Technology
Oracle Middleware (inc BEA)
IT Management

Board skills:
30+ years experience of IT. 20+ years experience of Oracle. 15+ years experience of the UKOUG and 12+ years of experience of Chairing the Board.

Improvements I would make to UKOUG:
Improve the internal operation of UKOUG and broaden the range of service offerings to cater for the explosive growth in demand that will occur when Oracle completes the Sun acquisition which will bring Java, Solaris / Sun hardware - and probably MySQL also - into the UK Oracle community.

Candidate:   Mark Nation    
WW Programs & Promotions    UC4 Software

Experience using Oracle products:
Apart from using Oracle database and writing some scripts I have relatively limited experience of working with latest Oracle technology. Having said this I have extensive experience of developing and supporting on-line transaction applications working with numerous database systems.

My involvement with the Oracle community:
For the last 10 years I have been involved in supporting numerous Oracle activities, presenting to user groups communities and sponsoring numerous events.

I am a :
Supplier of 3rd party products  

Community representation:
Oracle Technology
Oracle Middleware (inc BEA)
EBusiness Suite
JD Edwards
IT Management

Board skills:
- 30+ years enterprise IT knowledge  - 10 years experience of serving another UK IT user group  - Marketing and commercial skills  - Direct exposure to working with lead vendors including SAP, IBM and Oracle

Improvements I would make to UKOUG:
One improvement I would like to make at UKOUG is to drive new organisations to join the group and also improve retention of existing members. I am continually surprised, when visiting UK clients using Oracle in my day job, to find that they either not aware of UKOUG or are not members. Existing and new members need to be made aware and reminded of the benefits of membership.

Manifesto:
I would like to offer myself to serve as a member of the UKOUG board. With more than 30 years in the enterprise IT market and having previously worked in a management role for another UK user group, I can bring industry experience and market knowledge to the team of board members.    I believe that UKOUG is the one of the best independent IT user groups in the world. It does an outstanding job of supporting a diverse range of member organisations, which is most clearly evidenced through the annual SIG diary along with the annual conferences that are organised. For UKOUG to maintain this leading position it is crucial that the community be capable of embracing change in a fashion that best serves its charter.   

In my current role I work for a software organisation where I have marketing responsibilities. These skills might also be useful in helping guide the user group on commercial and promotional activities. In previous roles I have held a mixture of marketing and IT technical roles. This has allowed me to develop a strong understanding of many technologies, including on-line transactional and database system that are used by most large and medium sized organisations.   

For approximately 10 years I served as secretary to another UK user group, CICS GUIDE. This was an independent community formed to share knowledge around IBM’s flagship OLTP CICS and to support interfaces between the end-user community and IBM. In addition to organising regular events around the UK, this group would be responsible for raising support issues, challenging license policies, submitting enhancement requests and having direct interaction with IBM’s development laboratories. I have also had direct experience of working with other leading vendors including SAP and Oracle.   

 

Candidate:   Anne Power    
E-Business Lead Consultant    Thales Information Systems

Experience using Oracle products:
I have 10 years of using Oracle applications up to 11.5.10 but training in R12

My involvement with the Oracle community:
I have been actively involved with the UKOUG for 12 years, supporting the committee and users within the Supply Chain & Manufacturing SIG for 5 years and a Director for 4 years.

I am a :
 End User Consultant  IT Management

Community representation:
EBusiness Suite
IT Management

Board skills:
An Oracle applications expert but working very closely with the business users to design new processes leading to efficient working practices. Many years in Manufacturing & engineering management allow me to instinctively understand business needs and gain users respect.

Improvements I would make to UKOUG:
To continue the focus on strategy based decisions to add to the service provided to members

Manifesto:
I am committed to the UKOUG. I have been a Director of the UKOUG for the last 4 years with special responsibilities for UKOUG staff HR and supporting the Applications communities. I would like very much to continue my work helping to shape the company for the future through my relationship with the staff, management and fellow Board members to help make new ideas become a reality for the benefit of our members.    I have been a supporter of the UKOUG since 1998 and I promote the UKOUG relentlessly within my company (all business entities I deal with on a regular basis) and within my external customers. Where possible I support the Applications SIG’s to assist them in supporting their own delegates to ensure they reap the benefits of their own memberships and to ensure their concerns and problems are addressed. I also enjoy assisting in any way possible with the running and organization of the Technical & E-Business Suite UKOUG Conference, part of the conference series, chairing many sessions, holding focus groups and hosting the first appearance in 2009 of the Willow Table (a question/answer/problem solving session for the Oracle Applications users)    I am the E-Business Lead Consultant within Thales Security, Solutions & Services, part of the Thales Group, a worldwide business employing 65,000 people in aerospace, training and simulation, communications and high technology products within the civil and defence markets.   

 I am responsible for the Continuing Professional Development Programme for UK E-Business consulting staff providing services to customers in all market segments.  I have a wide experience of international business and of senior management roles within Engineering, Manufacturing and Supply Chain domains. I have been in IT management for 17 years, using Oracle Applications for the last 10 years.    My reputation as an Oracle Applications expert is well appreciated on the national and international stage: I have presented papers at numerous local and regional conferences, including Sydney and Amsterdam.  I have responsibility both for large-scale Oracle e-business implementation programmes and the delivery of complex or high profile projects, currently responsible in the UK for the user training of business processes and system within the Thales Oracle global core solution resulting from the convergence of all Thales divisions in the UK, Holland, Spain and France.       

As I director I bring energy, dedication and knowledge as an active business user and applications expert: As a UKOUG Director the most important attributes I will contribute are absolute enthusiasm for the benefits the UKOUG can bring to all its members and the continued improvement of those, an unending supply of energy and a knowledge of business processes gained through many years working with users both as a customer and supplier.

 

Candidate:   Peter Robson    
Consultant (Technical Database Author, Speaker & Conference Organiser)    British Geological Survey

Experience using Oracle products:
- I have been using a variety of Oracle tools since early 1980's, starting with version 5. Am using current technology today.

My involvement with the Oracle community:
- long-time member and supporter of the UKOUG  - a director since 2003  - served on management committee as membership director  - introduced the Bronze membership scheme  - member of the Scottish UKOUG committee since 2003  - supported several SIGs and UKOUG Conferences as a speaker  - presented at several international user group conferences

I am a :
 End User Consultant   technical author

Community representation:
Oracle Technology
Scottish Users

Board skills:
- Experience of having worked on the Board for several years  - Experieince of having worked closely with the UK and international user community over many years  - Strong analytical and diplomatic skills  - Very experienced public speaker  - Strong written communication skills  - Organisational skills in setting up and running my own database seminars and meetings

Improvements I would make to UKOUG:
Extending the range and type of our user meetings:    As a result of recent Oracle acquisitions, our potential user community continues to grow. But most significantly, this will include parts of the open source community. I want to push forward with additional meetings that will appeal to this community, but without the costs that currently apply to our conventional 'sigs'. We need to explore alternative meeting-types. Proposals that I have already made to the Board along these lines have been positively received, now is the time to put them into action.

 

Candidate:   Graham Spicer    
C E O    SolStonePlus

Experience using Oracle products:
All products sold from the Oracle Technology price list, together with all BI products including EPM, Hyperion and BI Applications

My involvement with the Oracle community:
Presented at SIGS, UKOUG Conferences, other independent conferences, active member of the UKOUG Partner Forum, CEO of SolStonePlus leading supporter and sponsor of UKOUG events since 1996

I am a :
CEO of Value Added Reseller and Consultancy

Community representation:
Oracle Technology
Oracle Middleware (inc BEA)
Hyperion
IT Management

Board skills:
I have owned/managed an Oracle Value Added Reseller and Consultancy company for more than 26 years, and have been involved in the IT Sector, predominantly Business Intelligence, for more than 30 years.  I have a strong, deep, knowledge of many Oracle products. I understand the role the UKOUG has played within the Oracle community since its conception, but more importantly believe that I can help the UKOUG move forward and develop its commercial focus to benefit the changing needs of the community.

Improvements I would make to UKOUG:
I believe, as do many members and partners, that the UKOUG Directors need to change their focus from one of technology to one of commerciality.  The UKOUG SIG Chairs should bring the technology focus that the organisation requires.   I also feel that the UKOUG Board would benefit from my entrepreneurial skills.

Manifesto:
I have worked in the IT sector for more than 30 years and have specialised within the Oracle BI sector since 1995.  I have been a company director, of a wide range of companies - not just IT -, have been a member of the Institute of Directors since 1987, and have been on the board of governors of various schools, colleges and sporting associations, I believe these qualify me to become a director of the UKOUG.  My main involvement within the Oracle community is that of a supplier of Oracle solutions and services.  I have also been a director of companies that use Oracle software.  As a company SolStoneplus has been at the forefront of UKOUG sponsorship for many years.  I can therefore say that I have a deep understanding of all aspects of the Oracle user community.  This understanding of the community and its current and future requirements together with my entrepreneurial skills are two of the assets that I can bring to the Board.  I feel that I have sufficient knowledge and experience to represent any part of the Oracle community, although my present focus would probably be as a partner.