 Zairi began his career by working in the private sector as a production control coordinator and then moving on to be a production manager.He pioneered the Benchmarking and Best Practice Movement in the UK since mid 80s.During 1985-86, Zairi actively worked in the area of Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) and created an industrial network for the exchange of Best Practices, and developed methods and guidelines useful to companies when considering the introduction of complex technology-based innovations.