Robert Pooley

What has been your personal highlight of 2020?

Surviving is well up there! I certainly respect my mortality following a bleak March/April when a colleague was in a coma, my wife and I were battling to breathe and Boris was taken to ICU. A very surreal period.

Which three celebrities would you invite to a Zoom party?

Sir David Attenborough, Ricky Gervais and Donald Trump.

What has been your guiltiest lockdown pleasure?

Darts for the frustratingly addictive pursuit of 180s.

Which tech figurehead has inspired you most this year, and why?

Elon Musk for the feats of SpaceX. I've always been fascinated with the enormity space. If Neil Armstrong were alive, he would have been invited to the Zoom party! Although a controversial character at times, Musk's abundance of ambition, disruptive approach and philanthropic desires are inspirational for me.

What piece of technology, or app, have you not been able to do without during the pandemic?

A lot! Spotify, Netflix, Strava, Garmin, BBC Sounds, Quartz, Oculus, Pokemon GO… but I'll go with Headspace. Great for mindfulness in a challenging year.

If you could be anyone else for a week, who would you be and what would you do?

My three-year-old daughter April. I'd hang out with her buddies Jack, Ruby and Leon, enjoy food on demand, play all day, lap up cuddles from mum, care about very little and sleep 11 hours a night!

Do you miss face-to-face events?

Yes and no. I miss the injection of knowledge from a good event and enjoying a beer with counterparts in the industry. I don't miss the hangovers!

How will COVID leave its mark on the way the channel operates long term?

We'll travel for fewer meetings and will enjoy the benefits of hybrid home and office working. Get the balance right and it benefits the environment, individual wellbeing and productivity.