Dr Peter Chadha is a man with a vision, which is to help companies drive change and efficiency through well-structured IT and allied functions using effective and commercially sound technology. In a nutshell, he wants information technology to be easy for people and companies to help their decision-making and drive innovation. Since the last two decades, Peter has donned the hats of an independent technology consultant as well as a commentator. He set up his own consultancy called DrPete Technology Experts and co-authored a book on Google titled ‘Thinking Of...Going Google Apps? Ask the Smart Questions’ in 2013. His company boasts of expert business advice in all aspects of IT including managing IT contracts, software development, cloud consulting, IT infrastructure, IT strategy, IT architecture and many additional areas. One may also come across his name as a featured writer in the specialist IT press as well as the Financial Times and The Daily Telegraph.
In an exclusive interview to Asian Voice, Peter shared that he nurtured a lifelong dream of being an entrepreneur. However, on his father’s insistence to get a doctorate in hard sciences, Peter pursued a PhD in Chemistry at the University College, London, developing computerised targeting of drugs to get through the Blood-Brain-Barrier. The most significant takeaway for Peter from academia was his understanding of how great people such as inventors, innovators and scientists were not wrong or right in their creations or thinking, but rather their work was a function of the tools that were available to them. He understood the importance of context and resources in achieving end goals, which drove his career further. All through this, Peter was mindful of his entrepreneurial dream and knew that his true passion was IT, not chemistry.
For seventeen years after his studies, he further acquired skills and knowledge of the IT industry while working across the sector. He contracted for various companies like Apple, at a time when the company was in the doldrums. Although not trained in an IT degree, Peter learnt on the job and took specialist training to become an expert IT consultant. His commitment paid off and Peter was awarded the IBM Top 50 influencer, as one of the country's leading lights in technology. In 2012 he received the IBBF Award for Leadership through Technology Innovation at The Houses of Parliament.
He now writes extensively as a commentator in the capacity of a strategic technology adviser and management consultant for various organisations such as CloudPro and Tech Radar among others. With the recent General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws, we asked if he thought the nature of specialised personnel for IT is changing and whether we should expect to see an increase in data protection officers across companies. Peter responded, “Companies sometimes have been careless with data. Now they recognise information is a valuable asset whether it for a good use or not”. He pointed out that many companies already have specialised personnel, but with the new laws, they will hopefully become more responsible and transparent and the role of such data protection professionals will become more important. This will benefit everyone in the long run, he added.
Today Peter is an advocate of the blockchain, the technology on which Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies work. By design, a blockchain is resistant to modification of the data, thus rendering cryptocurrencies more transparent and secure. Peter is working with the new tech community to aid blockchain’s establishment in modern world. Once again he is training and currently pursuing a course offered by Oxford University on blockchain strategy.
Peter is not only an immensely active professional but is also committed to the larger cause of community cohesion. He is a part of the British Sikh Association, BSA where he is the Joint Secretary. He is a trustee of the Indian Jewish Association, an inter-faith organisation to establish links between the British Indian and British Jewish communities. He was also a founder of the Rothmund-Thomson Syndrome Foundation in the USA. Peter firmly believes that the opportunity to learn from self-made and industrious people is the most valuable part of his armoury.
