CEO Today United Kingdom Awards

115 www.ceotodaymagazine.com CEO Today United Kingdom Awards 2018 TECHNOLOGY the organisation was clear on what was happening, was reassured and settled and could continue doing a great job for our customers, which remained the most important thing to me. I am pleased to say that this is what we delivered. The stability we could bring to the organization has meant that we continued to trade and develop well. What procedures are in place to look ahead to the future of technology in order to create forward- thinking solutions? We now run the separate divisions of Laird quite independently. We are creating strong independent boards to run these divisions, or businesses, effectively breaking up the central support functions of the PLC conglomerate. And within these separate businesses, we have very strong technologists and engineers who are close to their end markets and can determine the direction of travel of various technologies. For example, Performance Materials (PM), our largest business with over half a billion dollars of revenue, very much serving a global market. In summary, PM provides materials that either manage the electromagnetic interference, EMI, that comes from electronic devices or materials that manage the thermal challenges when devices emit excess heat. As devices become increasingly smaller and more powerful, you need more and more complex solutions to manage these EMI and thermal waste energy challenges. Laird PM is very much at the forefront of these technological advances, providing solutions to some of the most important technology companies in the world, household names which are defining how we live, work and interact today. Putting it simply, what we do allows their technology to work. Are there any new technologies or solutions in the pipeline that you can tell us about? At Laird, we work across a number of sectors, including automotive, industry, healthcare, consumer devices (including smartphones, watches and laptops) and telecoms. For example, the modern car is packed full of electronics which require complex connectivity and waste energy management solutions. And with consumer devices, for example, your smartphone is as powerful as a computer was 10-years ago, but that power is condensed into a very small space. This compactness and power creates challenges for our customers and opportunities for Laird. We solve those problems with our products. It’s our engineering and innovation that can make a big difference in these markets. All of our markets are developing rapidly and we are at the forefront of that development. What differentiates Laird from its competitors? If you think more generally about Laird and its DNA, we are almost 200 years old as a group. The roots of Laird were in steel and ship building, then rail, then into automotive and today, it’s technology. We deliver solutions relevant to the needs of society and as those needs have changed, Laird has adapted. Despite many transformations over the years, a core has stayed the same: brilliant engineered solutions of the highest quality, solving customer’s increasingly complex problems. We are world-class engineers, that’s the Laird DNA. What would you say is the best method to maintain culture in the workplace and keep all staff on track with the same vision? Firstly, you have to discern what kind of culture you want. What’s really important to me is transparency, teamwork, accountability and ownership, entrepreneurial thinking and that people are empowered at all levels. In terms of maintaining it, when you have that culture, it’s about making sure that your leadership is aligned and that all the leaders in the business believe it as strongly as you do, that they behave like that. Then it’s all about communication. Particularly in a business like Laird, with 10,000 people in over 20 countries and communication across many languages, we had to work hard at it. Establishing the right culture, ensuring the leadership team buys into that culture, and then everything you do reinforcing that, all comes together and the job never finishes. It’s an ongoing process and it has to be how you work. What would you say is your own leadership style? I have to surround myself with the very best people, and it’s important to me that every position is filled with the most talented person that I can hire or develop. Second to that is that I need to develop a crystal clear vision and path for where the business needs to go, and thirdly, to empower those leaders to do their job, to trust in them and to give them the freedom to do their job, but staying close to the details so that we can course correct when we need to. If it works well, those leaders will also be good role models and develop strong teams themselves. What are your own plans for the future? Having led the process of the deal with Advent I am now working with the new owners to break up the central functions and to create strong, independent, autonomous businesses, with clear independent identities and growth plans. My job today is to work with my colleagues on the Boards to deliver that remit. When that job is done, we will have strong leaders, separate boards, wholly independent businesses with very clear strategies and directions. At that point, my Group CEO role is complete and I will think about what next. But for now, there is much to do and my complete focus is on doing the best possible job here. I am lucky to have had a very broad and enjoyable career, this experience builds on that. www.laird-plc.com