Pete Shannon
Expert in Technology, Media and Telecoms
Contact Pete Shannon
"Right now, the opportunities presented by digital and AI are at an unprecedented high. So too are the associated risks. I love helping clients cut through the uncertainty and deliver a path based on value, always remembering that both the challenge and the solution never starts with the tech... It’s always the people."
At a glance:
Joined Baringa in
2023
Works across
Technology, Media and Telecoms
Surprising fact
At 26 I was a travel writer for Expedia, sent to visit every continent to explore, write articles and give interviews about the top 20 beaches in the world.
In detail:
Pete’s passion for technology was ignited by his hero – his trailblazing dad. In the 1980s the family home contained latest in computing: unboxed magic from Sir Clive Sinclair, Acorn and Amstrad, lots of spiral bound coding books and the use of an early version of the internet pre-http, called Prestel.
With his dad’s help he coded games, discovered early AI (‘Eliza’, anyone?) and, perhaps more importantly, witnessed the joy that happens when real human problems are resolved through the delivery of well-considered systems. In this case, it was his dad deploying the latest tech to enable efficiency for the hospital teams where he worked as a consultant anaesthetist.
During these early days, everything ‘Future’ was positive and exciting. The BBC’s Tomorrow’s World was a weekly ritual for the family. Technological progress was accelerating towards an imagined golden age – better communications and collaboration, more fun and interpersonal connection, and far less burdensome manual work. At that stage Pete was destined to be a studio sound engineer, and every month another milestone was reached in studio recording and production. Heady days indeed.
Fast forward many decades and Pete recognises his privileged viewpoint, having witnessed first-hand the staggering changes brought about by technology through a career spanning a huge variety of tech and creative roles since his early initiation, some changes good… Some less so. He was UX Lead in a dot.com startup in the 1990s, coded java for UK defence in 2000, led tech transformations for 15 years at a big 4 firm and most recently co-founded an AI startup focused on next-gen customer experience.
Pete spearheads AI for TMT at Baringa, working with incredibly capable team to deliver scalable digital solutions for growth and efficiency, aligned to strategic vision and driving sustainable value for our fantastic clients. He enjoys learning in-depth about the real challenges facing his clients, asking the difficult questions and being open and honest in his responses. Pete loves building a proper understanding of client need and going above and beyond, for the long run, to support ongoing client success.
Technology and data are critical enablers for sure… but more importantly, Pete is passionate about championing the approach of putting people first, whether that’s customers, team members or the ultimate users of systems. This people-first approach extends to how he operates with clients and teams – taking great care to foster a spirit of one team pulling in one direction. Appreciation of individuals, respect for individuality and a truly individual and collaborative experience.
Pete lives in Kent with his wonderful wife and two kids who luckily enjoy the great outdoors as much as he does. Running, skiing, sailing are particular passions. Not everything is perfect – he talks too quickly when really fired up, he once jumped out of a plane and his parachute didn’t open and don’t even ask about the time mountain rescue had to get involved in the mountains…
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