David Brunnen, Founder and Managing Editor, Groupe Intellex, pictured here with Dr Arno Penzias (right) at a Parliamentary Information Technology Committee gathering in the House of Lords following Arno's lecture on technology evolution.

As a pioneer for e-mail in the pre-PC 70's David Brunnen initiated Telecom Gold - the UK's first nationwide and international e-mail service. In the 1980's his new ventures for BT included an advanced serviced office business, Network Nine, an audio-conferencing service, Rendezvous, and EDI*Net following the acquisition of Tymnet in 1989.  He was founder and Commodore of the BT Offshore Sailing Club and instigated the Teamwork programme for the Fastnet races in 87, 89, 91 and 93. This programme led to BT's sponsorship of the BT Global Challenge with Global Teamwork and Team Spirit.

As a Council Member of the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee (PITCOM) from 1989 to 1998, Honorary Fellow of BT's MBA faculty (1992), and Non-Executive Director at The British Library (1991-93), his formal and informal influence on the growth of e-commerce has extended well beyond BT with the formation of his own company (Groupe Intellex) and as visiting lecturer, conference presenter and contributor to many journals.

In 1992 he launched the annual UK awards for innovations in e-commerce in order to produce case study material to assist potential users (and suppliers) in identifying significant business developments using combinative technologies. This awards programme evolved to become eBusiness Innovations and, in 2001, comprised three international programmes. Its success has led to many invitations to write and speak on topics such as Business Development, Knowledge Management, Supply Chain Management, eBusiness strategy and Collaborative Advantage.  His knowledge of and track record in eBusiness marketing, channel management, web-enabled customer and supplier community management is widely appreciated.

In recent times he has designed the Groupe Intellex publications brand for business development of innovative enterprises and has undertaken major consultancy assignments in aspects of broadband services.  As a speaker, presenter and media commentator, his on-stage appearances at conferences and exhibitions in Europe and North America are well recognised for their clarity and good humour. As a journalist he has been instrumental in establishing Groupe Intellex as an e-publication and now serves as Managing Editor.

He has served as the Communication Management Association’s UK Forum Leader for Networked Services and was winner of the 2004 CMA Innovation award for the radical network design at the Northern Ireland Science Park (NISP). He contributes to the work of the UK Broadband Stakeholders Group and is a member of the CMA's regulatory College.  He was a founding member of the Strategy Board for the Uk's ScienceWise Programme, served as a Business Governor and Vice-Chairman for Eastleigh College of Further Education from 2003 to 2011 and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.  

Since 2003 much of his Groupe Intellex work has focused on the development of major economic drivers for Northern Ireland including the creation of the European Connected Health Campus - a Community Interest Company where he served until November 2009 as Executive Director alongside Eoin Lambkin. 

His current interests include the Belfast deployment of innovative mobile broadband technologies for Personal Broadband, the development of an Open Access fibre network for Titanic Quarter and the definition of plans for an international media campus.  In 2010 his projects included support for a major European study of innovative models for disease prevention and a contributing editorship role for the UN Broadband Commission's report 'A Platform for Progress'. In 2011, in association with Marit Hendriks, he has supported the development of the NextGen series of events and a market education initiative 'Community Study Tours'. He currently serves as Policy Partner for BroadwayPartners LLP.

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See also 'Why NI?'