Adrian Thirkill

CEO, GCI

Tell us something most people won't know about you

I love to cook and bake bread by hand.

What has been your highlight of 2018 so far?

The successful investment in GCI by Mayfair Equity, becoming our largest shareholder.

Who would play you in the film of your life?

Simon Pegg.

Which tech firm (other than your own!) do you most admire?

Microsoft, because it's not new, because it got very lost and then because it found itself and its customers again.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Gillette Soccer Saturday - Jeff Stelling rules.

What is the most irritating tech buzzphrase of 2018?

I'm not sure if it's from 2018, but ‘gamification' sounds like a Bruce Forsyth lost show video.

What would be your first act if you were made Prime Minister?

Make it mandatory that every MP had to have at least 20 years working and paying taxes in the private or public sector first. No professional politicians straight from college or university. Then call another snap election.

What's the biggest untapped opportunity facing the channel?

Integrating AI with your partners end to end - seamless efficiency.

What is your most treasured possession?

My sense of humour.

What do your family think you do all day?

Make stuff up, put it on PowerPoint and then talk and talk until people give in and agree with me.

Who has been your mentor in business?

Lakh Jemmett, the MD at Colt was a brilliant visionary as was David Rowe who started and created Easynet.