Michael Astell
An engineer who was always interested in the management side of industry. Involved in setting up a new venture for Alstom and implementing a ‘best practice’ systems with British Rail that are still in use nearly a decade on. Mike is proud of his track record and the knowledge that he has had a personal impact on a business and ‘made a difference’.
- Mike is Operations Manager for Shell, responsible for an area of the North Sea, with a budget of £70m and 250 staff producing 60,000 barrels a day
- He joined Shell immediately after the MBA and initially worked as a Corporate Strategist. A year later he made the transition back into an operational role.
- Mike is also a non-executive director of Acrobot, a small technology company specialising in award winning robotic technologies
- Mike was responsible for introducing a ‘best practice’ system for British Rail in the mid-nineties that is still hailed as such10 years on
- Mike was involved in the setting up of the services division of Alstom, including contracts for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and Jubilee Line and project managing the implementation of the very successful Northern Line PFI contract for London Underground.
- Mike felt that an MBA would change people’s perceptions of him as an engineer into an industrialist
- Mike’s SMF sponsored MBA provided him with a broader range of skills and allowed him to be influential in global business decisions
Topics for comment:
•innovation
x‘start-up’ experience
•business funding
xe-commerce
•international business development
xwomen in business
•creative career development
Industry spokesperson – oil & gas exploration + skills which are transferable to other industries
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