Where did your passion for digital come from?
Ultimately it all came from the movies. As a youngster I saw the movies Tron and War Games. Both movies were about programmers and hackers and I was totally hooked. Everything about the technology industry seemed cool in those movies and I wanted to be part of it – every came from that.
What’s your favourite thing about the industry?
I love that things are always moving forward. We have all become very complacent about Moore’s Law but that continued exponential growth makes the seemingly impossible possible within a mater of a few years. I never get tired of that.
Where do you see yourself/your company in five years?
For Incremental our stated target is to employ roughly 600 people at offices across the country by 2022 and I am confident we will achieve that. For myself, I am still relatively young as CEOs go so I am looking forward to continuing to lead Incremental for the foreseeable future.
What’s your role and what does a typical day involve?
As CEO of Incremental I am accountable for the performance of the organisation. My job is to ensure that everyone at Incremental has everything they require to achieve the most of which they are capable. From defining and communicating the business strategy to ensuring that that we are holding ourselves accountable for living the core values we have defined for ourselves, my job really is to support everyone in our organisation. I also spend time talking to and working with our customers and making sure investors remain happy and supportive of the organisation.
Working as a CEO means that there is not really a typical day. One day I can be with investors discussing our future strategy the next I can be talking with a prospective customer who is considering working with us to deliver a new digital transformation programme, the next supporting one of the Incremental leadership team to challenge their thinking on a topic. I love this variety.
Looking to the future, what do you see as being the next big thing in tech?
There are so many things emerging that are exciting but the thing that has the potential to be truly transformative is Quantum Computing. Quantum offers the potential to push beyond the limits of classical computing and that could herald a new age of human existence.
Any new products, services, events coming up for your business?
Incremental recently acquired GAP consulting, a Dynamics CRM and Dynamics 365 for Sales specialist. This deepens our capability and experience in these key products and I am delighted the be able to bring that to the market.
Our Intelligence practice is really motoring now and with our team of Data Scientists and Engineers we are already helping one of the worlds largest energy companies embrace the power the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) can bring. As AI becomes universal all organisations can benefit from the power of AI and we are committed to helping all our customers leverage that for their competitive advantage. Our Data Science team will be presenting a crash course on data science and the benefits it can bring at our two free Dynamics Forums which take place 28th and 29th August (one in Aberdeen and the other at Microsoft in Edinburgh).
Why did you join ScotlandIS and importantly, why are you still with us?
At Incremental we see ourselves as a British business with a proud Scottish heritage. Being part of ScotlandIS acknowledges our roots and enables us to be part of the wider digital community here in Scotland. The ScotlandIS team work tirelessly to support the industry and I am pleased that we are able to support them by being a member.
What do you consider to be the biggest benefit of your ScotlandIS membership?
For me, it is being part of the network. Opportunity exists where individuals and organisations come together and ScotlandIS provides that opportunity in spades.
If you could give one piece of advice to an emerging business/startup, what would it be?
Work as hard as you can! Seriously, in business you experience many highs and lows and many of those are outwith your control. The best way to maximise you chances of success and give yourself piece of mind that you did everything you could is just to work hard.
What’s your favourite thing about your job?
I get to spend time with hard working, clever, motivated and caring people. I am learning all the time too, which I love.
If you were speaking to a classroom full of 3rd year high school students how would you pitch the industry as the best place to be?
This is the industry that is shaping the world we live in more than any other. We need your genius to make sure it is a better world.