Our team of specialists holds decades of accumulated experience providing support in the areas of strategic planning, business and economic analysis, network architecture, and project implementation. Our senior consultants are:
Michael Curri
Founder and President
Michael Curri founded Strategic Network Group (SNG) in 1998 driven by his passionate belief in the power of broadband to transform lives, business competitiveness, and community vitality. As CEO he leads a team of experienced specialists on a wide range of economic development initiatives to get the most out of broadband investments.
With a vision to revitalize communities and regions through the effective use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), he has consulted as an economist and strategic analyst for public and private sector clients globally for over a decade. His guiding philosophy is that technology is only as good as how it is used, and that broadband used properly can have transformative impacts.
Based on actionable economic analysis, Michael and the SNG team have pioneered successful strategies for maximizing socio-economic benefits from investments in ICT and broadband within communities and regions. SNG’s contributions have had a major influence on broadband initiatives across the globe including North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Ontario, Canada, Norway, India, and Australia.
His work has been described “ground-breaking” on more than one occasion. His efforts in demonstrating how broadband utilization can impact business, communities, and regions – as well as his strategies to drive utilization – have significantly contributed to the effectiveness of broadband investments. Government at all levels and major consulting firms have cited his studies that prove broadband investments stimulate economic development generate significant returns to GDP – often over 10 times the investment.
Michael received his Honours B.Sc. in Economics and Political Science from Dalhousie University and a Masters in Economics from the University of Waterloo. His unique and deep broadband expertise makes him in high demand as a regular speaker at broadband conferences and workshops internationally. He has taught Management Information Systems and System Analysis at St. Lawrence College in Canada. Mr Curri is bilingual in English and German and highly proficient in Italian and French.
Gary Dunmore
VP, Operations
Gary Dunmore is an electrical engineer and business analyst with over 20 years experience in the telecommunications industry and a proven track record in helping service providers define new business opportunities for service deployment. He has proven leadership skills in project planning, team management and project management developing successful business cases for a wide variety of telecom and internet operators across North America.
Since 1994, Mr. Dunmore has worked on telecommunications services and service deployment planning with telecom service providers. For a variety of clients, from established incumbent providers to new start-up operators, he has developed project plans, written proposals, mobilized internal and external resources and engaged clients to develop practical solutions for new service deployment with a focus on business goals and vision. To assist decision-making, he has helped clients identify new opportunities for growth, market and revenue potential; develop the best solution for their network; and construct solid business cases and risk analysis for investment decisions.
Gary’s background includes diverse experience with a full range of roles in telecommunications industry bringing a rich breadth of knowledge to his business analysis. In addition to technical expertise, he has helped clients fully leverage telecommunications networks by addressing both the hard-side (technology, service definition, operations costs) and soft-side (end-user awareness, learning, marketing) of introducing new technologies and products into network infrastructure. Prior to joining Strategic Networks Group, Mr. Dunmore spent over 20 years with Nortel Networks in Ottawa and Toronto.
Mr. Dunmore has experience in voice telecommunications networks and emerging IP-based services in North America and international markets. He has an Electrical Engineering degree from the University of British Columbia.
Derek Murphy
VP, Project Delivery
Derek Murphy has over thirty years in community and economic development. A specialist in community processes, Derek has extensive experience in facilitation and strategic planning at the community and organizational levels. Derek also provides training in governance and has sat on or chaired a number of Boards, including one crown corporation.
Derek has lived and worked in rural British Columbia for the last 16 years, with the last 12 years focused on initiatives promoting economic diversification and innovation, especially through development of telecommunications solutions. Derek has chaired a regional organization of over 30 municipalities and communities that collaborated on broadband infrastructure, services and institutional capacity. Derek has assisted in the development and implementation of broadband proposals.
As a resident and consultant in a rural region, Derek has developed a broad range of experience, specializing in the development of community indicators and benchmarks, social planning and affordable housing. Prior to becoming a consultant, Derek was a senior manager in the non-profit sector, managing the development and delivery of a range of social, economic and health programs.
Derek has postgraduate training in economic development and community planning, with a Masters from Carleton University and a BA from McGill University.
Doug Adams
VP, Communications
Doug Adams oversees SNG’s Communications efforts, which includes serving as the editor for our monthly Bandwidth newsletter. He also heads up projects that involve building a business case for businesses through extensive outreach and marketing.
Located in Cleveland, Ohio, Doug joins SNG after serving as Director of Marketing for OneCommunity and the Knight Center of Digital Excellence. He oversaw strategy and execution of marketing, communications, public relations and brand initiatives – taking the Knight Center from idea to national thought leader in 18 months.
Doug has a long track record of success developing marketing strategies and positioning for entrepreneurial organizations in a variety of industries, including technology, market research, and publishing. Previously, Doug developed online strategies for GIE Media, established go-to-market strategies and products for now industry-leading online market research firm InsightExpress, and developed marketing solutions for products and services mired in an inability to fully communicate their value and compete in the marketplace.
Doug received his M.B.A. in marketing from the University of Connecticut and holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from DePauw University, where he was awarded the Most Outstanding Radio Documentary in the State of Indiana (1990) by the Associated Press.
Thomas McGuire
VP, SNG Solutions, Inc.
Thomas McGuire, M.A. (Econ.), is a management consultant and Associate of Strategic Networks Group specializing in economic analysis, public sector program analysis and evaluation, and socio-economic impact studies. Thomas has worked on diverse projects spanning sectors in health, environment, port management, labor economics, publishing, waste management, textiles, fisheries, tourism, pharmaceutical, education, heavy industry, manufacturing, petroleum, broadband and ICT, business service, and transportation. With nearly ten years of private and public sector consulting experience, Thomas is skilled in program evaluation, survey design and analysis, primary research, public consultation, statistical software applications and analysis, and impact modeling.
Thomas has a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in economics from Dalhousie University where he concentrated in labor economics. As a consultant, Mr. McGuire brings his insightful and analytical skills to both research and project manager assignments. He has worked on a number of feasibility and economic impact studies for various tourism projects; executed several studies related to port and harbor development; managed a study of transportation needs in southwestern Nova Scotia; assessed opportunities from oil and gas exploration of the potential for an aluminum plant in Nova Scotia; assessed the economic impact of developing IT infrastructure for water utility infrastructure management in Matamoros, Mexico and Juarez, Mexico; contributed to a feasibility analysis of a proposed hazardous waste treatment facility to be located in Rajasthan, India and another in Indore, India; and conducted specialized economic studies for a wide range of clients.
Thomas has a strong background in economic analysis, has prepared many economic impact assessments and is experienced in cost-benefit and input-output analysis, willingness to pay analysis, and other standard economic techniques. In addition, he is experienced in the design, analysis, and presentation of quantitative data from surveys and other sources. Recent projects have included a recreational need assessment for DND that involved the determination of revenues based on willingness to pay criteria under a number of alternative scenarios.
Thibaud Chatel
Information Economics
Thibaud Chatel is a information economics specialist with a strong background in economic development and strategic planning for businesses and communities. He is an experienced project manager with survey design and deployment, economic analysis, public policy analysis and evaluation, and socio-economic impact study projects, proving leadership skills in project planning and team management. From both professional and private experiences, Thibaud has developed a strong capacity in working with stakeholders concerns, regularly hosting presentations of SNG tools and findings.
Prior to joining Strategic Networks Group, Thibaud has worked on information and communication technology (ICT) issues. In 2009, he managed for the European energy market leader EDF’s R&D department, a study on the impact of ICT on companies, showing how these technologies improve and enhance collaboration between employees and better manage solutions in daily operations to help companies to make more informed decisions. Thibaud was also part of EDF’s pioneer initiative in term of collective intelligence solution “Hermès”, which mixes information management, business intelligence and social network, bringing his insights and analytical skills in the platform development process.
In addition to his Master’s Degree in Geo-economy and Strategic Intelligence, Thibaud Chatel also holds a Master’s in History. Thibaud is fluent in English and French.
Eric Ogle
Policy Planning
Eric is a policy researcher and planner with noteworthy experience in local and regional economic and community development. Since 1997 Eric has worked with local, state, and federal government organizations on a range of technology-oriented research, planning, marketing, and economic development initiatives.
Prior to joining Strategic Networks Group, Eric spent nine years at the University of Tennessee with the Howard H. Baker Center for Public Policy, where he served in a unique capacity to help fulfill the university’s mission of research, outreach, and education. Eric regularly facilitates decision-making processes and strategic planning efforts in communities that focus on local asset-based development around broadband diffusion and utilization.
Eric has a BS in Business Administration and a MS in Urban and Regional Planning, both from the University of Tennessee.
Joanna Taylor
Telecommunications Competition and Regulation
Joanna Taylor has more than twenty years experience in the telecommunications industry, primarily with BT Global Services, the international division of British Telecommunications, where, until the end of 2010 she was VP, Global Competition and Regulation. Addressing the linkages between communications networks and economic growth so as to influence the regulatory and legislative environment in which operators offer communication services was a key part of that role. Her experience spans Europe and North America as well as the emerging markets of Asia Pacific and Latin America. She has a robust appreciation of the commercial realities facing businesses and not for profit organizations as she started her career working in finance.
Joanna is based in the United Kingdom and has a keen interest in the ability of broadband and other information communications technologies to support world class economic activities from rural locations.
Joanna is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountant in England and Wales and has an MA (Cantab) in Economics from the University of Cambridge.
John Deridder
Telecommunications Economics
John Deridder is an economist working from Sydney. He has over 25 years experience in the telecommunications industry. He is recognized internationally as an experienced telecommunications economist with expertise in broadband, pricing and regulation.
John’s eighteen year career at Telstra in Australia put him at the cutting edge of developments such as universal service costing and the evolution of competition and regulation. He was its chief economist, director of strategic studies and in his final role at Telstra he was responsible for pricing wholesale broadband access and data products. He led the USO costing team, provided internal advice on key regulatory issues and developed a business case for mobile resale.
Since leaving Telstra in 2002, John has provided advice on telecommunications, economics, pricing and regulation to private corporations, regulators and governments in Australia and overseas. His econometric study for the OECD on broadband take-up was relied on in the Berkman (Harvard) Centre report to the FCC on US broadband policy. He was a key player in a major utility’s bid to help develop Australia’s National Broadband Network.
Before joining Telstra, John held various positions in Australia and the UK. In Australia he worked as the economist for ICI and as the research manager for IBIS Consulting. In London, he worked for Shell International as an economist and for DRI-McGraw Hill both as a macro-economic forecaster and as a marketer.
John did doctoral research (uncompleted) at Cambridge University (UK) and has a BA (Hons) in Social Science from the Middlesex Polytechnic (UK). He has written many journal articles and opinion pieces on broadband policy, pricing and regulation.
James Nice
Community Engagement / Smart Energy
Jim Nice has extensive experience with broadband projects and engaging community stakeholder groups to achieve success.
Over ten years of experience in the broadband/wireless/internet business combines with a long history in energy management, building automation, with a focus on Demand Side Management and Demand Response, technology training and adoption to bring a unique vision and perspective to the field of interoperability and collaboration.
As Community Program Manager for the Knight Center, (an internationally recognized non-profit creating sustainable community and regional hybrid broadband networks) Jim managed discovery, design, and deployment of infrastructure, applications and programs focused on engaging a full range of stakeholders in use of and value of broadband connectivity.
Prior to joining the Knight Center of Digital Excellence staff, Jim’s consulting firm, Imaginetworks, was also engaged in Channel Development for ClearMesh Networks, an innovative Infra-red mesh product out of IdeaLab in Pasadena, CA. Imaginetworks’ business development responsibility for NeoReach/Kite Networks regions east of the Mississippi, included all project management, coordination, execution of contracts, subcontracts, teaming agreements, NDAs, consulting, and other contractual agreements.
When You Come to a Fork in the Road with Your Broadband Network… Take It.
When data is not the information you need
Survey of Illinois Households Examines Broadband Usage, Benefits, Barriers
Broadband Illinois releases SNG reports
SNG at work in Illinois : High-Speed Internet Key for Job Creation, Economic Development In Illinois
SNG research in 3 states reveals that more than 1 in 5 new jobs (22.4%) is directly attributed to broadband and the use of e-solutions.
