Matthew Bacon is a founding director of ARK e-management Limited, which is both a management consultancy and technology development company specialising in the discipline of information management. ARK was founded on the belief that in the digital world of today, businesses need to rethink how they manage their information asset. It was founded on the belief too, that they rarely have the knowledge and technological understanding to do this. It is in this market that ARK is developing its business.

Matthew has a wide background in Construction and Technology. Originally trained as an architect, he was a director of an international architectural practice for many years, before joining BAA in 1995. At BAA he was part of the core team that developed the BAA Project Process. Whilst at BAA he represented the business on a number of important research projects, many of which were carried out in collaboration with the University of Salford. In 2000 he formed ARK e-management Limited with his business partner Lionel Prodgers (now Chairman of Euro FM).

Matthew was on the UK main board of the International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI) for a number of years until he left to establish ARK. In 1996, he took part on the DTI overseas technical mission to Japan to study innovative working practices in leading Japanese businesses. In 1999 he was appointed by Tekes to carry out the Interim Assessment of the VERA construction technology programme in Finland. Matthew has addressed many conferences around the world, and indeed it was after making a keynote address at an FM conference in Australia in 1998 that he met Lionel Prodgers.

Matthew's passion in process innovation, and technology deploying neutral standards, such as the IFC's, XML and Java, has enabled the SCPM to tap into the latest leading edge thinking in these areas. He supports the Masters in Construction IT programme, and worked closely with University on the Process Protocol project. He is very keen to see the new Research Centre innovate in the way that it uses its technology and information to improve accessibility and dissemination of its research information.