Warwick Manufacturing Group appoints BBC exec to lead Digital Team

Lucy Hooberman, former executive producer and member of the BBC Future Media and Technology Division, will join WMG, an international research and education group at Warwick University. Professor Hooberman will take on the position of Director of Digital Innovation in WMG’s Digital Lab.

WMG is a department within the University that provides solutions to industry, supporting some of the most advanced research, development and training projects in the world. Its main areas of activity include manufacturing, health, digital technology, the built environment and banking. One of its most interesting features is its Digital Laboratory, a £50 million research and knowledge transfer centre, that combines the “WMG’s expertise with that in underpinning sciences including psychology, medicine, computer science and mathematics.” The laboratory, which was opened at the end of July 2008 by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, will also house the digital innovation team lead by Professor Hooberman.

Announcing the new member of the team, Minister Ian Austin commented: “I am very pleased that WMG has been able to attract Lucy to the region. She will be working with Jonnie Turpie, who has been appointed as a Senior Fellow at WMG, to spearhead an exciting new initiative to create an internationally leading ‘Think and Do Tank’ for the West Midlands.”

Professor Hooberman’s task will be to build up a team of industrial and academic specialists that will help the university and WMG become experts in the new area of work. Additionally, she will also work closely with Advantage West Midlands, one of the stakeholders in the Digital Lab.

Talking about her new position, Professor Hooberman commented: “I am very pleased to be joining this leading research and innovation centre at a time when everybody recognises the value of skills from the creative industries and their transferable potential into other sectors of the digital economy. I know there is a very strong digital media base here to build upon” she added.

Zoe Howard, Head of Communications at WMG, told the Boar what the group’s expectations from the collaboration with the BBC executive are: “The use of digital media is beginning to permeate more and more areas of the business world. We expect Professor Hooberman’s work to push the boundaries of what is already being done to increase the benefits to the private and public sector.”