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Randy
Fisher
"Mr.
Network-tivity"
President & CEO
iCentro Corporation / Networks
A
Consummate Facilitator, Natural Coach & Relationship-Builder
As the President
& CEO of iCentro
Corporation / Networks, he
coaches business professionals and organizations to build
and facilitate Networks of trusted contacts and relationships to
help clients achieve their desired goals.
The
BC Power Peer Network for the alternative energy industry is
an excellent example. Network-tivity!
is our unique series of public workshops.
These roles
goes back to his earliest days as Director of Communications at the renowned Ottawa-based Public
Policy Forum where Collaboration Gurus Shelly Ehrenworth and Geoff Poapst
demonstrated first-hand the importance of dialogue and the power
of 'win-win' partnerships.
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Randy
has 15+ years of experience in
strategic marketing and communications.
This includes 6 years in business and leadership coaching and career
management. |
Randy is
a strategic thinker,
with an ability to build consensus and make things happen.
Highly personable, he can initiate dialogue with just about
anyone (meeting Internet pioneer Dan
Fine is a great story). Over his career, he has made
hundreds of connections, and facilitated several
marriages too!
Randy began his career as a business journalist
for The Financial Post, The Globe and Mail, CBC Radio, where he honed his research, interviewing and
writing skills.
A Talented
Communicator
Early on, he realized that he was able to " translate" technical
jargon into compelling human interest stories. Moreover, he was
able to do so with the respect of technical professionals -- engineers,
scientists and IT/technical pros.
From
1992-99, RF.communications in
Ottawa & Vancouver provided business writing, marketing /
market research and communications services for diverse
high tech and public sector
clients such as Canada Post, Minto
Developments (real estate), Bell-Northern Research / Nortel
Networks, PRECARN,
the National Research Council,
and the House of Commons.
In 2001, the Washington Software
Alliance sought
his talents to interview top Washington execs for a high tech bible:
Cracking the New E-conomy: Business Tools for the
Entrepreneur was a best-seller.
High
Tech Strategy & Marketing
An Exciting Career Change
A special
projects writer for the Canadian
Advanced Technology Association in Ottawa, Randy went to New
Brunswick to report on the province's economic transformation
(1993). His research and interviews culminated in several ideas
for strategic planning consulting and entrepreneurial ventures.
Soon after,
Randy became an Associate Consultant with Branham
Group. He continued building relationships with business and
government stakeholders in New Brunswick and Ottawa, and co-led
strategic planning and market research projects for clients such
as the Telecommunications
Research Institute of Ontario (now OCRI);
SkyPark Miramichi (Canadian Forces Base - Chatham, NB); and the
New Brunswick Department of Advanced Education and Labour.
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Randy
enhanced his skills in project management, strategic
planning, market research and community economic
development and in conducting public consultations. |
The New Brunswick projects identified
and qualified 50+ strategic partners and helped develop a
business case and economic development strategy for:
- attracting public
sector investment and knowledge-based businesses to the
region;
- building leadership and
community capacity;
- leveraging valuable
economic assets and clusters (i.e., e-learning, retirement);
- creating jobs through a
new institute for e-learning.
Eager to complete the
transition from journalist / writer to high tech strategist and
marketer, he pursued industry training as a Certified
Advanced Technology Manager (CATM), originally developed for
high tech managers and engineers from Newbridge Networks &
accredited by the Canadian Advanced Technology Association (now CATA
Alliance).
Shortly thereafter, a chance meeting
Jim Dangerfield, VP, Forintek Canada
led to challenging marketing / PR work for a Forintek technology
spin-off: The Athena
Sustainable Materials Institute. This project involved
building stakeholder support for $250K in investor funding; and
conducting market research regarding the purchase behavior of
architects and building product manufacturers in Canada and the
US. A related market research project focused on developing The
1st Annual Survey & Database of Canada's
Top 100 Forest Technology Companies.
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Randy
has
a gift for creating dialogue, identifying hidden
opportunities and facilitating workplace relationships. |
At Multiactive
Technologies, Randy consulted with a 20-member product group
to help them 'gel' as a team, learn interpersonal communication
skills, and improve their performance.
He was affectionately
tagged "Uncle Randy", after designing and
facilitating a series of training and coaching sessions for a
young, diverse group of software and web
engineers. The ecBuilder Team led by Geoffrey Hansen stayed
intact for an amazing 3 years, and won a coveted SIIA
Codie award for Best Internet Commerce Software (1999).
As of 2007, he has just
finished a contract with Jewish Family Service Agency of
Vancouver, BC., serving as Employment Counsellor &
Coordinator, JobMatch Services. While working at JFSA, he
secured another contract, working as Program Coordinator at The
Commonwealth of Learning - Commonwealth
Executive MBA / MPA Programmes. He is responsible for
coordinating a consortia
of open universities in Asia, Africa and the South Pacific.
iCentro™
The Centre for Talent, Resources and Opportunity
In 1999 Randy co-founded iCentro Corporation with IBM software
engineer/business analyst Casey
Ward. iCentro's founders were united in their belief of human
potential and creativity. A bootstrap firm, it developed innovative
business models and programs for HR recruitment and increasing
on-the-job performance.
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Building
Networks & Trusted Relationships |
In 2003
Randy worked with Alex Laks, former Associate Dean, Open
Learning Agency and
Patrick Trottier, Facilitation Plus to design and deliver Leadership
& Relationship Competency Programs and Process Consulting
Services using The
iCentro Method POWER Network System™.
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iCentro
Networks is a next-generation relationship program that
embeds The iCentro Method with our Strategic
Action Networks methodology to build Communities of
Shared Interests' and high-performing and sustainable
networks. |
Education
& Training
Randy is currently enrolled in BC's
Provincial Instructor Diploma
/ Train-The-Trainer Program (practicum remaining), as well as a Counselling Skills
Certificate program from Vancouver Community College. He has degrees in Journalism
(King's) and Political Science (McGill). He
received training in group dynamics and facilitation and holds certifications as
an advanced technology manager; The Birkman Method, and the
Myers-Briggs Type Inventory and Strong Interest Inventory.
Community
Service
Giving
back to the community is important to Randy. He is on the
steering committee of
the Vancouver
Downtown Jewish Community Project and is working with famous
Turkish TV Host & Actress Leyla Tekul to host Simcha
Live! ~ Vancouver's upscale Jewish Coffee House. He is the Job Match
Coordinator (part-time) for Jewish
Family Service Agency in Vancouver, BC., and is currently
organizing a monthly breakfast networking event for Vancouver's
Jewish Professionals ~ Nosh
n' Network!
He was also the
host/organizer for Vancouver's Executives
on Auction ~ a unique online auction that raised money for
20+ charities by auctioning off quality time with business execs and VIPs.
He
enjoys hiking, biking, walking, camping, traveling and
photography, singing, listening to CBC Radio; NPR/ KPLU
jazz/blues; Car Talk and This American Life; and meeting interesting people.
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