It is with great sorrow that I share, that Service Management lost its most iconic leader, Malcolm Fry.

If you do not know him by name, you most likely know his contributions to our industry. In 2009, Malcolm Fry was honored in Ron Mun’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2014, he was inducted into the Pink Elephant ITSM Hall of Fame, President’s Distinction Award by David Ratcliffe.

As Vice President of the Chicago Chapter of IT Service Management Forum, please allow me to honor Malcom Fry. Please feel free to share your thoughts and memories of Malcom, in the comments. I am forever thankful for the IT Leaders that have shaped my career, and Malcolm was so very influential worldwide. He had a passion for making a difference!

When I was trying to market the value of our Help Desk, Malcom Fry’s thought leadership gave me a solid foundation to learn, apply and grow from. When I was trying to influence the right level strategy for CMDB, it was this piece that helped unite stalled teams on a shared vision with value, and a roadmap with continuous improvement, to continue the journey.

With more than 40 years of industry experience Malcolm was far more than a thought Service Management leader and treasured global keynote speaker.

He was the pulse of Technology Journalists trying to interpret strategies for current industry trends.

With star quality experience he can infuse humor and change acceptance like no other!

I think of the video that follows often, on long conference calls without progress for a certain kind of social obfuscation over meaningful discussion.

Following is a lighthearted video on OCM of sorts. I still giggle when on a call with people behaving badly, at his suggestion of a Corporate Slapper.

Some of the publications Malcom Authored:

• A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a CMDB
• How to Build a Service Management Department
• ITIL Lite a Road Map to Partial or Full ITIL Implementation
• Protocol Guide to the I.T. service Culture
• Problem and Change Management
• Marketing the Help Desk to Senior Managers and Customers – Google Books

Some of his inspirational leadership pieces:

• CIO Talk Network: Is ITIL Delivering on Its Promises
• CMDB: The Heart of Service Management ViewPoint Magazine
• Don’t get rid of ITIL: Streamline and automate it! | HPE
• Bringing Value to the Business through Continuous Service Improvement CSI (slideshare.net)
• Malcolm Fry: Inspiration from The “Never Do” List – YouTube

HDI: Implementing Service and Support Management Processes: A Practical Guide is such useful body of work, in my mind, full of timeless wisdom.

Malcolm Fry, Troy DuMoulin, and Char LaBounty are in my top three most iconic leaders, that I am forever grateful for their influence and incredible contributions to the community of Service Management Best Practices, with Help Desk Institute, itSMF, and ITIL Standards.

I had the honor of working with them and learning from them and other luminaries in our industry, in the publication of Implementing Service and Support.

We teach best what we most need to learn. I was continue to appreciate my humble beginnings in ThinkHDI, in Colorado, and around the world!

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