TECHNOLOGY in business is nothing new. It has been an integral part of the business world for centuries.

However, there has been a marked acceleration in the speed of change in the past ten years, which is having a profound impact on how and where people work, and increasingly, work is no longer a place that people go to; it’s something they do.

The man responsible for ensuring almost one million UK small and medium businesses harness the potential of technology is Danny Longbottom, who lives in Skewsby with his wife Claire and two sons, Oliver,15, and Charlie,12.

Born and bred in Yorkshire, Danny has lived in North Yorkshire for five years and enjoys the balance of being able to work from London three days a week and enjoying countryside life with his family for the rest of the week.

Danny left college at 18 and worked across a number of industries before moving into telecoms. He now oversees a £1.3 billion turnover business within BT and 40 BT local business outlets.

He said: “I’ve been at BT for ten years now and in that time have held seven different positions, all of which have enabled me to develop and grow.

“My current job is all about potential – the potential for businesses to do more – whether that’s helping someone sitting home at their kitchen table to start a business or supporting existing businesses to exploit new opportunities.

"It’s really important that we recognise the fact that huge potential exists today, it’s not something we need to ‘go out and find’. We need to harness and exploit the many opportunities that we already have.

“By helping businesses use technology to become more efficient and productive and serve their customers better, we help them to achieve their business goals. And ultimately that means more jobs and more prosperous communities.”

 

What job would you like to have other than your own and why?

Chief Executive of the Football Association. Where do I start? There is a long list of things that’s wrong with our national game…..if I could fix just a few.

Greatest achievement?

Being appointed into the role I presently hold at BT.

What makes you most angry?

Dishonesty – I like people to say what that are thinking. Simply tell the truth.

Biggest mistake?

I regret not staying on in full time education after my A-Levels and doing a degree. Although my 20 years in work has been very varied, I have met some great people and worked for some brilliant bosses – so it all worked out in the end.

What do you need to make life complete?

I am very pleased with my life and have a wonderful family. I have been very fortunate and don’t wish for anything I haven’t worked hard for. But if I could make one wish I would like a guarantee that my kids grow up healthy, with every opportunity to lead successful lives.

Why do you make a difference?

I create the environment for people to be successful, for people to fulfil their potential and hopefully be more successful than they had thought possible.

Epitaph?

Hard-working Yorkshire lad who always did what he said he would do.