Manfred Monkey

Net Starter Ambassador - Biography

Philosopher. Innovator. Artist. Educator. No single label can do justice to the phenomenon, that is Manfred the Monkey. For decades he has stood at the forefront of Internet Marketing, business development and public relations, representing the highest ideals of professionalism and personal attentiveness. Manfred is truly at one with the modern corporate climate, recognising the pivotal importance of Web Design to the success of small business. "It is not simply a superfluous luxury", he told the Australian BRW. "It is an extension of your entire business. Web Design warrants the same level of mindfulness as any other critical business process. Even more so."

Manfred began his long and distinguished academic career with a full scholarship at Oxford. Commencing with a Communications and Law degree, he soon added majors in Psychology, Marketing and International Relations to his bourgening program. After being awarded first class honours across the board, Manfred received a personal request from the Dean of Harvard to undertake an MBA. A task he fulfilled whilst editing the Campus Newspaper, lecturing in Corporate Philosphy and skippering the Coxless Rowing Team to 6 Inter-Varsity Championships. In his graduating year, Manfred was featured in Forbes Magazine, Newsweek, BRW and named as one of People's top 50 "most dynamic personalities" in business today.

Underpinning his rapid ascent up the corporate ladder, has been Manfred's unwavering commitment to the pursuit of innovation and education in the field of small business. Experiencing the inefficiencies and excesses of corporate dominance first hand, Manfred has consisitenly lobbied against overpriced services. Arguing instead that it is far more beneficial to enlighten small business, as to the overwhelming benefits of the Internet. Particularly in the area of online marketing, through a well conceived web strategy, that economically conveys information to customers. As he wrote in the Financial Review, "Strategy and planning are the cornerstones of a successful website. Your initial investment in planning at this stage can be crucial for your website to reach its objectives."

In addition to advising corporate leaders from multinationals such as De Beers, Rio Tinto and News Corp, Manfred also counsels some of the worlds most powerful and influential figures. In the late 80's, he suggested to a young Bill Gates, that it would be more catchy if he changed the name of his operating system from "Fly Screens" to "Windows". In 1990 after being released from jail, Nelson Mandela personally thanked Manfred for his tireless campaigning, by agreeing to wear his oddly coloured, hand made shirts during all public engagements. Manfred also counts the Dalai Lama and Richard Branson as personal friends-the two having recently completed a journey from Sydney to Melbourne, using two deck chairs and a bag of Barmitzvah Balloons.

Today, when he is not conducting training seminars or chairing international advisory committees, Manfred serves as ambassador and spokesperson for Net Starter. A dynamic company that reflects his goals of integrating business systems with the needs of customers, to identify emerging concerns relating to transparency, compliance and productivity. As Manfred told Channel 9's Business Sunday program: "Website users expect organisations to offer the same level of professionalism over the web, as they do in a store or over the phone. Our job is therefore, not just to accede to those demands, but to exceed them".

Manfred the Monkey is the author of several best selling books including Who moved my Keys, Moby Click, the seminal thesis on customer seduction Charlottes Web-site and the Da Vinci Download. He wrote the much acclaimed treatise on Modern Corporate Governance and fresh fruit "From Adam Smith to Granny Smith", for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Whilst his collection of award winning essays on branding and corporate image entitled, "Show us your Hits", to this day remains the highest selling non fiction book in Latvia. Manfred currently resides in Zurich with his wife and 3 children.