You’ll have been Computacenter CEO for 30 years in December. What drives you in that role, and have your motivations changed from, say, 10 years ago?
What keeps motivating me? I’m a really annoying person that can’t think of anything else to do – that may be true.
I enjoy doing it. The acquisitions in the US, being Britain’s second-largest company in Germany, having 1,200 employees in Bangalore that I’m going out to see in five weeks’ time, having scale, having size, building something of significance… that’s what I get a kick out of.
I just make it a bit bigger, a bit faster and a bit smarter, and give better service. If you do all those things you’ll make money. I get a kick out of building it and I want to do it for as long as I can. If Joe Biden can do the most powerful job at 81, you never know how long I can do this for.
I’m 62. Getting the job young helps [for being the longest-serving CEO in the FTSE 250]. Phil Hume giving me the job at 34 gives you a chance. If you start at 50 you’re never going to do this time. But we’ll see how it goes…I’m not going anywhere yet, I promise.
“They’re not rubbish, just expensive” – see Norris’ views on as-a-service and consumption models on next page…
