More Senior Than The Average Consultant
Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
Every country seems to have its own digital signage characters; you know the type perhaps – in and out of jobs every 12 – 18 months, turning up as a consultant now and then before getting another crack at a permanent job often only to return to consulting when that doesn’t work out.
Help!... It's the Hair Bear Bunch!
His LinkedIn profile now shows him as Consultant at Screenred Ltd (Consultancy practice) which we believe is his own business and not the John Ryan supposed spin-off ScreenRed but in this industry who the hell knows if John Ryan would hire someone back who left them a dozen or so years ago.
Mike’s past as shown (and not shown) on LinkedIn…
- General Manager at CRI Europe Ltd
- Senior Manager, Solutions Marketing at Sony Professional Solutions
- Vice President, International at Carlipa Systems
- VP Sales, Scala EMEA (not shown)
- VP Sales, John Ryan (not shown)
Someone else who came across our radar screen recently, first when he emailed to ask for that obligatory ‘cup-of-coffee-catch-up’; that usually means …
- “I am out of work (or about to be out of work) and I need your help”
- “I need to tell you something, I am hoping you will be nice to me”
- I need some free consultancy
… and secondly when folks started asking (us) after him, was Chris Frampton.
LinkedIn now lists him as Interim Managing Director at PHChannel.com Ltd
We first met Chris when he was Head of Sales at Hughes Network Systems LLC – a job (a) working for Teutonic Germans and (b) ‘selling’ that he seemed most unsuited for after a longish period of dot-com entrepreneurship. After only eighteen months with them saw a move to Dynamax Technologies Limited, (a job opening we told him about as it happened) and to be fair as Director, Sales and Marketing and then during Dynamax’s heyday a move sideways to Director of International Business Development and Marketing saw him stay with the company for almost two and a half years.
Next it was onto Red Bee Media (formerly BBC Broadcast) again in a business development role (Director New Business) and we remember at the time with what glee he told his former colleagues at Dynamax about his fat expense account and six figure salary. Well that gig didn’t last long at all – 1 year 5 months according to LinkedIn but if you count notice periods etc. surely it was actually just over a year if that?
On the Chartered Institute for IT web site, Claire Hain from interim management recruitment specialists, Praxis is quoted as saying “The latest addition to this list of temporary personnel is the interim manager, whose profile in IT has risen greatly over the past decade … With their wealth of experience, interims have played an increasing role in developing and maintaining systems in both the public and private sectors, in organisations ranging from charities to hedge funds”
She continues “More senior a position than the average consultant, and more involved in the organisation’s goals and aspirations than a consultant, the interim is rewarded accordingly”.
With folks like this touting their experience around the market there is only one thing we can say, repeat after me “Heaven help us all!”
September 18th, 2010 at 11:15 @510
Well done in exposing the ‘Fabian Factor’. The HR term for this type of individual is ‘ speaks very well dressed’. As an industry member with a lot of practical experience, over 8 years, I was for a while on the receiving of Mr. Fabians abilities. They centred on an innate talent for ‘shafting’ anyone he saw as a threat mainly by being saccharine sweet to your face but engaging in a constant form of backstabbing and character destruction. If only he had attempted to do any of his many jobs instead of doing others down with a frightening regularity. There are plenty of people in the digital signage business who have experienced this inanity first hand. Fact is he doesn’t possess the common sense or ability that God gave to a goose.
There are a few more of his ilk about. Keep up the great work in exposing the hype.
September 18th, 2010 at 12:30 @563
MF is an absolute irrelevance, a dinosaur. Writing about him only serves to give him oxygen and free publicity.
September 19th, 2010 at 00:09 @048
I think that it is a little unfair to kick a guy when he is down. Although not having worked directly with Mike, I have spoken to him many times and he is an entertaining enough guy. Any resume with a series of 18 month engagements is a red flag to the hiring company and the bearer has to deal with the consequences. Everyone has to eat and eventually deeds catch up with you. I wouldn’t assume that bridges have been burned, sometimes it’s just a matter of fit or timing.
This is a young industry in need of professional talent. There are a lot of weak people in the industry selling fiction (themselves or their products) but eventually the market will determine the winners. In the mean time, we should celebrate the contributors who advance the industry and let the market take care of the rest.
September 19th, 2010 at 08:13 @384
The digital signage business is not about entertainment with Mike Fabian or kicking him whilst he is down. He is the serial author of his own misfortune time and time again. You reap what you sow.
September 19th, 2010 at 09:44 @447
Jeff, Fabian has been preying on CEOs such as you for a dozen or so years. He’s not down, in fact you might get a call from him now asking for a job.
September 19th, 2010 at 09:58 @457
Pablo, so correct in what you say. This ‘man’ has a teflon coating when it comes to bluster and bravado. He was asked to pursue his career elsewhere by John Ryan, Scala, Carlipa Group ,,, CRI
If Mr. Omnivex (Jeff) wants to have a poser come and do nothing for his company, then he has an ideal candidate in that ‘man’. And a question, surely he is almost at retirement age by now?
September 19th, 2010 at 10:32 @481
Seriously are you not running the huge risk of having your pants sued off you for such offensive allegations? Man, they are so detrimental to this dudes career and self esteem. And can they all be true? Mikey boy gets more coverage here than any other company except Mrs Christie and her Microtiles and they rock in a major way. I feel sorry that he doesn’t exercise his right of reply to explain himself and defend his reputation. It must be an interesting defence to all the mud slinging the poor lamb attracts.
I met him once and thought he was a jovial Brit , so well spoken, very clued in to his market. Can it be the same man you are pasting now? Unfair Editor, darned unfair.
September 20th, 2010 at 11:19 @513
Herr Fritz is too right!
September 20th, 2010 at 13:42 @612
Herr Fritz might have been mistaken in describing ‘you know who’ as a lamb. More like a wolf in sheeps clothing.
September 21st, 2010 at 17:21 @764
I hate to say it, but there has been a hell of a lot of reporting on Christie’s Micro Tiles…and honestly…they aren’t all that innovative.
September 24th, 2010 at 16:47 @741
Astonishing! I can not see anything professional in this and it reflects so badly on the Blogg, it’s editor in chief and this small group of nameless people posting their two penneth worth.
I am so sad that Digital Signage as in industry has such a tacky element in it. I am sure we do not know all the details or facts and surely we can not make such judgements.
If you do not have the conviction to state your name, then you should be ashamed of yourselves, the shame is on you……..
Your
Anna Kroll
Frankfurt.
October 15th, 2010 at 20:14 @885
Madame you exhibit naivety and clumsiness in your inept and silly comments.
My name is the name given to me by my family and in honour. How dare you imply we use pseudonyms. I’m sad our industry has people as myopic as you. Many people know of the FFF or Fooking Fabian Factor, obviously your travels and experience are limited to whiffing the BS of that Englander fool. The shame is on you for being so intellectually challenged and clown like. Stay in Frankfurt, please. Thanks to Allah the middle east would never give you a visa.
October 15th, 2010 at 20:56 @914
Truth is Mike is a c u next Thursday and if the lady wants my story and name, no problem. A complete dickhead and no hiding that. Frau Fritz beware, achtung!
October 15th, 2010 at 21:02 @918
The worms will turn and shit on Mike, eating his rotten flesh. Well deserved, his Marks and Spencers suits and ill fitting brain dispel the myth of competence portrayed on his bearded face.Fired from every job he ever managed to worm into through nefarious tunnelling and wounding others.
A prick without equal anywhere, Mike was, now to be a burger flipper or KFC broaster. Editor, your balls of teflon allowed his exposure and demystification.
October 18th, 2010 at 09:38 @443
Lay off him, a lot of the postings are vile and exceptionally personalised. Much as I find Fabian irritating, he has a character too. Don’t strip him of everything, after all he did build up Scala in many ways.
October 20th, 2010 at 13:28 @602
Give Fabian a break! Yep he is unsavoury but the degree of offence directed at him is way over the top.
October 20th, 2010 at 18:17 @803
Mr.Fabian invited these comments by constant game playing with others persons, reputations and characters. The responses posted are not so nice and should have been toned down. He is the author of his own misfortune. I recall the way he swanned around Dubai some years ago dispensing advise to all and sundry.His greatest achievement on that visit was to alienate most of his clients. Luckily he had his photograph taken beside a Lamborghini, making him feel very proud.
October 23rd, 2010 at 16:28 @728
Skating on thin ice with all these comments.Mike is one of the finest professionals in the digital signage business. His success attracts jealousy. Very simple really.
October 25th, 2010 at 07:05 @337
Not even a donkey would take the beatings Mike is taking. There are sanctuaries for donkeys but seemingly none for Mike. In fairness he did rub up a lot of colleagues in the wrong way stirring a hornets nest. Can the matter not rest for the sake of his reputation and family? Alternatively could Mike be given sanctuary with the other slightly older donkeys?
Either way, let up!
October 25th, 2010 at 15:33 @689
Mike is an ass not a donkey and an ass needs kicking. Long enough he was braying!
October 25th, 2010 at 18:43 @821
Wise up editor. Fabian is posting the positive comments and some of the more benign ones. He is out looking for a new job, sniffing around HP, Cisco, Samsung. Bets on how long he will last in the next posting.
October 27th, 2010 at 18:01 @792
Onanist, need any more be said or written?