DIRECTOR OF THE YEARFEA ARD 2019 Winner Young Winner Start-Up Co-founder and CEO, Pinpoint TOM HA CQUOIL
‘All leaders find the same things difficult’
‘Invite and embrace challenges from your board colleagues’
Managing director, O&H Vehicle Technology
OLIVER NOR TH
North was appointed MD of ambulance manufacturer O&H Vehicle Technology in January 2019. Within seven months he completed a management buyout with the help of business partner Ken Davy. The former army mechanic previously led fire-engine manufacturer Rosenbauer UK for more than a decade. Who has been your biggest inspiration? “My son, Oscar. My desire to provide for him – and also to demonstrate the value of integrity, professionalism and a strong work ethic – keeps me focused.” How do you ensure good governance at a fast-growing company? “Invite and embrace challenges from your board colleagues. And, if your company doesn’t conform to ISO 9001 as a minimum, change that. The standard provides an excellent ‘train track’ to help you maintain good practice.” What has been the toughest challenge you have surmounted? “Leaving a high-performing company with world-class people to repair every part of a broken organisation and make it better than my previous one. Leaving the path of least resistance always leads me to a higher degree of fulfilment.” How do you come up with your best ideas? “When I run and push myself, it effectively forces my brain to meditate. I can beat the pain and then achieve clarity from this different perspective, which is usually better than when I’m at my desk.”
After leaving school at 16, Hacquoil set up Roll On Media, which became a precursor to the Infuse Group, which he still runs today. He founded recruitment software company Pinpoint in 2018, having served as chief digital officer for Calligo, the Channel Islands’ only dedicated cloud service provider. What has been the toughest challenge you have surmounted? “I started my first business when I was 16. Everything went really well – until it didn’t. I wasn’t disciplined enough financially and ended up in a big hole, taking on personal debt to ensure that my suppliers, clients and team were looked after. I dealt with it by eating a large slice of humble pie, realising that I wasn’t
the visionary leader I’d thought I was. I got a ’real job’ for a number of years to pay my debts and I focused on my personal development.” How do you ensure good governance at a fast-growing company? “By ensuring full transparency. We work hard across the organisation to document everything we do in a lot of detail and have invested significantly in tools to make this process as seamless as possible.” The best business book you’ve read? “The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz. Its key message is that all leaders – even those building the world’s greatest organisations – find the same things difficult.”
AWTURES TRAP
Winner Student Founder and CEO, McAnallen SA R AH MCANALLEN
‘A good work-life balance is vital’
McAnallen set up her eponymous mobility-aid company in 2018 after developing the Ezi-Sock – a device that enables people to put socks on without bending down – while she was studying product design at Ulster University. Having developed two more products since then, she has patents pending, distribution deals agreed and pre-orders booked. Who has been your biggest inspiration? “My mum, who took a stroke when I was young. I was able to see the types of products she needed but couldn’t find. I designed them for her and then took the opportunity to help others.” What has been the toughest challenge you have surmounted? “Building my confidence. As a
21-year-old entrepreneur with no commercial experience at the start, I doubted my ability to build a business. I overcame that by educating myself; speaking to experts in a particular area before making a decision; and then learning to trust my gut.”
How would you describe your leadership style? “Encouraging – I want to ensure that everyone is passionate about what they do. I want them to have pride in their work and strive to be better.” Your biggest lesson? “A good work- life balance is vital – I burnt myself out by constantly working. I’ve learnt to be precious with my time by scheduling breaks and being more productive when I am working”
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