Gerard has nearly 15 years' experience in the world of digital media, web and mobile, including international experience in London, New York and Paris building and rolling out global digital products. He is currently CEO of Tech City UK.
Previously in New York, he was head of global marketing for Blackberry World (app, music & video e-store). Prior to this, he was with Nokia in New York, where he led the app store's marketing operations, ran the app strategy and portfolio development team and, most recently, identified and assessed equity investment opportunities for Nokia Growth Partners, Nokia's venture arm, in London.
At Orange in Paris, Gerard was the content division’s group director of strategy and business development, and group head of music and video in London. He was EMEA chapter founder and chair of the Mobile Entertainment Forum. Before his MBA, Gerard’s career began as a new media correspondent and founder of a music promo company in the music business.
Follow Gerard on Twitter @gerardgrech
Listen live at 9am Saturday.
Highlights
I went to do acoustic engineering. I could not find any better course at University that sort of mixed the world of arts and creativity with the world of physics and maths.
When you look at the digital economy it is about 10% of the UKs GDP. That's about a hundred billion pounds.
Technology is now crossing over into much more established industries like education, like housing, like health and it is having a transformative power…
We tend to have a higher propensity to adopt digital products as a country. Not sure why.
One thing that I would say early on for anyone starting a new businesses is to get a mentor. Not one, maybe two or three.
I think you will find that many entrepreneurs and businesses have been to Downing Street to talk about the challenges and opportunities that they see for the digital economy…
One of the things we are very aware of is the need for more talent working in the tech sector.
I love my job, I love going in every day. No two days are the same.
I think it is all about the right equilibrium within your spiritual, mental and physical energy, and sometimes it's challenging.
When I went into the music business it was tough – if you don't have the right people helping you it can be tougher on you than it needs to be.
When we launched the academy, we thought we were targeting 18 to 24 year olds, but actually we have people as young as 15 and as old as 82.