Over more than 30 years in IT service management, Paul Whitlock has helped organisations develop service management as a strategic capability. He has stabilised mission-critical platforms and reshaped operating models for the digital age. Today, Paul is a Senior Associate Consultant with Certus Services, and in our first Associate Spotlight conversation, we spoke with him about how ITSM has evolved, where it fits within modern enterprises, and where he believes the discipline is heading.
So, Paul, what first drew you into IT Service Management?
“Well I started out in IT operations, where I quickly realised that keeping the lights on was only half the story. Over time, I became more interested in how engineering efforts translated into business outcomes such as reliability, speed, and customer experience. That shift is what drew me into service management.”
“During my early years at Plan-Net, I worked to turn the principles of ITIL into practical approaches teams could apply day to day. That way of thinking has stayed with me throughout my career.”
Looking back, which programmes stand out as highlights?
“There are quite a few now! But a few do stand out. At Vodafone, I supported a transformation that modernised global service operations and improved resilience across multiple regions. At Virgin Atlantic, the focus was on aligning IT services with passenger experience, which is as demanding and customer-facing as it gets.”
“More recently, work with Nokia WING, NATS, and Arqiva reinforced the importance of disciplined service design and transition in highly regulated and mission-critical environments. Each of these experiences underlined the point that service is always about outcomes, not just process.”
What’s the biggest misconception about ITSM today?
“I believe the most common misconception is that ITSM starts with tooling. It doesn’t. Tools are enablers, but when people, process, and culture are overlooked, the tool can quickly become a barrier rather than a help. I’ve always tried to keep service management grounded in business reality. Focus it on outcomes, not on filling every template field. Build what’s needed, prove the value, and then scale with intent.”
You’ve worked in highly regulated and mission-critical environments. What has that taught you?
“Discipline in service design and introduction is non-negotiable. In environments such as air traffic management or nationwide telecoms, readiness has to remain exceptionally high. That means clear go/no-go criteria, robust early life support, and close engagement with stakeholders. In complex supplier ecosystems in particular, alignment is critical.”
Where does ITSM sit best within today’s operating models?
“Service management acts as connective tissue. It links product and engineering teams, platforms, security, and the wider business. At Envitia, I designed and led the service management office for one of their clients. The role of the SMO was to orchestrate outcomes and governance without slowing delivery. When done well, it builds trust between IT and the business and provides the neccessary guardrails that support innovation.”
What advice would you give leaders starting a service transformation?
“Begin with small steps to demonstrate value before expanding. Select a single service or product line and establish service levels and error budgets. Use them to build trust with the business. Focus on areas like incident or change management where there is often high friction across the business users and the engineering teams, and automate repetitive tasks where appropriate. Most importantly, fix your data foundations – asset accuracy, observability, and knowledge for the service, because without these, any automation or AI initiatives will struggle. That’s why I’m a big believer in carrying out AI and automation readiness assessments, to help identify gaps and avoid investing in the wrong areas, or in the wrong order.”
Tell us about a time something didn’t go to plan.
“Early in my career, I was involved in a major programme that went live without clearly defined readiness gates, and the service teams struggled as a result. It taught me that ‘go-live’ isn’t success unless the operational teams can sustain it.”
“That experience shaped how I work. Since then, I’ve been meticulous about embedding operational acceptance and readiness reviews. It saves a lot of pain later on.”
For people that may be starting their careers in ITSM, how do you view the balance between certifications and real-world experience?
“I think certifications like ITIL 4 are important, especially in the early stages of a career in ITSM. They give you the framework and a common language for how we describe services, roles, and responsibilities across the management of IT in organisations. With that being said though, the real understanding comes from applying the framework and principles that you learn, into live environments. For example, seeing how the likes of incident, change, and service design practices work under pressure, and learning when the guidance for those needs to be adapted.”
“Over time the experience teaches you judgement. When to follow the framework closely, when to simplify it, and when to be pragmatic about the realities of the business and any constraints. That balance between the structured learning and theory, plus the real-world application of it, is what builds credibility and confidence.”
How do you approach working with clients as a Certus Associate?
“It’ll probably come as no surprise based on what I’ve said already, that I always start with outcomes. We avoid big-bang transformations or one-size-fits-all models. At Certus, the approach is pragmatic, vendor-neutral, and tailored. I help to build trust by co-designing roadmaps with clients, deliver quick wins to demonstrating early value, and ensure that governance is as lightweight but effective as possible. The aim we work with clients to achieve is sustainable change, not long-term dependency on consultants.”
So looking ahead now, where do you see ITSM heading?
“Over the next three years, I believe ITSM will shift from managing processes towards orchestrating outcomes. Three trends that I see are driving that shift include:
1. AI-enabled service operations. Routine triage, categorisation, and knowledge retrieval will increasingly be automated, as clients become more comfortable with their level of knowledge on AI solutions, and the increasing governance being wrapped around them. Human roles will focus on exception handling, operating the governance of the AI solutions, and value assurance to maintain digital trust with the business users.
2. Service product management. I see service design continuing to evolve towards service product thinking, with clearer value propositions, more measurable reliability by design, and incorporting continuous feedback loops into BAU for future product improvements and development.
3. Governance with AI in mind. As automation scales, we’ll need light-touch but strong assurance delivered by humans, and ‘AI as a Judge’. An AI-enablement layer can provide controls, data access for compliance reporting, and risk management.”
“Just summarising though with points I’ve already touched on, the organisations that succeed will be those that combine pragmatic foundations with their readiness for automation. That’s why assessments such as ITSM maturity and AI readiness are important. Not just to gauge technically, but across process maturity, governance, and culture too.”
“Get the basics right and its clear that AI becomes a multiplier. Skip them though and AI can just amplify the problems you already experience.”
Thanks so much for your time Paul for this associate spotlight session…any final thoughts you want to share with readers?
“Thanks….I believe that Service Management has always, in my opinion been about people, process, and outcomes. What’s changing now is the speed and scale at which technology like AI can enable us, but the fundamentals still remain. Clarity of purpose in what we are doing and why we are doing it. The digital trust we have to maintain and be responsible for between IT and the business, and ultimately ensuring the services we provide to our customers make a positive difference to them.”
About Paul Whitlock – Senior Associate Consultant, Certus Services
Previous roles: Principal / Associate Partner, Pink Elephant EMEA; Head of Service Management Office, Envitia
Experience: Major programmes with Vodafone, Virgin Atlantic, Nokia, NATS, Arqiva, Nationwide, the Bank of England, and Lloyds Banking Group
Certifications: priSM Distinguished Professional in Service Management (DPSM); ITIL 4 Managing Professional
At Certus, we’re proud to have Paul as part of our associate team. His experience reinforces our belief that organisations should prioritise AI readiness and enablement — pragmatic, vendor-neutral, and focused on outcomes.
If your organisation is looking to explore this next step in Service Management, book a conversation with us today.