Veteran technology editor Andrew Birmingham has joined Mi3 to lead our coverage of tech and data trends and developments with a marketing, media and customer focus. 

Birmingham was a former Associate Publisher and General Manager, Channel Development, at the Financial Review Group, Editor-in-Chief of Computerworld and founded IDG Life Science Group among a host of editorial and publishing roles. He founded Which-50, the market leading digital transformation publisher, before selling in 2020. He joins from Next Media where he was Group Managing Editor across titles including iTnews, CRN and Digital Nation.

He will lead Mi3’s tech coverage as the mandate for convergence across media, CX, ecom, martech and brand and performance marketing gathers pace – in CX terms, it’s called “a single view”.

He joins the small and expanding Mi3 team of senior editors. In November we unveiled where Mi3 is headed – in essence to reflect and contribute to the convergence we speak of that’s underway across the multiple industry sectors Mi3 covers. 

“Three of the most powerful drivers of innovation of the last two decades have largely reached their final plateau of the innovation S curve; mobile computing, social media and software as a service," said Birmingham. "But just as they level out as growth drivers industry leaders like Chiefmartech's Scott Brinker say there are three, or arguably four new waves coming in behind them with artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, software composability, and Web3.

"These new innovations will fundamentally change the relationship brands have with their customers and consumers. Mi3’s audience will be in the front line of these changes, and while it’s hard to imagine after the last few years of pandemic-fuelled change, the disruptions and transformation of the next decade will eclipse those of the last.”

Birmingham is a cracking appointment for Mi3 and expect more senior editor announcements in coming months - experienced industry operatives like Birmingham ensure considered and challenging content remains at the core of Mi3’s coverage.    

Here's our take on what we see underway across our four key industry verticals of Marketing, Tech, Media and Agencies & Consulting:    

• The marketer’s agenda is stretching from advertising and communications to IT, martech, customer, CX, product and business impact (what real marketing should be). 
• Advertising and media is meshing with martech and customer experience. 
• Splintering audiences across different channels are forcing a global move by blue chip brands for single source cross-media measurement and even disruption in econometrics
• The crossover of remits between consulting groups and traditional agency networks is blurring once untouchable strongholds.
• Privacy, individual data and tracking is no longer the domain of policy wonks and lawyers – legislation and competition reviews will affect everyone from CMO though to creative, adtech, personalisation, CX and search specialists.
• In short, industry professionals have to be at their best in their function but increasingly carry broader vision on how their roles plug into and impact other parts of marketing, customer and ultimately business results.

Birmingham landed last week and the happy hustle is in full swing. He can be reached at andrew@mi-3.com.au