On the lighter side of things , we ask the industry experts what makes them tick . . . .

For me , this has to be when we landed our first major brand . That ’ s not to say our work with other companies doesn ’ t hold great value , as in many respects the work we do with SMEs can be even more rewarding . However , winning your first well-known name is a big deal for any business and a moment of recognition for all the hard work we had put in over the years .

What first made you think of a career in technology ?

I ’ ve spent most of my professional life working with technology to improve business efficiency . My career began with British Telecom in its research labs , then I moved to security software which is where I started to recognise the importance of improving customer experience to benefit business performance . The idea of establishing a telephony company specifically occurred to me when I realised how poorly the business I was with dealt with incoming phone calls . Despite having limited knowledge of the telecommunication sector at the time , my co-founders and I taught ourselves about the industry and set up Natterbox to disrupt the traditional way of thinking about the telephone .

style of management philosophy do you employ with

your current position ?

When it comes to managing my employees , for me happiness comes first , and that ’ s the approach we take at Natterbox . A massive part of managing and having a happy workforce is creating an open and honest dialogue about everything from their performance to their aspirations . Often though , the review process , where these conversations should take place , is poorly handled . Staff get better job satisfaction from proper , actionable feedback and that ’ s what will ensure they stay loyal to a business in these uncertain times .

What do you think will emerge as the technology trend of 2021 and why ?

There have been some obvious challenges accelerated by the pandemic . One of the most pressing has been trying to keep the workforce efficient and productive while working remotely . This is especially difficult due to the loss of micro-communication – the professional ‘ small talk ’ we usually partake in at work . While most of us are used to sitting around desks chatting to each other , nothing replaced this conversation when we moved to remote working . We lost the interaction we , as humans , need . Its loss also means managers aren ’ t able

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