Date: Tue, 30 Jan 96 15:58:02 GMT
From: dlee@acorn.co.uk (David Lee)
To: acorn-all@acorn.co.uk
Subject: Organisation Structure



Following the announcement of the agreement with Oracle, the Acorn
board has been considering how to ensure that this project is given
the high prioirity it deserves.  We want to give Oracle every chance
to succeed in making Acorn technology well known in the world market.

The agreement with Oracle calls for us to create a core team which
is dedicated to the projects agreed between the parties to develop 
the Network Computer reference designs. It has been decided that
this core team will be run as a separate division of Acorn Computers,
following in the footsteps of Om, and more recently ART.
  
The Network Computing Division (NCD) is planned to become the largest
concentration of technical development resource within Acorn Computers 
involving, where appropriate,the transfer of staff from both Om and ART 
as well as new recruits.  It is anticipated that by the end of the year 
the division could be around 60 people.
 
Malcolm Bird has been asked to head up this new division and to take
responsibility for the relationship with Oracle. This is an
exciting and challenging opportunity for Malcolm to position Acorn
as a key player in the network computing revolution being proposed by
Larry Ellison, Chairman of Oracle.

Online Media will continue primarily as a Sales and Services business
but will retain a small technical staff to allow for Support and System
Integration. The division has an important role to play both in developing
networked interactive services and in selling Network Computing products.

Simon Wyatt joins the Acorn management team as the head of Online Media.  
I take the opportunity of thanking Malcolm for the successful development
of Online Media to date and to express confidence in the next phase of
development under the leadership of Simon.

Over the next few days we shall be working out how the new structures will
be resourced so please bear with us during this period. Further emails
and organisation charts will be circulated as soon as details are agreed.

David Lee