Professor Mike Smith has joined Z/Yen Limited, the dynamic, fast-growing risk/reward management specialist. Mike is one of the new breed of academics who choose to combine a prestigious academic career with a high-powered business career. Mike's academic speciality is computer science applied to health care and safety/confidentiality of computer systems; he remains Keele University's Professor of Health Informatics on a part-time basis. Mike's business specialities are information technology management and strategic planning. In addition to degrees to PhD level and membership of several professional bodies, he is a Chartered and a European Engineer.

Z/Yen Director, Michael Mainelli says "we are exceptionally pleased that Mike has joined us and see his continued university link as a bonus. We have a dynamic, lateral-thinking risk/reward practice with a significant intellectual content. People like Mike can make an important contribution to our already exceptional quality, diversity and breadth. Anyway, Mike's no ivory tower dreamer; he had a serious, full-time business career long before he was ever a professor."

Mike says "the opportunity to pursue serious business and academic careers simultaneously is extremely unusual. Not many organisations are able to understand the outstanding benefits that this kind of arrangement can give nor are they able to cope with it organisationally. Z/Yen is just the kind of company who could think up "most-of-a-post" and its people have the sort of skills, experience and confidence that you would expect from this imaginative set up. Z/Yen clients are already benefiting from my having `a foot in both camps' and I benefit from the support of my new colleagues, a facilitative management structure and routine use of the Z/Yen risk/reward methodology. I look forward to the day when all academics in my field will be expected to be experienced businessmen as well as good researchers."

For further information please contact Michael Mainelli or Mike Smith on (020) 7562-9562