Hot Seat: Joe Little

Joe Little is a senior consultant specialising in emerging technologies in the chief technology office at oil giant BP

What was your first job?
Systems analyst for BAE. My first big project was a document management system for the space platform using DB2.

How did you get into the IT profession?
I have a computing science degree and felt I needed a couple of years doing IT for a real business before becoming an academic. That was 22 years ago. With the pace, challenge and sheer fun in the industry, I have never looked back.

Which IT qualifications/courses have proved most useful to you, or would you be interested in achieving?
My degree stands out, as it has provided me with a broad appreciation of many technical areas. I would also say my year doing MBA studies really helped me apply that knowledge more effectively in the real world.
Which web sites do you have bookmarked at work?
Right now TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), Virtual Worlds News, Wikinomics,
Wonderland (Alice Taylor’s blog), The Obvious? (Euan Semple’s blog), Ypulse and KillerStartups.

Which technology has had the biggest impact on your working life?
The BlackBerry has helped make my working life easier, but without discipline it can also easily
take over your life.

What current projects are you most excited about?
I am currently evangelising and facilitating the use of 3D virtual environments to create value in the enterprise. While people may be focused on the entertainment aspects of virtual worlds and games engines today, the field is developing rapidly, and at BP we see a wide variety of potential uses in training, collaboration, business process rehearsal, marketing and other areas.