Alex Louth

MD, Logicalis UK&I

What has been your business highlight of 2022?

Q Associates becoming part of Logicalis. It's been a few years since Logicalis UKI added a company to its team from M&A. It is great to have a larger team that can engage with our customers and partners to ensure their engagement with Logicalis is strong and focused on value.

If you were ruler of your own country, what law would you introduce first?

Wow - you can have fun here but equally, get in trouble! I would ban ‘wasting time'. Time is so precious and when poorly used can harm engagement, mental health and the culture of a business. I love working for a business where being efficient and empowered is welcomed and encouraged - you can't have this if you waste time.

Which channel or tech leader (outside of your own company) has impressed you most in 2022?

The lazy answer is Elon Musk. Him and his team have continued to be innovative no matter the disruptions. But I said that last year, so someone new would be Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM. Focus and praise are often aligned to new tech from new businesses, but I have huge admiration for companies (IBM/ Oracle/Cisco/NetApp and so on) that transform while having heritage market engagements. I choose Arvind because IBM's journey has been public, and expensive with many frenemies along the way. In 2022 I've found IBM a refreshing company to work with - I might not have said that a few years ago - and I am excited about what's next.

If you had a warning label, what would it say?

"WARNING: if you excite this MD with innovation, please be ready to execute it to make it real!"

What was your first job?

Before university, I worked as a decorator and in a video store. But my first industry role was as a sales consultant for an IT services business based in London and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I took the time to really learn everything I had available to me - and I'm still doing that now.

What was the last book you read, and was it any good?

Lessons from Private Equity Any Company Can Use (Harvard Memo to the CEO) - a really fantastic book. I think this is something every manager should read. Some aspects are obvious but it's important to be reminded.

What's the most important lesson you've learned from another business leader or mentor?

Listen. It's easy to talk but it's a much harder skill to listen and understand. I love a chat, but I also understand when to stay quiet and listen to other views, feelings and ideas. This is how you ensure there's a healthy and empowering company culture from the top down.

Who would play you in a movie of your life?

Getting older makes this question much harder. I would love to say someone cool like Jake Gyllenhaal, but it's probably more like John Candy.