MARTIN SYKES
Business Change Leader. Executive coach. Chief Architect. Author. Speaker.
INTRODUCTION
I am the Business Systems Architect at Redgate Software.
An experienced consultant and coach
While at Microsoft I worked with a great team to develop the materials used by the Microsoft Services strategy & architecture consultants around the world, provided the training, and acted as the coach to many EAs around EMEA. At Cambridge Assessment I continued to build the coaching approach into my working style until finally taking a year to formally learn how to be a coach and completing the ILM level 7 Certificate in Executive Coaching and Mentoring.
Technology strategist, enterprise architect & business change leader
I started my working life with a Computing degree and after ten years of leading software development in embedded systems, image processing, and robotics I became the Chief Architect at Glaxo Wellcome Research. At the same time I completed an MBA and began a transition into Strategy and Enterprise Architecture. That was 20 years ago. Along the way I spent time as a tutor for the strategy module on a Technology MBA programme, a leader in the Microsoft Services consulting business for Enterprise Strategy & Architecture teams, and a regular speaker at conferences on the how to be successful as an Enterprise Architect. In 2021 I’ll be at the annual Enterprise Architecture Conference Europe held in London in October, as the conference chair.
A storyteller and trainer on visual storytelling techniques
When I first became an EA one of the skills I quickly found I was missing was the ability to communicate effectively to senior management teams and people impacted by change. Over time I learnt the techniques of storytelling and visual design which eventually came together in an approach I regularly delivered in training courses, and eventually captured in the book “Stories That Move Mountains” published in 2012. The book has been translated into French, Turkish, Italian, Dutch, Russian, and Chinese, with the materials continuing to develop into a repeatable technique to create Visual Story Maps to accelerate change programs.
Bringing it all together
I am now focused on the work at Redgate, with occasional conference presentations, and coaching purely for worthy causes. If you have a need, and you think I could help, please get in touch.
To connect professionally please use LinkedIn.
“ It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be. ”