We asked you who were your mentors and gurus in the IT service and support industry, and you responded. Now, we present to you our list of the top thought leaders who helped us navigate a turbulent year and a changing landscape.
Recently, we asked for your help in identifying the people in the technical support and service management industry who you turn to for guidance. These industry experts challenge us to provide better service and support for our customers, elevate our businesses, implement leading edge technology, and improve processes so all our stakeholders can benefit.
You helped us identify those who have influenced you the most and helped you advance your career. We tabulated and curated your votes, and are pleased to present the Top 25 Thought Leaders in Technical Support and Service Management for 2020. We included links to the social media accounts of each influencer, and we recommend you give them a follow:
Alma Miller – LinkedIn
“A thoughtful author who is very giving in sharing her knowledge.”
Barclay Ray – @barclayrae
“Barclay has been and continues to be one of the leaders in service management. He was one of the architects of ITIL 4. He consults globally, providing practical, common-sense advice, while being able to facilitate organizations to be more visionary, focusing on customers.
Ben Brennan – @why
“Thought provoker and willing to think outside the box to influence IT Leaders.”
Carlos Casanova – @CarlosCasanova
“A great advisor for anyone in this field.”
David Cannon – @itilso
“David needs no introduction – a prolific author who knows ITIL 3 and 4.”
Greg Sanker – @gtsanker
“I also follow him on Twitter. He’s good at challenging the status quo.”
Johann Botha – @JHBotha_getIT
“Johann is a prolific author and this year has been working on the ADapT model, helping to bring Agile to life for ITSM practitioners.”
Juan Torres – @HelpdeskManager
“A thoughtful person who really connects the dots in this field.”
Julie Mohr – @JulieMohr
“Julie is and has been for years my go-to expert in IT Support Operations and Service Management. Julie’s curiosity and passion about IT support never stops.”
Karen Ferris – @Karen_Ferris
“Karen is the person you turn to when researching Organizational Change Management and motivating people.”
Leslie O’Flahavan – @LeslieO
“Her focus on technical support and communication of service related topics should provide at least an honorary mention for her contribution to simplifying communication, which is a key component of service management.”
Mauricio Corona – @MauricioCorona
“Dr. Corona, aka Dr. ITIL, was the first person I ever meet who has studied ITIL academically. He was one of the ITIL 4 architects, is probably the best known service management consultant in Latin and South America. He is now focusing on AI and robotics, which is a topic that few are addressing in service management.”
Nancy Louisnord – @NancyVElsacker
“She is an honest, tenacious and courageous leader in the ITSM market who believes in core values to get the job done.”
Patti Blackstaffe – @PatBlackstaffe
“Really passionate and focused on leadership evolution. Incredible coach raising the bar.”
Paul Wilkinson – @gamingpaul
“Paul Wilkinson is a true thought leader of stimulating the community with his experiential learning simulations, mind blowing podcasts and Workshops around Value, ITIL4, Service Value Chain and SVS.”
Rae Ann Bruno – @RaeAnnBruno
“A great asset to this industry, so glad she shares what she knows.”
Raymond Bell – @raybelljr
“A true community leader in this field.”
Roy Atkinson – @RoyAtkinson
“An active thought leader in the industry, he is someone I watch closely. He doesn’t follow the buzzwords but does stay on top of trends. He participates online as well as speaking and writing more in-depth pieces. It wouldn’t be a complete list without him.”
Sanjeev NC – @yenceesanjeev
“Someone who really connects a lot of dots in this wide-ranging industry.”
Simone Jo Moore – LinkedIn
“Simone is pushing boundaries and asking the tough questions of organizations with how they are designing and using their technology.”
Stephen Mann – @stephenmann
“He continues to utilize his training as an industry analyst to provide blogs and white papers for service management.”
Stuart Rance – @StuartRance
“Stuart was one of the ITIL 4 architects and he provides pragmatic advice and guidance on service management as well as security.”
Suresh GP – @sureshgp
‘Suresh GP is a true thought leader who brings in fresh new ideas to Service Management in the form of Training, Consulting, Blog Writing, Podcast and Business Simulations.”
Suzanne Van Hove – LinkedIn
“An experienced pillar in this industry who knows the terrain.”
Tom Wilk – @spiller150
“Tom is an up-and-coming thought leader and has become a popular keynote speaker at HDI Local chapters in the last couple of years. His passion is growing people and mentoring future IT professionals.”