Ross Smith: Microsoft Director of Test, Innovation Thought Leader, Technology Keynote Speaker

Ross Smith has been in the software industry for over 20 years, developing and testing software on everything from mainframe systems to handheld devices and PC's. He began his Microsoft career in Product Support in 1991 and has been a Test Lead, Test Manager, and Test Architect. Ross Smith has also been a long-time member of the Test Architect's Group, and has worked on almost every version of Windows and Office since 1995.

Ross Smith is one of the authors of The Practical Guide to Defect Prevention and holds five software patents. Over the last several years, he has nurtured a management innovation initiative called 42projects, aspiring to inject cultural change and "bring buzz to the hallways."

Ross Smith leads the Advisory Council for the Incubation Technical Community Network (TCN). His weekly iNews (Innovation News) and Management iNews -- newsletters go out to 3500 Microsoft employees every week. In 2010, he co-authored two top Think Week papers.

Recently, Ross won an M-Prize from the McKinsey/Management Innovation Exchange (MiX), where he is a "Moonshot Guide" for Take the Work Out of Work.

More About Speaker, Ross Smith. . .
Ross Smith has been a guest-poster on Google's Testing Blog. The London School of Business and the Management Innovation Lab published a case study of 42projects entitled, Game On: Theory Y meets Generation Y. His team's work on productivity games was mentioned in The Economist, and in the recent book Changing the Game: How Video Games are Transforming the Future of Business.

Mr. Smith is experimenting with how gaming can improve productivity among next-generation workers, and the impact of games and social networking tools on management education and requisite skills for new managers.

Ross Smith has been interviewed by the Trusted Advisor, Dr. Dobb's, MSDN, and others, and has spoken recently at the STPCon, "Future of Work" conference, Google's Test Automation Conference in Zurich, Corbis, MIT's Innovation Lab, and more. Recently, he participated in the Great Gamification Debate at the Game Developer's Conference.

Ross Smith is available to speak to your organization exclusively through BigSpeak Speakers Bureau. http://www.bigspeak.com/ross-smith.html

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