Ian Hodgson - Business Development Director, Managed Services

Contact Ian

How did you get where you are today?

I joined Logicalis this year as business development director for managed services after a few years in a similar role in CSF, before that I was the non-executive chairman of Sema4 Europe. Between 1996 and 2002, I was at Compaq, where between 2000 and 2002, my role was managed services director for Europe, overseeing a budget of $480 million and 2,600 staff. Before that, I spent 11 years at Digital Equipment Corp, before Compaq took us over, in a variety of senior sales, service & business management positions. I originally trained as an accountant but moved into IT in 1967 as a computer programmer working for J, Bibby & Sons.

What are you working on right now?

Growing the Logicalis Managed Service and the development of a scaleable sales and delivery organisation to support our ambitious plans for the business. The primary focus is service excellence and high customer satisfaction.

Who or what has been the greatest influence on your career to date?

Eighteen years in sales, services and general management at Digital, Compaq and HP.

Who in business do you most admire - and why?

Richard Branson - the ultimate entrepreneur.

What aspect of your job do you find most satisfying?

Building winning teams to create satisfied customers.

What has been your most valuable lesson learnt?

Always quote a fair price for a valued service. Never buy business. There's a temptation for some organisations to try and win business at less than cost price, in order to win a place at the table with a customer, in the hope that it will generate more business to recover a profit. Such organisations end up cutting back on service resources to try and make contracts profitable. So the customer loses out in the end.

Which are your favourite websites and blogs?

None in particular.

How do you spend your downtime? Where? With who?

Socialising with my wife Sandra, my daughters, grand-children and friends, whilst fitting in golf, sailing, swimming and the theatre.

What lifetime ambition have you yet to achieve?

Live to a healthy and grand old age.