PMFORUM Breaking News

David Shannon, Oxford alumni and APM Fellow in the UK, has been named an International Correspondent for PMForum and PM World Today. David is also Managing Director of Oxford Project Management Ltd., a UK-based project management advisory and consulting firm. David has a Natural Sciences degree and Master of Arts degree from Oxford University (Oriel College), and a Diploma in Accountancy and Finance from the Association of Certified Accountants in the UK.

David Shannon is a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultancy, Honorary Fellow of the Association for Project Management (APM), Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Member of the Institute of Directors, Member of the British Quality Foundation, and is certified as a Meyers Briggs PTI Practitioner and as a Design Quality Indicator Facilitator. He is a lifetime member of the Oxford Business Alumni.

David has over 40 years of projects-related and management experience. Since 1987 he has led Oxford Project Management, completing more than 100 independent assignments for such blue chip companies as AEA, BBC, BSI, DflD, LUL, RBS and the World Bank. From 1985 to 1987, David was on the staff of the World Bank as internal management consultant, providing advice and support in various sectors and countries. He previously spent 11 years of successful consulting in PA Management Consultants Projects Division across UK private and public sectors and internationally. From 1964 to 1973, he was involved in civil engineering design and consulting in urban housing, urban renewal, transport and nuclear power.

Some of his more interesting and illustrative experiences have included:

• Led 16 assignments for the British Standards Institute (BSI), including the programme for cross-sectoral roll-out of the world’s first environmental management systems standard;


• Chaired Steering Committee on UK national competence standard in project management;


• Improved efficiency of World Bank HQ Operational Programme Offices;


• Introduced process controls including new project management handbook to RBS leasing subsidiary;


• Lectured and published articles and guides on Project Auditing and on Governance of Project Management;


• Led investment programme review and reorientation for National and Regional Broadcasting in the BBC;


• Led major change programme in Housing and Technical Services Department of Greater London Council, included organisation, methods, systems and training;


• Managed programme of infrastructure renewal for Saudi Arabia’s central bank;



• Mentored programme directors and project managers for several clients;


• Programme managed the introduction of quality control systems to ISO 9001 in Chief Engineer’s Group in London Underground;


• Promoted and sold project and programme management software;


• Provided project quality assurance across range of client projects;


• Team leader for major change programmes in Government departments clarifying vision, mission and then implementing strategic and short term plans, including organisation, manning, technical and financial controls in Abu Dhabi, Botswana, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Mauritius;


• Trained project management professionals in oil industry and other sectors;


• Trained senior BBC managers in Project and Programme Direction;


• Facilitated design quality review of RB Kingston-upon-Thames boy’s school

He has worked on projects in Abu Dhabi, Botswana, Croatia, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Iraq, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, the USA and throughout the UK.

A long time member of the APM, David has been Branch Chairman (Thames Valley Branch), Director, Deputy Chairman, Head of Professional Board, SIG Coordinator and Interim Chief Executive; he has also been intimately involved in developing APM’s Guidance on Governance of Project Management. He has published papers and made presentations at numerous academic and professional conferences and in journals, and taught numerous project management courses. David’s key areas of practice are related to change management, governance, organisational development, project and programme management, and use of the Meyers Briggs PTI.

London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom (UK). An important settlement for nearly two millennia, London is an international centre for global finance, business, politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion and the arts. It is considered one of the world’s major global cities. London is also one of the largest and most populated cities in Europe. The city is an international transport hub and popular tourist destination.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, usually shortened to the United Kingdom, UK or Britain, is a country located off the northwest coast of mainland Europe. The UK is a political union of the four constituent countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK also has several overseas territories and dependences.

A constitutional monarchy, the UK has close relationships with 15 other “commonwealth realms” that share the same monarchy, Queen Elizabeth II, as head of state. A member of the G8, the UK is a highly developed country with the fourth largest domestic product in the world

With a population of 60 million, it is the third most populous country in the European Union and is a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the United Nations (UN), where it holds a permanent seat on the Security Council. The UK is also one of the world’s major nuclear powers and has an economy of approximately US$1.8 trillion. As the successor state to the British Empire, the UK retains influence throughout the world due to the extensive use of the English language, as well as through the world-spanning Commonwealth of Nations, which is ceremoniously led by the UK. (London and UK facts courtesy of Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org.

Needless to say, London and the UK are the source of many programmes and projects, both in the UK and worldwide. The Association of Project Management (APM) in the UK has been one of the world’s leading professional associations for advancing project management for over 30 years and is currently seeking Chartered status.

David Shannon is based in London and can be contacted at David.Shannon@opmg.co.uk.

Established in 1995, www.pmforum.org was the world’s first website devoted to professional project management and continues to be one of the world’s most popular sources of project management news and information. PMForum also produces the monthly PM World Today eJournal where articles, papers, stories and viewpoints by leading PM authorities from around the world can be found; free subscriptions are available at www.pmworldtoday.net. PMForum’s global network of correspondents provides news and information from around the world of project management. More information can be found at http://www.pmforum.org/pm%20forum%20team/index.htm#5.