Jan P. Herring serves as an advisor to business executives and intelligence professionals. He assists companies in developing and operating their own Business Intelligence Systems, as well as improving their existing intelligence operations. His efforts are focused on increasing the effectiveness of business decisions and corporate performance through the use of BI Systems and the intelligence they produce. He is the President of Herring & Associates LLC, a management consultancy, specializing in intelligence matters.

Mr. Herring is a pioneer and recognized expert in the field of Business Intelligence. He is a charter member, Fellow, and 1993 winner of the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP) highest honor, the Meritorious Award. In 2000, he was given the Faye Brill Service Award for his continuing contributions to SCIP. He has written and lectured extensively on the topic, addressing academic as well as business forums. He has given talks to the U.S. and Canadian Conference Boards, the Association for the Advancement of American Science, the Industrial Research Institute, and the Society of Insurance Research. He has lectured at The Wharton School, Stanford University, MIT's Sloan School, Tufts University's Fletcher School, Northwestern University's Kellogg School, Boston University, Babson College, Henley Mangement College in the UK, and both Stockholm and Lund Universities' Schools of Economics. Mr. Herring is also the co-founder of the Academy of Competitive Intelligence.

Between 1987 and 1996, Mr. Herring established the profession's leading business intelligence consultancy at The Futures Group (TFG), an international firm specializing in forecasting, strategic planning and policy analysis. In addition to the world class program he had previously developed while at Motorola, his TFG consulting team helped NutraSweet create its nationally acclaimed business intelligence center. While at TFG, Mr. Herring designed and developed BI programs in a variety of industries, including aerospace, automotive, chemical, communications, consumer products, defense, electronics, financial, food, health care, insurance, public utility, petroleum, and pharmaceuticals.

Prior to joining The Futures Group, Mr. Herring was Director of Intelligence at Motorola. In that position, he was responsible for providing analytical and intelligence support to both corporate executives and Motorola's operational divisions. At Motorola, he designed and developed the first modern business intelligence system, based on national security principles, which is recognized by many as the most advanced operation of its kind in the corporate world.

Before Motorola, Mr. Herring spent 20 years with the CIA as a professional intelligence officer. During that time, he served in a number of analytical and management positions involving the collection, analysis and production of national intelligence. His assignments covered a wide variety of intelligence topics, ranging from advanced Soviet weapons programs to international science and technology agreements with Japan and China. He worked in the fields of strategic arms limitations and international export controls. He set up the U.S. government's first intelligence organization to assess the national security implications of foreign developments of civilian technology that could adversely affect the U.S. economy. He was the first Chairman of the Technology Transfer Intelligence Committee, an interagency group set up to oversee government‑wide efforts to stop the illegal flow of U.S. technology to the Soviet bloc. Mr. Herring's last government assignment was National Intelligence Officer for Science and Technology, a position that also served as a science advisor to the Director of Central Intelligence. Upon leaving the CIA, Mr. Herring received the Medal of Distinction, the Agency's highest award. In addition, he received letters of commendation from the President, the Attorney General, the Director of the FBI, and the Customs Commissioner for his contributions to national security and federal law enforcement. He also holds the CIA's Medal of Merit and Certificate of Distinction.

Jan's current research is focused on the Future of Competitive Intelligence and how CI managers might best prepare for that future

A native of Fulton, Missouri, Mr. Herring served in the U.S. Marine Corps and has a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Missouri. He is married, has two daughters and four grandchildren.