IT Life: Talking With TalkTalk’s Business Head

Charles Bligh has been managing director at TalkTalk Business since 2011 and has been in the IT industry for 22 years, starting at IBM as an engineer. He has held a number of senior roles, including four years based in Tokyo.

What has been your favourite project so far?
This one! Joining TalkTalk Business and working over the past two years to further improve the customer experience has been both fulfilling and rewarding, but the best is yet to come. I like to say TalkTalk Business is the best kept secret in the industry. We are just at the beginning.

The Web changed it all

What tech were you involved with ten years ago?
Ten years ago, back in early 2000, I was working with companies to help them view the web as a revenue generating opportunity, not just to reduce costs. It all sounds incredibly naive now when you think about how far we’ve come.

What tech do you expect to be using in ten years’ time?
In ten years’ time I would expect to be using, flexible (bendable) touch screen devices integrated into all aspects of my life, at home, on the move and at work.

Moore rules

Who’s your tech hero?
My tech hero is Gordon Moore, the man who came up with Moore’s Law, which says that everything doubles in performance every two years. The law challenges us to drive innovation while relying on the idea that everything will be smaller, faster and more connected.

Who’s your tech villain?
This is a tough one, I am not sure I would single out one person. I’ve always been a very ambitious person, so when it comes to technology, I think it would have to be any kind of person who says it can’t be done.

What’s your favourite technology ever made? Which do you use most?
The web is my favourite technology and my favourite gadget is my tablet (iPad!), which I use for all kinds of things, to stream movies, surf the web and listen to music.

What is your budget outlook going forward? Flat? Growing?
Substantial growth! We’ve had a strong first quarter of our financial year and we’re seeing increased demand for our data and carrier services.

Apart from your own, which company do you admire most and why?
Companies that provide excellent customer service on a sustained basis. At TalkTalk Business we put good customer service at the heart of everything we do, so I value that trait when I see it in other organisations. Barclays, who won an award for best customer experience centre of the year last year, is a great example.

What’s the greatest challenge for an IT company/department today?
One of the greatest challenges the technology industry is facing today is managing the fast growth of mobility and how to harness it in the workplace. The need for mobility to drive business objectives, now combined with the added device-driven dimension of BYOD, presents quite a network and security challenge for businesses of all sizes.

To Cloud or not to Cloud?
For me, the answer is undoubtedly to Cloud. But which cloud? Your own private or public or hybrid? Businesses are moving into a world where the cloud is used for almost all enterprise applications. The cloud allows companies to use a shared environment, makes it easier to tap into common interest data and provides access to the computing power of hundreds of servers, without the expense. That isn’t to say working in the cloud doesn’t present its own challenges, but with the right technology choices, secure flexible network and ICT partners, they’re not insurmountable.

What did you want to be when you were a child?
It wasn’t what I wanted to be, but more of where I wanted to be. I wanted to live and work around the world.

How are your IT leadership skills? Try our CEO quiz!