WIREDGOV

The President of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, Michael S K Grant FBCS, has been awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Technology by Solent University.

Mr Grant yesterday said:

“It has amazed me that I have been awarded this and it is a huge honour. I wasn’t given the honorary degree for my IT skills per se, but for a lifetime of working within the IT industries and it’s lovely to receive recognition for this work.”

After becoming involved with the field of technology through his work with the flight simulation industry, Mr Grant spent 25 years working in a variety of international marketing and corporate communications senior roles at IT companies including Gateway, Lotus Development and Commodore.

He previously lived in the USA, Australia and Ireland and founded his own pan-European IT headhunting company. As well as being the President of BCS, Mr Grant works as an Associate Director of Harvey Nash, a world-leading IT service and recruitment organisation.

Paul Fletcher, Group CEO of The Chartered Institute for IT welcomed the news and yesterday said:

“BCS is all about promoting professionalism across all aspects of the digital industries and we are so pleased that Michael’s contribution has been recognised.

“In addition, because we also champion the importance of computer science education, and its benefits, it is fantastic that he has been given this honorary degree of Doctor of Technology by Solent University, which is doing so much to teach the digital workforce of the future.”  

Alongside his work in IT and computing, Mr Grant does a huge amount within the education sector and supports several charities, becoming one of the four founding trustees of the Starlight Children’s Foundation in his twenties. He was a founding trustee of the IT / New Media Hammersmith Academy and is currently a trustee for the Chichester University Academy Trust and its fourteen schools.

A member of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists for 23 years, and Past Master, he currently sits on the Court of the Company, assisting with their education and employment programme, arranging mentoring schemes for schools and for service men and women.

Mr Grant is a keen supporter of the university, and will this year be working with Solent students on a project to commemorate 50 years of the internet.

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