What was your first job (and how much did it pay)?
I started as trainee in a railway maintenance office in Perth – I remember it paid £4,000 a year which seemed like a fortune to an 18-year-old, just out of school. However, I had to work every other Saturday night out on sites and didn’t get paid for that. I vividly remember how cold the Scottish Highlands get in the middle of winter. I was sent to Perth because the London-based manager who recruited me thought it was near Lancashire where I lived!
What is the best advice or support you’ve been given in business?
Two pieces of advice – the first, simple one is “always have a Plan B”. That has proven incredibly valuable to me when Plan A starts to go wrong. It is too easy to have an outcome that you want and simply invest everything on the assumption everyone will agree. The second is to recruit and develop the strongest team around you that you can. They are the people that will make you successful, so don’t be afraid to admit if you’ve got it wrong, or to go back to the market if you haven’t found the right candidate.
What are the main changes you’ve seen in your business/sector, and what are the challenges you’re facing?
The world of tolling is going through multiple revolutions as internet and computer technology transform how we interact with customers. Before implementing Open Road Tolling last November, we saw the number of journeys paid by cash drop by over two-thirds over the space of just three years. I believe that within a few years car manufacturers will develop smart technology in cars to deal with payment of tolls, car parking and other road charges – and that will change our technology approach at the Tyne Tunnels again. And down the road (sorry), it’s inevitable that Road Charging will be coming in despite all the opposition when it was mooted 15 years ago.
How has the pandemic changed the way you work?
I’ve always worked ‘hybrid’ – taking some time away from the office where I need the mental space to address some things, being in the office to temperature check how my team is. However, it was one of the few positives from Covid that many more people felt comfortable they could do the same, and so we have been able to become a much more people-friendly business with several staff working highly-personalised patterns that are very specific – and so very important - to them and their needs. I think that’s great; they have become fiercely loyal employees and both of us win massively out of the arrangement.
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Who is your role model in business?
I have a huge admiration for Thomas Edison – not for supposedly inventing the light bulb (he didn’t do that, of course, he just made it into something practical), but for his passion to improve what already existed and his lack of fear of failure. He patented over a thousand ideas – some were bizarre and many were commercial failures, but he used each failure as a learning opportunity for his next step; hence his famous phrase “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The lightbulb was an invention with 1,000 steps”.
What would your dream job be?
This is pretty much it! I love my job and the people I work with at TT2. We are very fortunate with an engaged and forward-thinking client. Every day is different for me - addressing everything from heavy engineering issues, to marketing, to staff matters. Because I have the attention span of Bart Simpson I’m motivated by variety in tasks and this job brings that in spades.
What advice would you give to someone starting out a career in your sector?
I endlessly hear people tell me that nowadays it’s all about understanding technology. I think that’s wrong and the fundamentals are still key: ask questions, learn, think for yourself. Someone always has the answer – the key is working out who and making sure you listen to them.
What makes the North East a good place to do business?
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It’s a microcosm of the 海角视频 but with a much more focused common purpose. Compared with other regions I’ve worked in, it feels like it has more autonomy, but I think politically it could do more to help get a singularity of direction.
How important is it for business to play a role in society?
Where to begin. If a business like ours doesn’t engage in the society in which it operates it will suffer for it in the long run. Low cost/low service isn’t, in my view, a viable model long-term, and demonstrating Environmental, Social and Sustainability values is so essential now. Witness the transformation in the way interviews operate – I routinely see questions from candidates at even junior levels on our attitudes to the environment, what corporate social responsibility programme we have in place, whether we’re signed up to Net Zero Carbon emissions. And don’t doubt that Gen Z employees will choose to move employer if they are unhappy with the values you espouse.
Outside of work, what are you really good at?
I love my food so I would say cooking. When I first moved away from home I had to ring my Dad to ask how to cook tinned peas, and I remember thinking that I had better learn quickly or I was going to starve! Now I enjoy taking recipes and developing them to create meals that are tuned to our taste.