Graham Whitehead joined the British Post Office in 1968 as a Post Office University Student.

He spent 12 months, before attending university, in all parts of the business from the chairman's office to the deepest, muddiest hole in the ground. He graduated from Leeds University in 1972 with a BSc honours degree in Mechanical Engineering.

He joined the BT Laboratories after graduation and has worked a wide variety of disciplines, such as mechanical connections and structures, optical transmission systems, the packaging and cabling of optical fibres, hydrospace engineering. He was production manager of the optical received project which designed and manufactured the receivers used in the TAT-8, PTAT and NPC trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific submarine systems. For the latter he was awarded the Queen's Award for Technology in 1990.

In 1989 he moved to the USA on secondment to Du Pont as the production manager and co-ordinator for the manufacture of the optical amplifiers and tuneable narrow linewidth lasers which were part of product portfolio of BT&D, a joint venture of the two companies.

In 1990 he returned to the BT Labs and was appointed manager of the Business Systems Group which investigates the modelling of business structures and their mutual interactions.

IN 1992v he became BT's Advanced Concept Manager. Over the last few years he has specialised in presenting the work of the BT Labs to both consumers and other parts of BT. He delivers more than 300 presentations every year, and has produced a series of video tapes. He delivers more than 300 presentations every year, and has produced a series of video tapes. He also contributes to many journals, newspapers, radio and TV programmes.

In 1999 he became BT's Principal Consultant looking at the future of telecomms and IT.