Event round-up: techUK talks with…Stuart Bonthrone, CEO of Esri UK

techUK’s CEO Julian David caught up with Stuart Bonthrone, CEO of Esri UK, in an exclusive fireside chat. Part of our ‘techUK talks’ series, the session explored business issues facing tech leaders and how we can use technology to build a better future for the UK’s economy, society and the planet.

Julian asked about Stuart’s drivers, priorities and challenges throughout the conversation. Revenue growth, making staff feel more valued and focusing on customer success were all addressed. Stuart also shared his career path and personal journey to becoming CEO and some lessons learnt from both.

Plans to double the size of the company and the untapped potential for geospatial tech were also examined – from locating wind farms and building new homes to understanding insurance risk and improving biodiversity.

Examples including the Ministry of Defence, Domino’s Pizza, the Crown Estate and Vodafone were cited. Using location to unify data was also covered, with National Highways describing its spatial data as ‘the primary key of primary keys’.

This and more can be seen in this recording:

The challenges of growing a tech company and the benefits of creating leadership programmes were raised. Stuart explained how developing the business in an evolutionary rather than revolutionary way helped keep staff onside and also fosters more sustainable growth.

The value of establishing an in-house 10-day MBA was also put in the spotlight, giving staff wider business knowledge, the ability to have better quality conversations with customers and solve more problems.

Watch more about these topics here:

Julian and Stuart also discussed the democratisation of software, AI opportunities and R&D – Esri invests around $300m in R&D each year. Inspiring the next generation of geo experts and giving young people new skills were also explored. Stuart explained how Esri UK is working with the Natural History Museum and Royal Horticultural Society on the Department for Education’s Nature Park initiative, empowering students to improve biodiversity in their schools while developing green skills.

More can be seen in this clip here:

Find out more about Esri UK here: www.esriuk.com