Ian Hughes

Current

Metaverse Evangelist at IBM
consulting IT specialist at IBM

Education

Leicester Polytechnic

Recommended

57 people have recommended Ian

Connections

270 connections

Industry

Computer Software

Websites

Ian Hughes’s Summary

Ian is a Certified Consulting I/T Specialist with 17 years technical experience in IBM Services, and Hursley Lab and now the CIO office.
A full public cv is here http://feedingedge.co.uk/IanHughesCV2008public.pdf
He is a Metaverse Evangelist leading the way for IBM in the new technology and social revolution caused by Second Life and similar technologies.
There has been massive growth in IBM's presence in the metaverse, and as part of the CIO innovate quick team he is leading the charge.

Client Server ->Web 1.0 Vauxhall,Wimbledon- > Web 2.0, Mashups, blogs, IM's -> Second Life skunkworks -> eightbar external blog -> eightbar Second Life group leaderless and self organizing and viral across corporation, internal wiki -> IBM world innovation jam -> CEO in Second Life with us -> Press work, fortune, business week, bbc etc-> seeing IBM emerging business unit form-> major customers in virtual worlds-> multi million dollar new industry.

Previously in Emerging Technology in Hursley, covering practical delivery, futurology and consulting in many web based arenas. Web 1.0, 2.0.
In the role of Technical Continuity Director for Blue Room in the centres for e-business Innovation. Setting the technical direction of customer e-business solutions. Providing technical leadership to 50 new media programmers, through practical day to day involvement. Ian has been working in interactive media and e-business for a number of years. He has both designed and implemented many key technical solutions for customers as a developer and as a technical leader and architect. Previously to that he has worked on leading edge technical solutions on a variety of platforms, from host based systems to full functional client server developments.

His strengths are a wide range of technical abilities combined with practical working knowledge of real customer projects. Changing the way customers do business through the web and other e-business mediums is core to all his work.

Ian Hughes’s Specialties:

Second Life/MMO/Metaverse/Virtual Worlds
Emerging Technology, Web 2.0, social networking, user generated content, metaverse, virtual worlds, blogs.
Bringing about corporate change, convincing and evangelizing
Avid gamer on all platforms since forever.

Ian Hughes’s Experience

Metaverse Evangelist

IBM

(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; Computer Software industry)

March 2006 — Present (2 years 5 months)

As a metaverse evangelist leading the way through gaining experience and providing though leadership to ensure that the social and technical implications of places like second life are considered.
So far IBM membership and usage of Second Life has gone from 10's to 5,000 in 18 months.
Much of this has been through evangelising, demonstrations, considering the future, writing on blogs internal and external and general being enthusiastic and knowledgable.
The game based technology of Second Life and the metaverse often detracts from the serious message and direction that can be taken.
Explaining and gaining support has led to interesting political conversations too.
consulting IT specialist

IBM

(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; IBM; Computer Software industry)

August 1990 — Present (18 years)