CLOE: Strategy to Reality

David Parlby

David Parlby has spent most of his working life as a management consultant, primarily with KPMG Consulting where he was a partner until 2002.

By background an economist and management scientist, David initially specialised in the field of decision support, helping clients harness the use of IT to improve their approach to decision making through the use of computer-based models. David soon acquired a reputation for "making things happen" and became increasingly involved in a wider range of consulting engagements involving strategic business reviews, large scale system implementations and programme management. This in turn led to David ultimately being appointed Solution Leader for KPMG Consulting which involved the development and marketing of new service offerings such as knowledge management and eLearning.

David has worked at the most senior level of organisations such as National Power, British Rail, Debenhams, Pfizer, Boots, Wates, Unilever, Billiton, BP and Vodafone both in the UK and in Europe.

He moved to Devon from Surrey in 2003 where he is engaged in a variety of activities including consultancy in programme management, he is a non-executive director of a specialist financial modelling consultancy, he leads the consortium which bought the Ring of Bells Inn in North Bovey, Moretonhampstead and is a Trustee of two charities.

Prior to KPMG, David worked as an Operational Research analyst at Standard Telephones and Cables, part of the ITT group, and in BP International's Corporate Planning function. In both organisations David used a variety of management science techniques designed to improve operational effectiveness in the areas of product planning, marketing, IT, finance, manufacturing and distribution.

David has been a regular speaker at seminars and conferences in the UK and Europe on the topics of operational research, knowledge management, eLearning and decision support. He has played an active role in the running of the Operational Research Society, having served as a member of a variety of committees and the National Council.

David was educated in the UK at Oundle, the University of Bristol (BSc (Hons) in Economics with Statistics), and Hatfield Polytechnic (post-graduate diploma in Operational Research).

His personal interests include all sports – he is currently active I in golf, rugby fives and tennis – classical guitar, cookery (for which he has obtained a Cordon Bleu qualification from the Tante Marie School of Cookery), gardening, Sudoku and walking on Dartmoor.