Applying for a Board of Directors position
First and Last Name: James Wheatley
Company Name: IQGeo
Current position: Head of Product Management
Company Type: Vendor/Reseller (Products)
Biography:
I have worked in the telecoms industry, specifically the geospatial software business for over 25 years. I am currently Head of Product Management at IQGeo, with responsibility for all aspects of product management relating to the IQGeo solutions portfolio for both telecoms and utility markets, in particular working with our end customers to define our product roadmap. I completed my doctorate in Geographic Information Systems at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK and then went on to work at GE Smallworld. During my time at GE, I worked in a range of roles in the telecommunications business before moving into product management. I managed the Smallworld telecoms portfolio for over 10 years. At IQGeo I have been Head of Product Management since 2022 leading the team with responsibility to define the product roadmap.
Position statement:
I am currently the Head of Product Management at IQGeo. I have worked my entire career, now over 25 years, in the telecoms domain, always working in the geospatial\GIS part of the industry, with a particular focus on physical network inventory. I joined IQGeo two years ago and prior to that I held various roles at GE in the Smallworld business, always focused on the telecoms market. My experience in product management working with customers has provided me with a global view of the telecoms industry from a software perspective, and I see software as a critical aspect for the industry and important to be represented at Board level within the Council. The nature of my role in product management requires me to keep up with a broad range of topics within the telecoms industry, software but hardware also, and constantly evaluate and consider how these changes, both socio-economic and technological, will impact the world of FTTH in Europe. My global role also allows me to see wider trends in the industry and understand how they may apply to the Council’s focused mission in Europe. IQGeo’s recognises the importance of the Council and I have the on-going support of the senior leadership team to dedicate time to being a member of the Board, as Raf Meersman has done in the past four years. I believe that I can make a valuable contribution to the Board by bringing perspective from the software vendor community to the Board level first and foremost but my many years experience with the conference also provides me the opportunity to provide insights into the future of this critical element of the Council’s activities. If successful with my candidacy I look forward to working the board over the next two years to drive forward the Council’s mission to reach full fibre adoption in Europe.
Your past role(s) and activities in the FTTH Council Europe:
I have been engaged with FTTH Council for 10 years now. I first attended the conference in 2015 and have participated in the conference every year since. During that time I have organised and participated in opening day workshops nearly every year with variety of operators and vendors, frequently with my colleagues from Comsof. I have engaged with the D&O committee on and off over that time, particularly regarding the FTTH Handbook which I have contributed too, first time version 4 or 5 and I largely re-wrote the GIS section in the last major release, version 9, from 2021. I have also attended the last 3 General Assemblies to increase my participation and representation at the Council.