Paul Shannon

Chief executive, ANS Group

Which tech figurehead do you admire the most?

Satya Nadella at Microsoft. He's a born technical guy that has grown through the ranks to become the chief executive. He's driven and pushed the company hard into newer territory and is widely regarded as having done a great job over the last few years as chief executive. He's a big charity donor and someone that just seems to put people first, which I always try to do at ANS.

What's the biggest challenge facing the industry no-one is talking about yet?

Digital skills shortage. People are talking but I don't see much action yet.

If you could invite three famous people to dinner, who would they be?

Waylon Jennings, Nelson Mandela and Steve McQueen. Now that's a party right there.

How has 2017 been for you?

Awesome. Business has been great, family life is great, my friends are all happy and well. What more can I possibly ask for?

What's the most extravagant business lunch you've ever had?

It's not extravagant in the traditional sense but I have been known to eat more than 15 large slices of pizza when we order Dominos in for the team at lunch.

Which global city best matches your personality?

Barcelona, I would say. Exuberant, passionate, loads going on and culturally vibrant. There is no better place.

What would be your super-hero power?

My son and daughter asked me this the other day and I said invincibility, but then thinking about it I'm not sure if that would mean I'd live forever, which I wouldn't want to do.

Complete this sentence. The worst thing about our rivals is… It's the best and the worst… they like to watch what we do and let us take the courageous steps and then mimic what succeeds. Best because it gives us time to streak ahead and keeps us on our toes; worst because we must work overtime to constantly keep ahead.

What makes you nervous?

Being mediocre, which drives me to work harder and harder to do, and be, my best at all times, no matter what it takes and how many hours are required.

If you could eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Fish. The variety is amazing and I've struggled to find anything that tastes better than prawns, sea bass, john dory and so on.

Sum up the channel in three words

Creative, essential, challenging.

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• A-list 2018