# Mathew Lowry (@mathewlowry.eurosky.social)

Profile: https://sifa.id/p/mathewlowry.eurosky.social
Headline: Proven problem solver, innovating online since 1995. Fractional expert in information architecture, knowledge management, innovation & communications. Founder, MyHub.ai. Building resilient, sovereign social media.
Location: Brussels, Brussels Region, Belgium

## About

I help organisations (EU Institutions, programmes & projects, online media, venture capital funds, start-ups...) with their innovation and communication strategies. In practice, this usually means:
\-  integrating online & offline external communications strategies
\- with internal communications, collaboration & ideation platforms
\- and knowledge management, training and other internal processes
\- coupled with advanced language technologies like LLMs & other semantic analysis, machine translation, etc.

A physicist turned science journalist with a string of firsts and best practices, I still enjoy making the complex simple and relevant to non-specialists. I geek out over content strategy, information architecture, online communities and advanced online tech, and love helping organisations engage with stakeholders.

Finally, I also founded MyHub.ai and am supporting EuroSky Social to develop European sovereignty in social media.

## Experience

- **Media Liaison Officer at IPS Radio & Space Services** (1988 – 1990)
  ‘The Australian Space Weather Agency’ monitors the solar-terrestrial environment and informs those affected (radiocommunications users, geomagnetic surveyors, satellite operators, etc.).
  
  I developed and presented a full-day User Training Course around Australia, designed, wrote and ran tutorials for IPS’ software package, and did standard PR work (radio interviews, press releases, placed articles, etc.).
- **Communication Strategist/Manager, Editor, Problem-solver at Fresh Integral Communications / Cohereal** (2008 – present)
  I design and implement innovative integrated communication, organisational and business strategies for outfits as diverse as the European Commission and startups.
- **Digital Transformation at META Group** (2017 – 2019)
  After developing and integrating META's IT and Communication (internal & external) strategies, setting up both IT and Comm teams and training their Managers, I can now focus on 'Platformitising' the company.
- **Comms & Knowledge Strategist at META Group** (2016 – 2017)
  Developing and implementing an integrated internal and external communication strategy for the META Group. Building up and managing both IT and Comm teams.
- **Online communication strategist at Intrasoft International** (2012 – 2015)
  \- Communications consultancy, change and project management to Intrasoft's clients.
  \- Intrasoft Labs: intengrating an external content marketing strategy with an internal change management programme.
  \- Business development.
- **Online Communication Strategist & Web Department Manager at GOPA-Cartermill** (2008 – 2012)
  \- Took web department from smallest to biggest in company
  \- Won more projects than the business development team in all areas (web, editorial, events, print, campaigns...)
  \- Rejuvenated the company's project portfolio
  \- Project Director, Project Manager, Communication strategist and Editor on strategic projects
  \- Conceived and rolled out company structures, planning & information management systems
  \- Established company as leader in Drupal developments for the European Commission
- **Board member at Blogactiv SPRL** (2008 – 2010)
  While I left EurActiv/Blogactiv in early 2008, I stayed on the BlogActiv board for a couple of years.
- **Director, Blogactiv SPRL & Freelance Consultant at Euractiv** (2007 – 2008)
  I had two roles at Euractiv, the market leader in independent online media focused on EU Affairs.
  
  As Director of Blogactiv SPRL, an autonomous EurActiv subsidiary, I lead the creation of Blogactiv.eu, the first blogging platform focused on EU policies. It went live in November 2007.
  
  As EU Project Director, I won the tender for and ran the Inception Phase of the eParl project (aka PINs), an EU edemocracy platform linking together MPs, MEPs and citizens to discuss EU policy.
- **Online Communication Strategist at European Commission** (2001 – 2007)
  Developed DG Information Society & Media’s overall communication strategy, and managed:
  \- implementation of online communication strategy
  \- the DG's webteam
  \- multiple communications projects, mainly online, three of which are recognised as 'EC best practice'.
- **Manager, Broadband Content & Services Division at Quadtel International** (2000 – 2001)
  Quadtel focused on helping telcos and ISPs roll out broadband access systems for their subscribers.
  
  I created and managed the company's Broadband Content and Software Division, which involved brokering broadband content creators and ISPs; creating and managing alliances; helping clients develop broadband content strategies; and creating online marketing tools.
  
  In December 2000 I was sent to Brussels to open the European office and further develop the content & software portfolio.
- **Web Department and Business Development Manager at European Service Network** (1995 – 1999)
  In 1995 I became responsible for ESN’s Web output in addition to my Managing Editor role (below).
  
  Highlights include:
  \- running a University team to build one of the first database-driven sites by a European public organisation (1995);
  \- launching and managing Web versions of all publications;
  \- recruiting staff and developing freelancer network;
  \- increasing HTML productivity by 530% through XML, Visual Basic and HTML Transit;
  \- strategic consultancies for various DGs;
  \- the Commission's first content management database and 'web first, paper later' communications projects.
- **English Managing Editor, Account Manager at European Service Network** (1991 – 1998)
  I was responsible for all English productions and Account Manager for two of ESN’s biggest clients.
  
  In the process I developed ESN’s English writing resources from one freelance writer and myself to five in-house editors and a network of 30+ regular freelancers across Europe; developed ESN’s production model and project management tools; and managed/Edited several multilingual magazines, press release service, case studies, reports, brochures, multimedia, press trips, etc.

## Education

- **University of Adelaide - BSc (physics)** — BSc (1984 – 1988)

## Skills

- Press Releases
- Innovation
- Marketing Communications
- Communications Management
- Start-ups
- European Union
- Internal Communications
- New Media
- Strategic Communications
- Content Management
- Strategy
- Blogging
- Social Media
- Public Relations
- Project Management
- Information Architecture
- Online Marketing
- Knowledge Management
- CMS
- Crisis Communications
- Integration
- Change Management
- Management
- Business Analysis
- Content Strategy
- Copywriting
- Social Media Marketing
- Organizational Structure
- SEO
- Web Content Management
- Drupal
- Integrated Marketing
- Business Development
- Publications
- Content Marketing
- Semantic Web
- Research funding
- Editing
- Marketing
- Digital Media
- Web Strategy
- Editorial
- Public Affairs
- Corporate Communications
- International Relations
- Web 2.0
- E-commerce
- Digital Transformation
- Team Management

## Certifications

- Google Analytics Essential Training — lynda.com (http://www.lynda.com//Google-Analytics-tutorials/Google-Analytics-Essential-Training/197523-2.html)

## Projects

- **BlogActiv.eu** — http://blogactiv.eu/
  Role: Launch Director, Editor. Launched Blogactiv.eu, the premier blogging platform in the Brussels Bubble.
- **Energy Research Knowledge Centre** — http://energy-research.eu/
  Role: Technical team leader, Information architect, Content strategist, Launch Editor. A Drupal site to underpin the European Research Area in energy research
- helping energy researchers and policy experts to understand Who is doing What in energy research across Europe, what their results are, etc.

Under continuous development: future features will include federated and faceted search, and automated, multilingual semantic analysis of energy research database content from across Europe.
- **Mobile Roaming Website: first example of Data4Policy?**
  Launched in October 2005 to support the EC's case for the Mobile Roaming Regulation, which was to become one of the EC's most popukar "success stories" for the subsequent 12 years and beyond. In an era where 'online support' to a policy initiative consisted of publishing the press release online, the 6-language roaming site allowed Europeans to explore the story and the data themselves.

It allowed users to explore how roaming charges varied for people from each EU country visiting six other countries, while roaming on up to six different mobile operators, both in terms of being called and calling home, pre- and post-paid.

The resulting website traffic crashed EUROPA, which apparently helped win the political argument to push ahead with the Roaming Regulation. We added sms and data in subsequent years.
- **Digital Agenda for Europe** — https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/
  Role: Project manager, Information architect, Launch Editor.

Noteworthy for several reasons:
- first site launched on the European Commission's new Drupal publishing platform, which was being piloted in parallel(!);
- first to integrate legacy repositories (CORDIS, Newsroom) via web services and an integrated taxonomy;
- first to integrate a DG-wide blogging platform into a policy-oriented site;
- first use of automated semantic analysis (OpenCalais) to analyse legacy content via dedicated intranet.
- **Share Europe Online**
  Mapped out social and online media environment in several Member States, examining which platforms are hosting conversations on what policy areas, and who the influencers are. Transferred information to social media outreach experts placed in local offices.
- **EPALE: Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe** — http://ec.europa.eu/epale/
  Role: Inception Manager Steered the inception of yet another online community of practice, but (like SmartCities, below) only the second to succeed despite lacking funding Calls to motivate Members.
- **Strategic Energy Technologies Information System** — http://setis.ec.europa.eu/
  Role: Project manager, Information architect, Content strategist, Launch editor. Plone-powered website to cover the EU's Strategic Energy Technologies Plan. Currently being migrated into Drupal.
- **Energy Research Knowledge Centre (JRC-IET & DG ENER);** — https://setis.ec.europa.eu/energy-research/
  Role: Website team lead, Information architect. The Energy Research Knowledge Centre (ERKC) is the European energy research web portal under the umbrella of the SET-Plan Information System SETIS.
- **First database-driven website by any European public organisation**
  Client: EUREKA (non-EC European research organisation) Site: www.eureka.be (relaunched many times since) Given a research group from the Universite Libre de Bruxelles, we built a site which could do what the EC's equivalent (CORDIS) could not do before 2003: integrate a legacy database with other 'added value' content on their research projects.
- **First "web first, paper later" communications platform for the EC**
  By 2009 I'd finally convinced one of ESN's clients (an EC research programme) to think in terms of managing a website with a 'best of' on paper, rather than publishing a magazine and then putting it on the internet.

More: http://mathew.blogactiv.eu/2009/09/01/building-communities-with-event-in-a-box/
- **European Commission’s first Web2.0 online Community of Interest**
  First iteration of the "Event in a Box" online concept: a website for developing an Community of Practice around an existing annual event, with features (personal profiles, proposals, comments, likes) which would be called "Web2.0" a couple of years later.

Would be re-used scores of times for subsequent events.
- **Smartcities Stakeholder Platform** — http://eu-smartcities.eu/
  Role: Technical team leader, Information architect, Community designer, Launch Editor. Another Drupal-powered community of interest platform, this time for stakeholders interested in smartcities projects and policy. The first EU community to succeed despite lacking funding Calls to motivate Members.
- **ACP-Science & Technology** — http://acp-st.eu/
  Role: Project Manager, Strategist, Editor.

A Programme-oriented online community, built using Drupal, with even less design and editorial budget than Edulink.
- **European Commission’s first cross-silo Thematic Portal, covering the work of 14 DGs**
  Lead the SecGen-approved pilot project to build a thematic portal covering everything the EC did in the Information Society field. Developed an innovative information architecture, content strategy and organisational strategy to bring together an editorial board covering the work of 14 DGs. Led to many lessons learnt in architecting the EC's online presence, as well as the Newsroom application
- the EC's first cross-silo content management system. More: http://mathew.blogactiv.eu/2009/09/06/so-farewell-thematic-portals-on-europa/
- **Edulink site** — http://acp-edulink.eu/
  Role: Project Manager, Strategist, Editor.

One of the Programme-oriented online community sites my team and I built using Drupal. No budget for design, as should be obvious! But a successful community nonetheless.
- **Knowledge4Policy** — https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/home_en
  An EC-wide platform for supporting evidence-informed policymaking, K4P is considered "EUROPA best practice" in knowledge management and synthesis.
- **Courier Magazine & Community** — http://acp-eucourier.info/
  Role: Project Manager, Information Architect. First use of semantic technologies in an EC comms project. Migrated 5 years of magazine and news articles into Drupal, using OpenCalais to assign articles to themes and countries. Results:
- new content interfaces (geographic and thematic)
- 'recommended reading' widget providing cross-links to similar articles between content from different editions, using taxonomy matching.
- **The Newsroom: the EC's first cross-silo content management system**
  Developed for the EC’s first cross-silo, thematic portal, which covered the work of 14 different DGs and so involved cooperation among a decentralised network of around 100 editors and content providers across the EC. We developed Newsroom to help them internally share and externally publish time-dependent content and library items (news, events, funding opps, publications, speeches, videos, etc.). It also distributed them via multiple enewsletters and (another first) RSS and user-customised XML feeds.

By 2005 the Newsroom had already been adopted by other DGs, probably the first time an online tool had been built by a “policy DG” and used elsewhere. By 2015 it was ‘corporatised’ it
- available to the entire EC
- and by 2017 it was being used by almost 2000 EC publishers, publishes into over 60 environments, and manages 600,000 subscribers of over 200 newsletters.

## Publications

- Managing scientific knowledge for policy on the ATmosphere — mathewlowry.leaflet.pub (https://mathewlowry.leaflet.pub/3moaukp6iu22e)
- What is LinkedIn's filter bubble not showing you? — mathewlowry.leaflet.pub (https://mathewlowry.leaflet.pub/3mnz4qm75tk26)
- Atmosphere conference report — mathewlowry.leaflet.pub (https://mathewlowry.leaflet.pub/3mj5qwli7s22l)
- Building energy in Vancouver — mathewlowry.leaflet.pub (https://mathewlowry.leaflet.pub/3mhpmna56pk2b)
- About this newsletter — mathewlowry.leaflet.pub (https://mathewlowry.leaflet.pub/3mhnfwytv322p)
- Powerful communities from simple sites on the Atmosphere — greengale.app (https://greengale.app/mathewlowry.eurosky.social/3mgas3z7jxz22)
- Coopetition in the ATmosphere  

## Languages

- French