Peter Thomson

Peter Thomson is Director of The Future Work Forum at Henley Management College.

Prior to Henley, he worked for Digital Equipment for 18 years, most spent as HR Director for the UK and Northern Europe.

Peter founded the Forum in 1992 as a unique centre of expertise in the development of working practices and has amassed a wealth of knowledge on this subject. For the last decade he has been observing the evolution of work and has studied the impact on people and organisations. During this time over 150 leading academics, experts and practitioners have been brought to Henley by Peter to participate in Future Work Forum events. He is currently directing a major research programme into Tomorrow's Work, funded by Microsoft.

As an expert on the future of work, Peter has in-depth knowledge of how technology is changing our working lives and how this can both improve and threaten work-life balance. He challenges our current assumptions about work and points to a new view of working in the 21st century. His presentations help managers to realise that there are many different ways of getting work done and that they will have to adapt their management practices if they want to attract and retain the best people in future.

As well as running the Future Work Forum, Peter Thomson is a director of Wisework Ltd, a leading consultancy specialising in Flexible working and Work-life Balance. Before he established the Forum he worked for Digital Equipment for 18 years, most spent as the Director of Personnel for the UK and Northern Europe. He has also been a Director of the UK Telework Platform, Vice Chairman of the DTI's Telework Special Interest Group and a member of the Editorial Board for Flexible Working Magazine. As an active member of the CIPD Peter is a regular keynote speaker to HR audiences and is always thought-provoking as well as entertaining.