Pollock, Dave

A-List 2006

Job title: Chief executive.

Company: Chess

Year of birth: 1960.

Place of birth: Nottingham.

Career outline: I’ve been involved in promoting bands, music videos, property development, internet design, energy solutions and fixed and telecoms mobile service provider.

What motivates you every morning to get up and work in the channel? My desire to build a business I can be proud of.

What has been the most over-hyped technology in the past five years? Voice over IP.

What will be the most underrated technology in the next five years? Voice over IP.

Which technology would you most like to have invented? Mobile phone.

Do you have any regrets from your time in the industry? Not having been aggressive enough in the early days with growth and being too slow to enter mobile sales.

If you could swap places with anyone in the industry, who would it be? I am happy where I am.

What is the biggest hurdle you have faced in your career? In 2001 my then telecoms service provider going into administration.

What is the biggest success of your career? Exiting the energy contract with Powergen.

What piece of technology could you not live without? My BlackBerry.

What would be your advice to anyone starting a career in IT? Come and work for Chess.

What would you like for Christmas if you could have anything? A trip to space.

What is your favorite karaoke song? Blue Moon, by the Marcels.

What would be the title of your autobiography? A quitter never wins, a winner never quits.

Do you have any phobias? No.

How many beers before you fall over? 16.

Number of staff you manage? 8.

What is your golf handicap? 17.

What car do you drive? Jaguar XK8

Number of air miles you have? Too many to use