About me
Who I am
Independent consultant, technologist and lifelong problem solver — and someone who writes about rather more than work.
A little about me
Who I am
I'm Chris Cooper. I've spent more than two decades working on complex change — mostly the kind that involves both organisations and technology, and almost always the kind where the hard part turns out to be people rather than systems.
These days I work independently. That suits me: it keeps the work close to the problem, and it means I can be straight with clients about what will and will not help.
Professional background
My work has covered strategy and operating models, digital and technology-enabled transformation, programme leadership, process improvement and — increasingly — data, automation and AI.
The common thread is translation: between what an executive team wants, what the technology can actually do, and what the people doing the work will realistically adopt.
How I work
I start by understanding the problem properly, which usually takes longer than anyone would like and saves a great deal of time later. I prefer small amounts of clear thinking to large amounts of documentation.
I'd rather tell you something inconvenient early than agreeable and late. Most stalled programmes I have seen were not short of effort — they were short of someone willing to name the actual problem.
Life outside work
Outside work I'm increasingly drawn to adventure, fitness, wellbeing and personal challenges — the experiences that shape how we think and live. Cycling takes up a good deal of that at the moment, though I am deliberately keeping the definition of adventure broad.
Family, health and the long game matter more to me now than they did at thirty. Some of what I write here is simply me working that out in public.
What I write about
The four threads
Four themes, which between them cover most of what I care about.
Life
Personal reflections, family, wellbeing, fitness, lessons and experiences.
Adventure
Challenges, travel, cycling, exploration, events and experiences outside the everyday.
Consulting
Strategy, transformation, leadership, delivery and lessons from more than twenty years of consulting.
Technology
Digital transformation, AI, automation, systems, innovation and how technology changes organisations and lives.