Richard Blanford
CEO and founder, Fordway Solutions
What's the most surprising lesson 2024 has taught you so far?
Probably not a surprise to anyone who has had dealings with them but having had my first dealings with private equity after 33 years in business I was very surprised how narrow-minded and risk averse the companies we talked with were, they want all the upside without any risk to themselves. We won't be taking outside investment.
If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why?
It's a toss-up between Alexander the Great or Leonardo da Vinci; both broke the othodoxies of their time and opened up new possibilities in leadership, warfare and science respectively. I'd love to understand what drove them to do it and how they actually achieved what they did. If I have to choose it would probably be Leonardo da Vinci.
Which tech or channel figurehead has impressed you the most this year, and why?
Probably a popular choice but I'd nominate Satya Nadella. He took some big bets early in his tenure at Microsoft which have paid off, he seems to just quietly get on with the job and his leadership has helped reshape Microsoft from a washed up Windows company 15 years ago to the (sometimes) largest and most profitable company in the world.
Unfortunately, he hasn't made it any easier for partners to work with them, hopefully that's the next item on his list.
What technology trend do you think is being overhyped and why?
Apart from the obvious, Artificial Intelligence, I'd say nuclear fusion. When I started working on the fringes of the nuclear industry in the late 80's it was 20 years away. I'm led to believe that nearly 40 years later and untold billions of investment it's still at least 10 years away. However, given the size of the prize, if we can crack it and productively harness it the challenge is well worth it, almost on its own it could help solve the climate crisis and give a better future to our children and beyond.
If you were stranded on a deserted island but could have one piece of tech with you, what would it be?
My Spotify account with a suitable streamer and connectivity. I'm a recent convert to streaming and to have endless music of all styles and genres available at any time has massively broadened my musical horizons and rekindled my love of music.
What's your go-to productivity hack that keeps you on track during a busy day?
Handwritten lists in my daybook which goes everywhere with me, which I've been doing since I started working a long, long time ago. At the end of each working day I stop and have a good think, then write down everything I need to achieve, progress or complete the next working day. I try to ensure I've ticked each one off before I stop working the following day.
If you had the time to learn one new skill, what would it be?
Having played drums for over 40 years I'm currently learning the guitar with the intention that I play a full live public gig on guitar with my band within the next year or so, hopefully to coincide with my retirement, I'm currently teaching one of our guitarists drums in return. Our band practices are a bit chaotic at the moment.