John has been working as an IT professional for over 30 years in various business sectors ranging from the Finance sector, oil petroleum industries, the Film industry and in the legal world. He has been responsible for the implementation of many best practice applications in these diverse industries, as well as creating and managing a software company for the film industry – MovieBase. John worked as the Head of the IT Department of the European Court of Human rights for 20 years and was promoted to his current role as CIO of the Council of Europe in 2017. He has three children, enjoys cycling, the arts, reading, cooking and the company and “craic”[1] of good friends and family.