Standard Rotation of Chairman Elevates Veteran Digital and Business Transformation Thought Leader to Chair TM Forum’s Board
MORRISTOWN, NJ—March 30, 2016—TM Forum, the global industry association for digital business, today announced that David Pleasance, senior consulting partner at Deloitte and current TM Forum Board director, has been appointed as the organization’s new chairman. David’s term as chairman will begin after the standard two-year term of the Forum’s current chairman, Michael Lawrey, ends in May 2016.
“I would like to thank Michael Lawrey for his leadership during the past two years, and also congratulate him on his numerous accomplishments over his storied communications industry career,” said Peter Sany, president and CEO, TM Forum. “During Michael’s two-year term as chairman, he was instrumental in increasing Board engagement, driving the restructuring of our Board governance model, implementing a new Board committee structure, and accelerating our cross-industry go-to-market strategy.”
“I am very pleased to be handing over the chairmanship to David as my two-year rotation comes to an end,” continues Michael Lawrey, chairman, TM Forum. “David’s diverse industry and leadership experience will greatly benefit the Forum and our members, and I very much look forward to continuing to serve as a TM Forum Board director.”
As a TM Forum Board director and current head of the Forum’s Strategy Committee, David has been an active contributor, thought leader and sponsor of the Forum. Working closely with the CEO and the senior leadership team, he has contributed to shaping the Forum’s vision and strategy. His vast personal network, exposure to Deloitte’s global consulting capabilities and involvement with other external boards gives him valuable perspectives that will continue to benefit the Forum’s overall future direction.
“It is with great pleasure that I welcome David Pleasance as the Forum’s new chairman,” continues Peter Sany. “As traditional operators race to transform into true digital service providers, they are increasingly playing a key enablement role for other industries and sectors – including the public sector and city governments, insurance, healthcare, automotive and so on – to facilitate their digital transformation and take advantage of the numerous business opportunities that emerging, and converging, new digital ecosystems present. David’s leadership, vision and cross-industry experience align very well with Forum’s strategy to drive digital transformation and business growth for our members who are increasingly operating across multiple industries and ecosystems.”
“I am honored to be appointed as TM Forum’s new chairman, and would like to thank Michael for his great service to the Forum,” said David Pleasance, future chairman, TM Forum. “Companies across all industry verticals must adapt and transform to compete in the digital economy. The collaborative, member-driven programs provided by TM Forum, which result in rapid prototyping of new digital technologies and business models, are changing how companies of all shapes and sizes innovate and operate. The Forum is a truly remarkable organization, and as chairman, I’m excited to help shape our strategy and direction to deliver tremendous value to our expanding base of members.”
Chairman Biography
David Pleasance is a senior consulting partner at Deloitte where he oversees the client relationships of a number of the firm’s recognized global accounts. He has over thirty years of international experience working across a number of industries including energy, financial services, industrial and process manufacturing, life sciences, healthcare and biotechnology.
David has architected business strategies and led enterprise transformation programs for numerous corporate and private equity clients focused on strengthening competitive positioning through the creative application of IT and digital technology, leveraging core technologies into ancillary markets and accelerating business expansion. He is currently working with clients to implement game-changing strategies for competing in the rapidly changing digital world and developing “digital ecosystems.” David has successfully developed innovative “joint venture” arrangements for partnering with clients in the marketplace to accelerate revenue growth and enhance profitability. Additionally, he has applied creative commercial arrangements which tie professional remuneration to project and business performance outcomes thereby ensuring goal alignment with client management.
Prior to entering the consulting arena, David spent many years with Imperial Chemical Industries where he held a variety of senior management positions in Canada, the U.S. and the London head office. In his last role at ICI, he was the CFO of the Chemicals and Polymers division based in the U.S.
A frequent and highly sought-after thought leader and speaker, David has Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Chemical Engineering (BASc) and an MBA, both from the University of Toronto, and he is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA – Canada). He also attended the Executive Management Program at Harvard Business School. David is a director on several external boards including TM Forum.
About TM Forum
TM Forum is the global industry association for digital business, connecting talented individuals, leading companies, and diverse ecosystems to accelerate our members’ successful digital business transformation. The collective experience and interests of our member community – comprised of tens-of-thousands of professionals within 900+ market-leading global enterprises, service providers and technology suppliers that together account for trillions of dollars in annual revenues – drives everything we do, from thought-provoking research and publications, to practical guidance, collaboration programs, tools and best practices, hands-on events, and training for business and IT leaders.
Through three key programs – Agile Business and IT, Open Digital Ecosystem, and Customer Centricity – we provide an open platform for our members to connect and collaborate with individuals and groups from around the world to solve key challenges and rapidly innovate to deliver and monetize new services, improve business agility, partner for success, reduce cost and risk, and enhance customer value and loyalty. To accelerate your R&D and join our digital journey as a valued member and collaborator, please visit www.tmforum.org.
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