PROFILE

John Cullinane

John Cullinane was founder of Cullinet Software, Inc. in 1968 at a time when computer industry gurus said, "There was no future in computer software. It couldn’t be done, others had tried and failed, and so would he". However, Cullinet was to become the first successful software products company in the world, the first to go public, the first to be listed on the NYSE, and the first to reach a billion dollars in valuation, among many other firsts. MainMessage was a key tool in his success. In recent years, he has helped many individuals, candidates, companies and organizations succees with the MainMessage Process.

Cullinane has also worked extensively with the Irish software industry and has promoted peace through jobs and economic development in Northern Ireland. As a result, he was named Special Economic Adviser for Belfast in North America, on a pro bono basis. He then created the Friends of Belfast in North America, an informal network of people from the United States and Canada whose "social capital" could be of value in creating jobs and economic development, thus providing the key to peace in Belfast and Northern Ireland. Cullinane helped organize the Conference on Technology Investment and Partnering Opportunities from Israel, Ireland and Northern Ireland sponsored in conjunction with the University of Massachusetts and the Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also promoted the Israeli BIRD as a job creating vehicle in Northern Ireland and the six border counties. RADIANE, as it is called, was the first cross border economic initiative in the history of the island of Ireland.

Honors and Involvement:

John Cullinane’s involvements and honors include:

* Past chairman of the board of directors of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
* Founding chairman of the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council.
* Founder of the Boston Public Library Foundation, which has raised in excess of $60 million for the BPL.
* Honored at the 57th Annual Awards Dinner of the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
* Honored by the Irish Immigration Center in recognition of his efforts to further economic development in Ireland and his commitment to a lasting peace there.
* Honored as Irishman of the Year by the Friends of the John F. Kennedy Library.
* Inducted into the Babson College Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs.
* Inducted into INFOMART's Information Processing Hall of Fame.
* Inducted, with his wife, Diddy Cullinane, by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce into the Academy of Distinguished Bostonians.
* 2006 Leadership Award from the United Nations Association of Greater Boston
* 2009 Co-chairman, with his wife, Diddy, of Opening Night at the BSO featuring Maestro James Levine and acclaimed pianist, Evgeny Kissin

Publications:

The Entrepreneur's Survival Guide ― 101 tips for managing in good times and bad, Business One Irwin
A synopsis of the lessons John Cullinane learned from the management of Cullinane Corporation, from its founding to its eventual sale. Based on the history of Cullinet Software, Inc., John Cullinane's guidelines combine the knowledge of a rapidly growing corporation with the hindsight of what it took to keep it in control. Prudent messaging is a key component of this book.

Widows and Orphans: Center for Business and Government
Widows and Orphans was written when I was a Fellow in the Center for Business and Government, Kennedy School, Harvard University. It's a walk through the American financial system from the perspective of an entrepreneur. Widows are investors in American companies, orphans are their customers. The main theme of the paper is that those companies, such as Japanese automobile manufacturers, who focused on customers' long term interests vs those that focused on short term financial results, such as American manufacturers, will win every time.
[Download, 168 kB]

Sensors: Bringing Static Relational Databases to Life
The software development market is poised for the dramatic breakthrough of a new paradigm for real-time data management. John Cullinane explores the potential of this new technology and its implications for business and IT management practices. This is really a MainMessage for positioning new technology as a restructured database management system.

Northern Ireland as a Role Model for Middle East Peace
No matter how much progress is made toward peace, there are always dissidents who will oppose any peace initiative, often with tragic results. Ireland is a perfect example. This paper gives background on why I feel that Northern Ireland is a role model.

Business Forum Interview

Topic: Interview, "Entrepreneurship in Difficult Times"

Financial Management Network

Topic: Interview, "Widows and Orphans" August 1991

Northeastern University, Then and Now

Topic: John Cullinane shares his experience with Northeastern University's co-op program.

Documents:
Widows and Orphans
Paper by John J. Cullinane
[Download, 168 kB]