Biographies

Something of who and what we are

Martin G Penny

I am currently interested in, and hence working on, the issues surrounding IS delivery of business benefit. My tagline for this is 'Information-Led Change for Business Benefit'. I am a founder member of the Unisys European Centre of Excellence for Organisational Change. (As well as benefit-led change we focus on the linkages between business and IS using an integrated team of technologists, business and process specialists and mangement consultants.). A particular area of interest for me is the relationship of government and the governed and I created and edited our response to the UK government's white paper, government.direct on electronic government. This inevitably leads to a focus on people and not bits & bytes - though I can still remember enough to understand most of the new stuff! I keep my musical hand in by deputising at various London churches with professional choirs (mostly playing and directing - my tenor is very rusty), teaching (which guarantees that I practice to keep up), appearances as accompanist and soloist on a variety of keyboard instruments and making outrageous arrangements for brass and organ. I have recently been 'conned' into digging out my violin but its not a pretty sound!

I began studying the piano at the age of four and the organ from the age of eight when I joined a church choir, later singing in Bristol Cathedral. I studied for several years with Conrad Eden at Durham Cathedral before entering Exeter College, Oxford as a Choral Exhibitioner and later Director of Chapel Music, where I continued musical studies with John Webster and Walter Hillsman.

I spent a year between school (Sir William Turner's, Coatham) & Oxford working in Mathematical Research (at ICI) using tape-based scientific computers (Elliott 803, 903 & 4130 and an early PDP/11) building mathematical models. These were either predictive or (more often) retrospective to try and understand what had happened. It seemed great fun so I took all the numerical analysis and computing options I could, scraping an MA in Maths (Choral Maths according to a misprint in the Oxford Journal) and immediately (I needed the dosh) joined Unisys (well Old-Burroughs) in 1974.

Since then I have had a variety of jobs in the UK and overseas gradually transitioning from applications to deep technical stuff to management and on to consulting on the 'people' side which has been my focus for the last 15 years. As well as a grounding in applications programming and design I gained experience of the technical infrastructures, supporting Operating Systems and Compilers across Europe. I spent three years globe-trotting and having a great time learning about different working cultures as well as the idiosyncracies of some of our systems. In between I held organist jobs at a number of churches in London and the Home Counties. Somehow I managed to meet and marry Mary (yes in a church choir) who still puts up with me despite my spending time on things like this.(Part of the honeymoon was spent writing the majority of keyboard entries for the Hamlyn Dictionary of Music). I then 'settled down' and got the Organisation Development bug in a big way - I was fortunate enough to be one of a number of managers who got a thorough indoctrination in the early 80's - and it has had hold of me ever since. Along the way I've picked up a smattering of knowledge about retail financial services, the public sector and the issues in customer service as well.

Somewhere along the line I also got involved in issues of social justice and now invest time in a variety of activities both to deliver and to highten awareness. I am a member of the St Albans Diocesan Board for Social Responsibility and am particularly keen on self help initiatives.

Mary Penny

Mary (a natural redhead) works as Henpen Music full time performing (as mezzo or pianist), accompanying and teaching. She also runs various music groups at our local church and is becoming expert at arranging and rescoring music for the ever improving (until they leave) skills of the young instrumentalists. In between she is an expert gardener, superb chef and avid consumer of good black & white movies. She also finds time to help devise the liturgy for the various family services we hold round the parish each month and to be a member of the stewardship committee.

She studied piano privately and made her debut in Rio Grande at the age of sixteen. After study at the RCM and in the USA an accident ended her playing career (trapped nerves in the left hand). Whilst training as a teacher she discovered she had a voice and began proper training. She has sung opera, oratorio and much chamber and solo music in the UK, Europe and the USA as well as for the BBC. She has appeared in several theatrical productions and stage-managed opera in the USA.

Mary is the sole 'employee' and Martin gets to do bits and pieces (like the accounts - aargh!) in the spare moments between everything else (more of this above). In support of Henpen we have accumulated two Bechstein Grands, both dating from 1908 and both in rosewood (and both now lovingly restored - it beats holidays as a way to blow cash!). We also have a Bechstein Model 9 upright (in Henry Ford black) and a clavichord (dating from 1966 and made in best marine ply - albeit with a teak veneer). All of these instruments are beautifully maintained by Kevin Brice.There are plans for a small mechanical action practice organ built by Peter Collins - long hankered for and finally possible due to a creative approach to 'batch building' which brings the price down to that of a (largish) family car. (There will be a link if/when I get it).

Last revision: 18/10/97

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